Determining OG after dumb, dumb oversight

[Orrin1988]

So a week ago my brewfriend and I did our second batch . It was an Cream Stout recipe from Midwest Supplies. It states an OG of 1.043 - 1.049... I have also read that cream stouts typically want to stay below 1.054 and above 1.040 because they don't do so well with high alcohol. The kit is extract BTW.

Anyway, after our brew of almost precisely 4 gallons of water (+ extract and stuff) we started running low on time... We had started a bit later than scheduled and so I was rushed to go to work and he was gonna have to clean up himself. So we took a quick gravity reading before I left and we got the number 1.065... we looked at each other in disgust and were worried about it.

On my way to work I realized that the gravity reading was so high because we had taken the reading before adding water to it to make it to the 5 gallon mark, which was called for in the recipe .

I called him and he said that he had remembered to put the water in there before pitching the yeast, but he didn't think to take a reading again.

So we didn't really get an official OG down and it has had me thinking. If I assume we had exactly 4 gallons (unlikely due to boil) of wort before pitching, and that wort was a 1.065 by my uneducated calculations adding 1 gallon of 1.00 liquid is going to put that at a gravity of about 1.052... That is a really rough estimation based off only basic math and guessing at what the wort level was at. My brewfriend says he remembers it was a little lower than 4 gallons, so maybe 3.8?

Is there anyone out there that can calculate a more reliable number for an OG. I realize its extremely hard to get a 100% precise, but assuming a 30 minute steep of 155 degrees and a 60 minute boil (of almost exactly 4 gallons of water) is there any math and science wiz that can predict how much wort we had, about, and subsequently how much adding the last bit of water lowered the gravity from 1.065?

We would just like to have a more accurate number. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[billl]

As long as you topped off to the correct final volume, your OG will match the kit. Don't worry about your readings, just use the kit number.

BTW - the formula would just be 65 x 3.8/5 = 49, so your measured OG would be 1.049. If you started with 4 gallons, you probably boiled off more than 0.2 gallons though. Anyway, you are going to be right in the proper range because it is an extract kit.

As far as stouts and alcohol, you are talking about style guidelines. ie a sweet stout should be less than 1.056 to be "to style." If you brew a stronger batch, that doesn't mean it will be bad. There are lots and lots of stronger stouts out there that are quite tasty. You just wouldn't describe them as "cream stout."

 

[dcp27]

if you post the recipe we can tell you what it should be since extract is a given amount of sugar

if you're volumes and reading were correct, then ya like 1.048-1.052 depending on the actual volume (and temp) at your reading

 

[Orrin1988]

Thanks for responses!

As for exact recipe it's rather simple but here it is:

6 lbs of Dark LME boiled for full 60

Specialty grains (steeped for 30 minutes at 155 degrees)
8 oz of Black Malt
8 oz of Caramel 80 L

Hops
1 oz of NOrthern brewer (no aroma hops) boiled for full 60

Non fermentables
1/2 pound of lactose put in boil at 30 minute mark

Although we started at 4 gallons of water, I know adding the lactoise and extract will have added a bit of volume to the wort (am I wrong in this?) so that's why I figured 3.8 or so would be reasonable for a volume before adding water. I could easily be wrong... you think 3.5 or so is more of a number to expect after boiling? If so that puts me at a gravity of 1.0455 (or rounded up to 1.046)

Any other thoughts?

 

[dcp27]

the lme would add about 0.5gal to the volume, not sure about the lactose.

i get about 1.05 from that recipe at 5gals