OG off on 2 batches...

[Brewcrew02]

So I brewed my first AG batch 5 days ago, Cascadian Dark Ale from Austin Homebrew, and things went way smoother than I expected. Only thing wrong was my OG was a LOW 1.049 when I was shooting for 1.065. Batch still fermented out very vigorously after 18 hours so I'm not too worried it won't still be a good beer.
I also brewed an extract american brown ale that I used for base on a pumpkin ale. Just added cans of pumpkin and spices to my liking. The OG was supposed to be 1.041 but I came in at 1.064! It's steadily filling my blow off bottle as we speak. :rockin:

First question, is there a logical explanation for what I may or may not have done wrong with either/both batches?

What effects may be coming my way?

Any advice is welcome and appreciated, and of course tell me what other info you want me to provide to help all around.
Thanks to everyone on this site and the wealth of knowledge I've already come across!

 

[dannyhawkins]

List your equipment and most can get a real good feel for some potential efficiency issues. If you took gravity after the purée was added it will read higher (more dense) I've been having trouble with lower efficiency than expected too. I'm still feeling out the system though. Brew On

 

[TopherM]

Have you ever measured your efficiency on your equipment? It's a basic calculation based on your pre-boil gravity (do a search if you need the equation). If you can keep your brewday procedures and equipment pretty much constant, then you can measure you efficiency and be plus or minus a few points on every batch.

Most recipes assume a 75% efficiency, so if you are getting a lower efficiency, you would end up with a lower OG, which is probably what happened on your first batch.

Danny is right on for your pumpkin batch. Especially if you used pumpkin pie puree instead of just plain pumpkin, the pumpkin defintely added to the gravity, and you recipe probably didn't account for it.

 

[duboman]

Did the grains come from the same place? A better crush will achieve a higher efficiency.

Was your process the same for both batches or was it better in one? There are a lot of factors that play in efficiency including hitting all your volumes properly from mash-boil-fermenter.

 

[daksin]

Just FYI: The extract batch's OG was spot on. If you used all the extract in the kit and the prescribed volume of wort went into your fermentor, then you hit the kit OG exactly. Chances are your reading came from not perfectly mixed wort (stronger partial boil + top off water). At this point only the AG batch was off, and that's a common thing when starting out and figuring out your own house efficiencies. You're good!

 

[Brewcrew02]

Well from what I'm reading I'll stick with assuming my first AG was a slight miss due to a first time. Used a 48-gal cooler and CPVC manifold for mashing. 8-gal aluminum kettle and DIY copper chiller. Cooler held temp at 150 (per recipe directions) perfectly to my surprise. I assume my sparge was over watered. Biggest lesson learned is I'm not ready for AG only due to space constraints. Partial mash (like the punkin') is the way to go in an apt. Luckily my buddy just started too but he's got a house and AG set up that I could theoretically use to brew, transport wort in carboy to my place, then pitch!