Wrong Gravity Reading ?????

This is my first batch, my beer has been in the primary for almost 3 weeks now..
The Final gravity reading should be 1.040 but my hydrometer is reading 1.010.
Is there anything i should be doing to change this? Im not sure were i screwed up. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
thanks in advance

You didn't screw up! FG means "final gravity", the SG the beer should end up at after fermentation. For most beers, that number is usually 1.010-1.016 or so. So, you're right in there! Maybe 1.040 should have been the OG, or original gravity, before fermentation started. That would seem about right.

So if the gravity reading is ok.. that means im ok to transfer it to the keg and let it sit for another week?
Thanks for you quick response by the way yopperbrew

I have a similar type question. I took my first gravity reading today, and it's at 1.010, which goes along with the final gravity the kit suggests I should have, but 1.010 seems to correspond with a lower abv than what the beer said it would be (4 to 5 percent).

??

Aguirre, what was your OG before you pitched the yeast?
And what was the OG the kit suggests?
Keep in mind it might drop more?

soccerbigt said:

So if the gravity reading is ok.. that means im ok to transfer it to the keg and let it sit for another week?
Thanks for you quick response by the way yopperbrew

Click to expand...

Sure, you can transfer it if you want. Or you can wait. Time is always good for beer, either in the fermenter or in the keg.

Aguirre said:

I have a similar type question. I took my first gravity reading today, and it's at 1.010, which goes along with the final gravity the kit suggests I should have, but 1.010 seems to correspond with a lower abv than what the beer said it would be (4 to 5 percent).

??

Click to expand...

Well, as the other poster said, we'd need to know the OG so we could figure out the ABV%. The formula is easy- it's (OG-FG) x 131 = ABV.

Oh! Thank you! I wasn't aware of the formula, wonderful information to have.


I don't think I have a very good understanding of the science. Why does the hydrometer have a potential volume of alcohol down the side if it doesn't actually read that content?

Btw, my OG was 1.050. It's right around where it should be. The extra % is probably all that vodka that was sucked from the airlock into the bucket when I was prying the lid off.

Aguirre said:

Oh! Thank you! I wasn't aware of the formula, wonderful information to have.


I don't think I have a very good understanding of the science. Why does the hydrometer have a potential volume of alcohol down the side if it doesn't actually read that content?

Click to expand...

Most hydrometers are "triple scale" hydrometers- reading Balling scale, specific gravity and potential alcohol %. The Balling scale is something I've never used, the SG scale I use for beer and wine, but the potential alcohol scale is most useful in winemaking. At a glance, I can make sure that my alcohol content will be acceptable to preserve the wine. And the PA scale makes sense in winemaking- you ferment out the sugars completely, so the PA scale is pretty accurate in wine. In beer, you don't ferment out all of the sugars- there is some residual sweetness, even in a drier style beer, so the PA scale is completely useless for determining actual alcohol content in beer.

Thanks again, very helpful

Even using the ABV on the hydrometer it's easy.
Just subtract the ABV (next to your OG) minus the ABV (next to your FG) equals your ABV.