too much extraction...

5 gal batch

8.8lbs MO
1lb C20
1lb C40
1lb CaraPils
1/4lb flaked barley

i was shooting for ~1.056, ended up with 1.061. I hit all my numbers spot on. mash @ 153, sparge @170...

what gives?

Variation in pH? Or a finer milling on the grains? Or perhaps you were just in the "zone" and hit efficiency like never before?

mcbaumannerb said:

Variation in pH? Or a finer milling on the grains? Or perhaps you were just in the "zone" and hit efficiency like never before?

Click to expand...

depending on how well this ferments out i'm going to hit 80% efficiency on an LHBS crush. not sure about pH. first time using crystal and carapils.

Depending on what your recipe was set for, you can get a bit higher or lower OG than projected if your efficiency is different than the person who wrote the recipe. It could also be that you have a quart less liquid in your fermenter, as .005 is nothing to worry about. It could even be an error in measuring the OG as if the hydrometer sticks on the side of the test jar even a bit, it can easily be off by .005. sometimes they are hard to read and it's hard to tell 1.059 from 1.061. Either way, .005 is so small as to be insignifcant for an OG. Adding a quart of water to the fermenter will correct that and give you an OG of 1.057.

i ended up adjusting the hopbill to accomodate. i guess wel'll call it an amber ale..