Raising abv

[mglicini]

I didnt know where to put this, I brewed an allgrain IPA and had a relatively chill brew day and, I dont check my gravity throughout the mashing and brewing process (even though I know I should). I mashed at 153 degrees and didnt account for temp lost in the rubbermaid cooler (also didnt check it).. so I must of dropped well below that and didnt get as much sugar.. I was going for an o.g. 1.066, ended up with o.g. 1.044 is there a way I can feed the fermentation like you would for making a big beer (and if so how would I do that) or am I better off seeing where it goes and most likely ending up with an unbalanced beer

 

[Kirkwooder]

Ad dme until you reach your targeted og.

 

[IslandLizard]

Or mash then boil some strong wort and add that to the fermenting batch. You only need to boil it for 15-30' or so, to drive off DMS.

Adding DME, as @Kirkwooder said, is quicker, easier. I would dissolve it in the smallest amount of hot water before adding.

 

[Soulshine2]

I didnt know where to put this, I brewed an allgrain IPA and had a relatively chill brew day and, I dont check my gravity throughout the mashing and brewing process (even though I know I should). I mashed at 153 degrees and didnt account for temp lost in the rubbermaid cooler (also didnt check it).. so I must of dropped well below that and didnt get as much sugar.. I was going for an o.g. 1.066, ended up with o.g. 1.044 is there a way I can feed the fermentation like you would for making a big beer (and if so how would I do that) or am I better off seeing where it goes and most likely ending up with an unbalanced beer

need more info-
153* isnt off by that much. but not preheating the tun might have lost 10* or so so it may have been too cool for proper conversion.
size of batch/ grain bill
mash time
how much actual fermentable ingredients did you use.
did you sparge .
always check your gravities as you go

 

[mglicini]

need more info-
153* isnt off by that much. but not preheating the tun might have lost 10* or so so it may have been too cool for proper conversion.
size of batch/ grain bill
mash time
how much actual fermentable ingredients did you use.
did you sparge .
always check your gravities as you go

More info:
I actually used a sous vide to heat the water in the container, so guess potentially I only lost the initial heat adding the mash.
5gal batch/ all grain bill, 10 lb 2 row pale malt, 1lb munich
mash time 1.5 hours (doing other stuff figured it wasnt going to hurt it.
Yes I sparged 168 degrees took about 30 min.
I never felt I had a need to check my gravity I was always close enough.. now I have a reason

I would like to add some dme dissolved in water- is there a way to calculate how much dme to add or is the guess and check method my only way?

 

[IslandLizard]

I would like to add some dme dissolved in water- is there a way to calculate how much dme to add or is the guess and check method my only way?

You're 22 points short of your intended 1.066. 5 gallons in the fermenter?

5 gal * 22 points = 110 points.
DME yields around 45 points per pound per gallon (ppg) ==> 110/45 = 2.4 pounds of DME needed.

To be more precise, if it takes a quart of hot water to dissolve the DME, add that quart of 0-gravity volume to your calculation:
.25 gal * 66 points / 45 ppg DME = .37 pounds of DME needed to bring that quart of water itself to a gravity 1.066.

Total DME needed: 2.4 + .37 = 2.77 pounds.

 

[IslandLizard]

I would definitely bring that dissolved DME to 180F for 5 minutes to pasteurize, for all security. Be careful not to scorch it, it's thick, almost syrupy.

 

[mglicini]

You're 22 points short of your intended 1.066. 5 gallons in the fermenter?

5 gal * 22 points = 110 points.
DME yields around 45 points per pound per gallon (ppg) ==> 110/45 = 2.4 pounds of DME needed.

To be more precise, if it takes a quart of hot water to dissolve the DME, add that quart of 0-gravity volume to your calculation:
.25 gal * 66 points / 45 ppg DME = .37 pounds of DME needed to bring that quart of water itself to a gravity 1.066.

Total DME needed: 2.4 + .37 = 2.77 pounds.

Yes 5 gal. Batch.. thank you for your help