Question Regarding OG on First Batch - Extract with Grains

[Jiffster]

Made my first batch almost 2 weeks ago. Followed the recipe to the T (almost) but OG was...... Well, this is where it gets sticky.

I thought I was supposed to take the OG reading off of the cooled wort before adding top off water. The raw wort reading was 1.032 at 72 degrees bringing it to 1.033. The target OG for the recipe was 1.056.

I have no idea what the actual OG really was.

The 2 mistakes/deviations I made from the original recipe (just dumb mistakes) was:

1) I got the water (2.5 gal) to a boil and added the DME (6#) and LME (1#) and then I steeped my grains in a bag for 15 minutes.

2) I added my corn sugar (8 oz) at 15 instead of after boil.

Appreciate your thoughts on this.

 

[DJP00829]

neither of those changes would have affected your OG in that way. If anything your concentrated OG should have been higher than the recipe stated. I'm wondering if your error was in actually taking/measuring the OG sample. What was your process?

 

[Qhrumphf]

Was this supposed to be a 5 gallon batch?

There's got to be an error in your reading, because there is zero way for 7 lbs of extract in ~2.5 gallons to be that low. The way the math works, if you read before top off, and went from 2.5 gallons to 5 gallons, the 2.5 gallon gravity should be EXACTLY twice what i will be at 5 gallons (in other words, if your OG at 5 gallons should have been 1.056, at 2.5 gallons before top off it should be 1.112).

In 5 gallons, that amount of extract, plus 8 oz corn sugar, should have brought you well above your 1.056 target (napkin math gives me 1.066 or so), not including an extra couple points from whatever specialty grains you used. The thing is, the sugar content in extract and sugar is a given amount, and it won't change. There's no way to get it wrong. And any difference in extract from steeping grains will be negligible. So, assuming you topped off to exactly 5 gallons, your OG should be ~1.066-1.068 or so.

Basically, both your gravity measurement, and it looks like the recipe are in error. I'm wondering if this was supposed to be a 6 gallon batch, in which case the estimated OG makes a bit more sense.

 

[C-Rider]

As long as your volume is correct your OG for an Extract Kit will be what ever they say it is.

 

[Jiffster]

It was a 5 gallon batch. I'm confident with the accuracy of the recipe itself. I got it while at the local brewing supply store when I picked up my equipment and supplies. The person there that helped me is a brewmaster at a local microbrewery and he works at the supply store on Saturday's. He gave me one of his recipes for an extract brew.

I thought I measured correctly but it's quite possible I didn't. Looking forward to my next batch and getting better with each one.

Appreciate the support!