O.G. far below estimated O.G.?

[nemlich22]

I just brewed two Northern Brewer kits yesterday, the Sierra Madre Pale Ale and the Phat Tyre Ale. Both have an estimated O.G. of 1.052, but I came up with 1.043 for both. I followed the instructions as given by Northern Brewer. What could cause my O.G. to be so low?

 

[Reaver]

Doesn't really help.... but I just did a MountMellick extract kit and added an extra 1lb of DME w/o extra water. Supposed to be 1.042 normal and I'm was sitting at 1.036! I had left out water intentionally to make sure I could adjust to the OG, and obviously didn't want to add anymore. I just popped the top on a previous batch of the same beer and waited for my starter to get rollin.

 

[brentt03]

I just brewed two Northern Brewer kits yesterday, the Sierra Madre Pale Ale and the Phat Tyre Ale. Both have an estimated O.G. of 1.052, but I came up with 1.043 for both. I followed the instructions as given by Northern Brewer. What could cause my O.G. to be so low?

I guess I would like to add to this a bit and ask if this difference in OG really makes all that much difference in final beer taste and quality??

Maybe someone can chime in on it....

 

[Julohan]

Are you doing extract or all-grain? If you did extract, It cold be too much water added or you did not get all the extract out of the container.

If you did all-grain, maybe you added to much water to the boil kettle, mashed too low or too high, or did not mash long enough, too many dough-balls.

 

[BigB]

Also, if it was an extract kit, you have to mix in the top off water really well before taking your hydrometer sample because the sugar dense wort is heavier than the the top off water.

 

[Brewham]

Incomplete mixing of wort and top off is #1.
Or maybe the measuring device is not well calibrated at the temperature you measured.

 

[nemlich22]

Also, if it was an extract kit, you have to mix in the top off water really well before taking your hydrometer sample because the sugar dense wort is heavier than the the top off water.

I think this may be the best explanation. We only poured the wort+water back and forth once and couldn't pour more than 3ish gallons out of the carboy. Oh well, my final ABV calculation can be off as long as my beer tastes good

 

[nemlich22]

Both batches have been fermenting for approximately 24 hours now, could I take a reading now to see if it's higher? How much should the gravity drop in the first 24 hours?

 

[a10t2]

Since these are extract beers, you can be sure that your OG was close to the expected value as long as your volume measurement was close. X sugar in Y water will always yield Z gravity.

Edit: The gravity drop in the first 24 hours will depend on so many factors that there's no reason to measure it. No one could say if the drop you observe is normal or not.

 

[BigB]

Since these are extract beers, you can be sure that your OG was close to the expected value as long as your volume measurement was close. X sugar in Y water will always yield Z gravity.

Edit: The gravity drop in the first 24 hours will depend on so many factors that there's no reason to measure it. No one could say if the drop you observe is normal or not.

I completely agree with this^^^

 

[ongreystreet]

You're reading was likely off because you didn't mix the water and wort well enough, it can be off by as much as .02 or .03 from my experience.

I shake the hell out of my carboy before I pitch the yeast, don't think it does any harm, and helps to aerate.

The other poster is also correct, water+sugar=gravity.

The only other way to mess it up with an extract kit is to either not get all the extract in the pot, or maybe leave some of it brunt on the bottom.