Really high OG

[robc311]

I just made an extract American Wheat using a recipe that I found on homebrewing.org which I tweaked a little. The recipe didn't list an OG so I plugged it into Brewer's Friend and it said it should have an OG of 1.059. Based on my hydrometer reading I came up with an OG of1.066 so I'm a little concerned. Here's my recipe:

3lbs wheat DME for 60 min
3lbs wheat DME at Flameout
1oz Hallertau for 60 min
1oz Saaz for 15 min
1lb honey at flameout
Zest of 2 oranges at flameout

I used a 2.5 gallon boil and topped off to 5 gallons. I took the sample right after topping off so everything was very well mixed. I measured it at the proper temp and my hydrometer is calibrated. I've honestly never felt confident with my hydrometer readings but even if I'm off a little, the measurement is still really high. I'm using US-05 so hopefully this isn't an issue but I'm still wondering what happened to make it so high. What do you think?

 

[beergolf]

The usual culprit for gravity readings that are off with partial boils and top off water is usually due to not being fully mixed up. If it is a mixing problem then that is your answer,

It has been ages since I have done extract brews but off the top of my head 6lbs of DME and a lb of honey should give you about the 1.066 you measured. I do not think the 1.059 is accurate. Did you add the honey to the recipe?

 

[martiniw2olives]

Maybe you boiled off too much and looks like your at 7.3 vs 6.4 abv. US-05 will be fine. If it was my beer I wouldn't care and have a feeling it's going to be good. Here is a thread that talks about US-05 abv tolerance.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=131984

 

[robc311]

I am pretty sure that it was well mixed...I had to chill the sample to get it to 60 and a small bit of trub formed in the tube so I shook it up to ensure the hydrometer wasn't resting on the sediment. I did add the honey to the recipe...here's a pic of the fermentables. Maybe the software's calculations are off. I had that issue with this software with my last batch. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1481768935.823596.jpg

 

[kh54s10]

If your volumes were accurate I would say the proper gravity is close to what the calculator said and that even though you thought the top up water was mixed, it really wasn't.

But .007 is not what I would call a drastic difference either. You got a little stronger beer. Just stop drinking one pint earlier.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

You are worrying too much. Chances are this will happen on just about every batch. RDWHAHB. And besides. It's barely even off at all.

 

[robc311]

Maybe I need to just stop taking OG readings...life was better when I didn't bother.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

I always take gravity readings. Mostly to keep track of fermentation and most importantly... If you don't have an OG you will not be able to calculate the ABV when the batch is packaged.

 

[rangerdug]

I always measure OG if just for my records and knowledge. Maybe you brew it again and want to tweak that batch. Also, OGs give you something to discuss with your fellow brewmasters!

 

[seabrew8]

I just made an extract American Wheat using a recipe that I found on homebrewing.org which I tweaked a little. The recipe didn't list an OG so I plugged it into Brewer's Friend and it said it should have an OG of 1.059. Based on my hydrometer reading I came up with an OG of1.066 so I'm a little concerned. Here's my recipe:

3lbs wheat DME for 60 min
3lbs wheat DME at Flameout
1oz Hallertau for 60 min
1oz Saaz for 15 min
1lb honey at flameout
Zest of 2 oranges at flameout

I used a 2.5 gallon boil and topped off to 5 gallons. I took the sample right after topping off so everything was very well mixed. I measured it at the proper temp and my hydrometer is calibrated. I've honestly never felt confident with my hydrometer readings but even if I'm off a little, the measurement is still really high. I'm using US-05 so hopefully this isn't an issue but I'm still wondering what happened to make it so high. What do you think?

I always thought you got better efficiency with extract but i could be mistaken. You used 75% eff on brewer's friend i see....

Anyhow, you will just have stronger beer! I usually make 5.5-6.5% beers myself. Your brew will probably go over 7% though IME.

 

[billl]

In terms of measurements, extract brewing is really easy. DME is 42 points per lb. Honey is about 38. So 42 * 6 + 38 = 290. in 5 gallons of water, that is 290/5 = 58. Assuming you have 5 gallons, your gravity is 1.058. Unless your measurements for water or ingredients are off, that is what your gravity is going to be. If you get something else, then you have an error in your hydrometer measurement, your volume measurement, or your weight measurement.