Gravity is always lower than projected

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OxfordCatacombsBrewing

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I have been brewing for almost a year now, about 30 batches under my belt.
I have noticed that every one of my batches end up with a lower gravity than projected, even my extract batches. I use Brewers friend recipe calculator for every recipe and the projected OG is always about 20% higher on their than what I end up with. This is when I do full boils or 3 gallon boils. I have the batch size set to 5 gallons and everything. I adjust my hydrometer readings to 60 degrees F too.
Since this problem is consistant, I just make my recipes about 20% stronger, but this is no way to brew, especially with how often I brew. Any help appreciated.
 
OxfordCatacombsBrewing said:
I have been brewing for almost a year now, about 30 batches under my belt.
I have noticed that every one of my batches end up with a lower gravity than projected, even my extract batches. I use Brewers friend recipe calculator for every recipe and the projected OG is always about 20% higher on their than what I end up with. This is when I do full boils or 3 gallon boils. I have the batch size set to 5 gallons and everything. I adjust my hydrometer readings to 60 degrees F too.
Since this problem is consistant, I just make my recipes about 20% stronger, but this is no way to brew, especially with how often I brew. Any help appreciated.
Click to expand...

Have you tried a different recipe calculator? Post a recipe and we can see what it looks like in BeerSmith...If you are off with extract batches something is up because your conversion is taken care of with those so efficiency is not an issue.

What kind of yeast? Do you use starters for liquid? How about fermentation temperature control?
 
When you make 5 gallons of wort are you measuring out 5 gallons of water and then adding the extract?
 
I went through all of this too. I chalked it up to inconsistency with the LME i had been using. Try a different extract. Ive found Morebeers to be the best on the planet.
 
I too had this issue when using LME. I found that a combination of things was going on. First, a lot of extract recipes assume a full boil and therefore a certain amount of boil off. Second, I was not getting all of the LME out of the container that it came in. There was a good amount of LME stuck inside the jug after I dumped it. I now add hot water and to the jug and make sure I get all of the LME out. The combination of these two things had big effects on my beers. Now I am getting the numbers I am looking for. I always use Briess extract and have good luck with it.
 

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