Sg/abv

[billism]

This is my frist brew, and I'm doing extract (syrup). I'm doing a bock style ale. I measured the OG of the wort before pitchign yeast and it was 1.040 SG. I understand that the higher this number, the more potential for alcohool volume. 1.040 seems a little low from what I have read and the recipe's projected FG is 1.013 or below. According to MashPro, this would yeild somehwere like 3.54% ABV. I would like a little more alcohol in my beer, if possible. Is there a way to raise that, or am I calculating wrong?

Thanks!

- Bill


Oh, in case you need the recipe:


2.5 lbs Munich malt extract
0.5 lbs "dark" malt extract
3.75 lbs Coopers Bavarian Lager malt extract (hopped)
11.5 g Dry Ale Yeast (Safale US-56)
1oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker hopps. (pellets)

Mixed malt extracts with 2 gallons of boiling water. boiled 30 minutes (with 2/3 of the hopps) then added the rest of the hopps and turned off heat. Cooled. Added 3 gallons of water. OG = 1.040 SG.

 

[StudentBrewer]

I just plugged those numbers in to recipator quickly and it shows an OG of about 1.055 if that was dry malt extract. Assuming that you get to 1.013 or lower, you are looking to see at least 5.5% abv. Sounds like your good to go.

 

[billism]

I just plugged those numbers in to recipator quickly and it shows an OG of about 1.055 if that was dry malt extract. Assuming that you get to 1.013 or lower, you are looking to see at least 5.5% abv. Sounds like your good to go.

Its liquid (syrup) extract. =) The OG measured out to be 1.040.

Thanks for the reply and your time.

 

[Pumbaa]

I would like a little more alcohol in my beer, if possible. Is there a way to raise that, or am I calculating wrong?

sure just bump up the amount of malt you are using . . .
Go back into Promash and add enuff malt to get to the ABV you are looking for. If you are worried about affecting the color you can use honey or corn sugar to get teh same effect, problem is you may loose some body

 

[cweston]

If you already pitched the yeast last night, you probably need to just let it go and adjust next time.

If not, you can boil up a little mini wort with more malt extract, if you have it, and add it to the wort to raise the gravity. You may want to hop the mini wort a little, too, to avoid altering the hop/maltiness balance.

It's nice to have some light dry malt extract around for exactly this purpose.

A 3.5 - 4% ABV beer can be perfectly nice drinking, BTW: especially if you're in the habit of drinking them in bunches.

 

[billism]

If you already pitched the yeast last night, you probably need to just let it go and adjust next time.

If not, you can boil up a little mini wort with more malt extract, if you have it, and add it to the wort to raise the gravity. You may want to hop the mini wort a little, too, to avoid altering the hop/maltiness balance.

It's nice to have some light dry malt extract around for exactly this purpose.

A 3.5 - 4% ABV beer can be perfectly nice drinking, BTW: especially if you're in the habit of drinking them in bunches.

Thanks. That is what I was thinking. More alcohol next time, perhaps. =) I was unaware how important the SG was in regards to producing alcohol until after I started fermentation. Well, I'm a first tim-er. =) I think I will be doing many more batches. Fun stuff.

Thanks again all for replying!

 

[adamk222]

i usualy just add a pound or 2 of dextrose and yeast extract is this wrong?

 

[Janx]

My guess is you measured the OG incorrectly. Hydrometers are a notorious PITA.

If you added all that extract, then there's really very little room for the OG to be much lower than what ProMash would calculate. Extract is like Kool-Aid mix. There aren't a lot of variables or ways to get less OG than you thought.

Hydrometer is to blame. Don't use it. See if your beer is strong enough by drinking 2 or 3 of them

 

[billism]

Hydrometer is to blame. Don't use it. See if your beer is strong enough by drinking 2 or 3 of them

I like the way you think. =)

 

[Brew chick]

mixed malt extracts with 2 gallons of boiling water. boiled 30 minutes (with 2/3 of the hopps) then added the rest of the hopps and turned off heat. Cooled. Added 3 gallons of water. OG = 1.040 SG.[/QUOTE]

extract+2 gallon+3gallon/what was your final volume? did you water it down too much? that would lower the gravity(sorry if i'm insulting your intelligence/i dont mean to)

 

[todd_k]

My guess is you measured the OG incorrectly. Hydrometers are a notorious PITA.

If you added all that extract, then there's really very little room for the OG to be much lower than what ProMash would calculate. Extract is like Kool-Aid mix. There aren't a lot of variables or ways to get less OG than you thought.

Hydrometer is to blame. Don't use it. See if your beer is strong enough by drinking 2 or 3 of them

Is there something else we should use in place of the hydrometer (besides drinking 2 or 3 :cross: )? I agree that it is a PITA and I always wonder if I'm getting an accurate reading.