First Partial Mash. REALLY high OG.

I did my first Partial Mash last night.
It's a Brooklyn Brown ale clone recipe I got from my LHBS.

The expected OG is about 1.060-1.063
The measured OG is 1.087 !

I am not using a mash tun. What I am doing is doughing in the malt into a pot of water at 155 degrees that I have in the oven (also set to 155 degrees, and verified with a thermometer). I let it soak in there for 90 minutes, then after 90 minutes (checking and maintaining the temp the whole time) I take the pot out and pour it throguh a sanitized SS colander into my brew pot.

After that, I use a measuring cup and slowly pour 155degree water over the mash to sparge the grain.

I followed the recipe usign the necessary amounts of DME, MaltoDextrin, etc.

I am wondering, am I getting really good starch conversion or am I getting other stuff out of the grain that might give me off flavors, or what?

Thanks!

Well, could you post your recipe, so we can figure out the efficiency?

What she said ^^^.

Also, 168-170 is usually the preferred sparge water temp, you were a bit low at 155.

here is the recipe I used:
this is a 5 gallon batch.

1.75 lbs 2 row Pale Malt
12 oz Crystal Malt 60 Lovibond
5 oz British Chocolate Malt
3 oz Belgian Biscuit Malt.
4.5lbs extra light DME
8oz Wheat DME
4 oz MaltoDextrin
1oz Northern Brewer Pellet Hops @ 8.6 AA
1/2 OZ Willamette Hops
3/4 oz Cascade hops

I think you need to check your hydrometer because there is No Way you could get 27 ppg more with That recipe unless you were doing a Very small batch and a brewhouse efficiency of 85% which would be possible... like 3.75 gallons maybe? Did you start out boiling 5 gallons and end up with 3.75 gallons?

Stats
OG 1.082
FG 1.021
IBU 33
ABV 7.9 %


Specifics
Boil Volume 3.75 gallons
Batch Size 3.75 gallons
Yeast 75% AA

Running the numbers, your OG is impossible to achieve without more ingredients or less water. You would have to get 180% effeciency, which is obviously impossible.

I would probably guess, that because of the low sparge temp, that you got an efficency somewhere between 60%-70%. This would equate to an OG of 1.059-1.061, right in line with what you should have gotten.

How and when did you measure the gravity? Pre boil/post boil, what temp, volume, etc...?


Edit: My %'s were on backwards.

BarleyWater said:

Running the numbers, your OG is impossible to achieve without more ingredients or less water. You would have to get %180 effeciency, which is obviously impossible.

I would probably guess, that because of the low sparge temp, that you got an efficency somewhere between %60-%70. This would equate to an OG of 1.059-1.061, right in line with what you should have gotten.

How and when did you measure the gravity? Pre boil/post boil, what temp, volume, etc...?

Click to expand...

Again why I am posting here. As I am confused.

I used a hydrometer and I measured after I had cooled the wort to yeast pitching temp, just before I pitched the yeast. Temp was 70 degrees F. Volume was 5.15 gallons.

Is it possible you got some layering with your sample?
Did you stir, shake, airate your wort before drawing the sample?
Remembered an old post, is it possible someone poured around 2 lbs of salt into it just to pi.. you off?

Kauai_Kahuna said:

Is it possible you got some layering with your sample?
Did you stir, shake, airate your wort before drawing the sample?
Remembered an old post, is it possible someone poured around 2 lbs of salt into it just to pi.. you off?

Click to expand...

That is a distinct possibility.
I usually shake the wort to aerate it. I am thinking about getting a fish tank pump and aeration stone to assist with Aeration.

Nobody poured salt in it. I was alone in my apartment when I brewed.

Unless the sweet black labrador retriever is using subterfuge to mask her evil nature...

SeldomSeen said:

Again why I am posting here. As I am confused.

I used a hydrometer and I measured after I had cooled the wort to yeast pitching temp, just before I pitched the yeast. Temp was 70 degrees F. Volume was 5.15 gallons.

Click to expand...

Did you correct for the temperature? Hydrometers are calibrated to 60 deg. F...

TimMcTigue said:

Did you correct for the temperature? Hydrometers are calibrated to 60 deg. F...

Click to expand...

Yes

5678

SeldomSeen said:

I am thinking about getting a fish tank pump and aeration stone to assist with Aeration.

Click to expand...

Don't do it... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/surprising-aeration-results-79762/
or... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/aeration-basic-brewing-radio-75573/

BarleyWater said:

Don't do it... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/surprising-aeration-results-79762/
or... https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/aeration-basic-brewing-radio-75573/

Click to expand...

Interesting...

What I have been doing is pouring in the cooled contents of the brew kettle (~2.5 gallons) and splashing it about while I do that, and then shaking for 60 seconds.
After that, I splash in the cool water to bring it to 5 gallons, shake it for another 30 seconds, and then pitching the yeast.

Have you tested the gravity of your water to make sure the hydrometer is working properly? Something is definitely off.

Do you know how to read a Hydrometer?

So I'm in a situation where the recipe book said I should have an OG of 1.051 and I came out with 1.056.

This is my first partial mash and this is only my 5th batch ever.

What would cause the difference?

Unlike the original poster in this thread that difference is pretty slight.

Could be anything from slightly higher efficiency in your mash to misreading the hydrometer, to getting a bit of malt stuck in the tap (usually best to drink or discard the first part of the sample which is what I'm guessing the OP didn't do) to taking your reading too cold (taking it too hot will give a lower than actual reading). Is your hydrometer calibrated to read 1000 in 20 deg Celsius water? Were your water volumes (particularly pre and post boil) exactly the same as the recipe or slightly under? Did you take a temperature reading of the sample?

Higher efficiency can come from smaller grain crush, hotter sparge water, type of sparge etc.

5 points isn't really a drama either way though. The suggested OG will be just that - suggested.