Low O.G.

So, I am a begginer (obviously) and have brewed 3 batches of beer. My first batch I tried to do a hefeweizen, 2nd an IPA, 3rd a blonde ale for the wife. All of my O.G.s were lower than what I thought they should be (compared to recipes on this forum). Am I doing something wrong, or is it due to using malt extracts that the brew shop made? For the Hefe, the O.G. was 1.039, the IPA had an O.G. of 1.030 but I did have a minor boil over, the blonde had an O.G. of 1.035. I'd excpect the blond to have low O.G.s but I thought the Hefe and the IPA would have higher O.G.s. Any thoughts, I don't know if it is due to brewing using extracts or something I am doing wrong. Do I need to move up and go all-grains?

were these partial boils? Sometimes the O.G. can read a little low if you don't get the top-off water mixed in good.

tom777 said:

were these partial boils? Sometimes the O.G. can read a little low if you don't get the top-off water mixed in good.

Click to expand...

+1

Also, did you use any steeping grains? If so, your efficiency might not have been very good when you steeped them. They generally don't contribute much sugar to the OG, but it could be enough to cause your OG to be lower than expected.

Thanks, yes it was a partial boil and I did use specialty grains. Good point, I think I topped off the carboy with water, then took my gravity measurement. I don't think I mixed until the yeast was pitched. Thanks again.