Looking for pointers...

Brewed an MWS extract kit for their Holiday Ale today. This is my second batch. I hit my temp targets with the steeping grains and got down to pitching temp in 20 minutes, but ended a little high with my volume, almost 6 gallons at the end of the boil. However, the OG was either right on target (1.066) or just a bit high taking the reading temperature into account (1.068). So I'm thinking I'm ok. I've read that extract kits should be spot on with gravity, so I'm wondering why I'm on the high end when I had so much wort at the end of the boil.

One little hiccup: my rehydrated yeast sat in water for well over an hour while I prepped the wort.

Anything to worry about?

How did you measure that you have about 6 gal?

beerman0001 said:

How did you measure that you have about 6 gal?

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Eyeballing the brew kettle marks. It was actually about 5.8.

you will be fine then. Just make sure you have a few extra bottles when it comes time.

Music to my ears...

Also on the rehydrating yeast, no worries. I routinely leave mine sitting that long. You'll be fine, but with an og that high a yeast starter would definitely be a good idea on future batches.

Just took a gravity reading of my holiday ale. After 2 weeks in primary it's down to 1.021. Target is 16-18, but my OG was 2 points above the high end of the target, so I may be close.

Question: the difference between OG and FG gives you your ABV, correct?

Loved the taste, even if a little sweet. Definitely noted pear in there. Another week until I plan to bottle.

Thanks! Just copied it into my book for future reference. Looks like 6.8%.

Crossing my fingers to break through the "extract wall" of 1.020, if only for bragging rights!

Bottled today after 3 1/2 weeks in primary. Gravity dropped a point in the last 10 days to 1.20. It's only 2 points off and the drop from the OG was spot on.

Yield was 42 twelves and 2 twenty-twos. Drank the dregs of the bottling bucket. Nasty! Way too sweet. I'll attribute that to the priming sugar.

Gonna forget about it until Christmas, see how it matures.