Great Hydrometer Mystery?

Yesterday I was doing my second all grain batch and I took a pre-boil hydrometer sample. I entered it in 2 different temperature adjustment calculators and they both stated my gravity was 1.054-1.055. I was shooting for 1.056, so close enough. After a 60 minute boil my hydrometer now claims the gravity of the wort is 1.052. How is this possible? I took the original sample from a full boil pot so it wasn't like it was more concentrated wort or anything.

Possible you running weren't mixed completely for your first sample. much like getting a bad reading from a extract batch when adding top off water. The majority of the sample could have been first runnings.

did you cool the sample or adjust for temp?

I adjusted it for temp. Just to be sure I entered it into 2 different calculators and it checked out. I used this method last time with no problem.

As for the sample being the first runnings, I actually just skimmed it off the surface of my full brewpot. If anything, I would imagine that sample would be lower gravity if the wort wasn't throughly mixed.

Temp adjust calculator only works up to like 80 degrees or so. I made the same mistake once and got the same weird result. I tried adjusting for wort at 180 degrees.

Linc

****! I had no idea.