I'm new to this & have a question on measuring OG.
I've been brewing extract beers (2 batches since I got my kit for xmas) with steeped grains. I measure the gravity of the wort:
- after steeping
- after the boil
- after topping off fermenter to total batch vol
All measurements were taken at 59 deg F or corrected using the table in Palmer's book and done in a sanitary manner.
The post steep measurement is just out of curiosity, I've never gotten more than 5pts and am pretty sure that is not needed, but fun/easy to check. Would be interested in any thoughts on this, but the main questions are:
1) Is it better to measure gravity at the post-boil volume or should I top it off to 3gal?
2) I've read that more volume in the work helps hop util. Is it a bad idea for any reason to top off the boil to 3g during the boil by adding boiling water from a kettle?
3) Do I need to measure OG at the full fermentation volume (5g) if I measured the wort at 3 gal?
4) I got a delta of about 9 points from what I expected for OG and what I measured after topping off to 5gal. i.e. I measured Gravity of the 3gal wort at 1.09, I expected (based on calcs) to have an OG of 1.054 at 5gal, but measured 1.045, I am certain the volumes are correct. What could have happened? Which should I take as reality? BeerCalculus estimated it at 1.052 based on my ingredients...
5) I've seen recipes that have BG. What is that/when do I measure it/why do we care?
Thanks Everyone, I love this site!
I've been brewing extract beers (2 batches since I got my kit for xmas) with steeped grains. I measure the gravity of the wort:
- after steeping
- after the boil
- after topping off fermenter to total batch vol
All measurements were taken at 59 deg F or corrected using the table in Palmer's book and done in a sanitary manner.
The post steep measurement is just out of curiosity, I've never gotten more than 5pts and am pretty sure that is not needed, but fun/easy to check. Would be interested in any thoughts on this, but the main questions are:
1) Is it better to measure gravity at the post-boil volume or should I top it off to 3gal?
2) I've read that more volume in the work helps hop util. Is it a bad idea for any reason to top off the boil to 3g during the boil by adding boiling water from a kettle?
3) Do I need to measure OG at the full fermentation volume (5g) if I measured the wort at 3 gal?
4) I got a delta of about 9 points from what I expected for OG and what I measured after topping off to 5gal. i.e. I measured Gravity of the 3gal wort at 1.09, I expected (based on calcs) to have an OG of 1.054 at 5gal, but measured 1.045, I am certain the volumes are correct. What could have happened? Which should I take as reality? BeerCalculus estimated it at 1.052 based on my ingredients...
5) I've seen recipes that have BG. What is that/when do I measure it/why do we care?
Thanks Everyone, I love this site!
