Does sediment/particulat matter in the primary/secondary skew the specific gravity? AKA if the beer obviously hasn't settled out yet does and still looks like there is a lot of junk in there does it increase the specific gravity?
Specific Gravity question
- Thread starter nee622
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What's going on? Rather than throwing out possible "reasons" why something is happening, why don't you tell us exactly the situation, and we'll tell you the reasons why.
Let me guess, this is your first batch of beer, it's an extract batch, you topped off with water and your gravity is way off from what your recipe should be, am I close?
A lot of times new brewers on here post their "theories" as too what's wrong, but they don't actually tell us their situation or anything that could really help us to help them.
Let me guess, this is your first batch of beer, it's an extract batch, you topped off with water and your gravity is way off from what your recipe should be, am I close?
A lot of times new brewers on here post their "theories" as too what's wrong, but they don't actually tell us their situation or anything that could really help us to help them.
Nope, only things which are dissolved completely can affect your gravity- mainly sugars and alcohol.
I figured it was a pretty straight forward question but I'll expand. It's actually my fifth batch but my first high gravity batch and my second partial mash . I'm brewing a Northern Brewer Tripel Partial Mash kit (http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/...h-kits/carmelite-triple-grain-tripel-kit.html) with Belgian Ardennes (Wyeast 3522).
The gravity is not way off and I'm pretty sure it's still fermenting and it just needs more time. I simply asked the question because I wanted to know and probably should not have put it in the beginner brew session or some ****** might think I'm freaking out and don't know nothing about anything.
In full disclosure I'm probably doing way too many different things with this batch but it is what it is. It's the second time i'm using a refractometer(checking with my hydrometer I got different readings with the OG, and yes it was calibrated), the second time using my fermentation chiller (freezer). The first time re-using a washed yeast/making a starter. I brewed it exactly two weeks ago and it still has krausen and is still bubbling so i'm pretty sure it's still going i'm just avoiding serial measurements for a while to avoid infection. I also got drunk off homebrew while brewing (first time ever and last time ever) and i'm pretty sure I did it right however I know I reheated the grains while mashing but they didn't get too hot so i'm pretty sure everything is fine (maybe a little extra tannin).
Am I concerned about this batch? A little, but not in for the reason you were initially thinking. It tastes fine right now but a little sweet so I'm giving it a week or so more and seeing what happens. I'm also concerned because I've heard about the Ardennes stalling halfway through fermentation on individuals brewing high gravity batches. The question was merely a question that I had been wondering about. Google searching the question did not yield any results as I could find so I asked it where I figured people knew more than I did. Sorry if it bugs you that I asked a simple question without expanding into a novel about why I'm asking it.
Thanks, short, sweet, too the point
I really hope you weren't calling me a name for trying to help you, and asking for more info. Every day at least a half dozen new brewers post in this section a question phrased very similar to yours.
Rather than saying for example, "I bottled a beer 1 week ago and it's not carbed yet," they will post a single sentence question like (one from today) "Can using finings kill yeast?" Or something like "Does sediment/particulat matter in the primary/secondary skew the specific gravity?" Which gets asked quite often by folks who brewing in the exact scenario I mentioned above. So rather than waiting to see how much more info you were going to give, I thought, to save time I'd take a stab at where you were headed. Because honestly a lot of new brewers throw all manner of odd questions/scenarios to try to figure out what is happenning often even when there is nothing wrong.
And in the case of carbonation the reason why the beer isn't carbed at one week, is that RARELY is a beer carbed at one week. And usually the reason why a new brewer's gravity is off, is NOT because of sediment, but because of insufficient mixing of their topping off water, skewing their grav readings......which if the person had given the scenario, and not just their cryptic theory, we could have cut to the chase and give them the right answer instead of having to fish for more info.
So usually even for the most "straight forward" of questions it's usually best for those who are trying to help, if folks go into specifics and as much detail as possible.
Now to your situation, are you talking only about your OG readings only, or your later gravity readings being off? I'm still having trouble deciphering exactly what is wrong. And now that you know that your scenario isn't the answer as to why your reading is off, don't you really want to know why it is?
Answers to brewing question tend to be more in depth than a short, sweet, and to the point, "yes or no."
Rather than saying for example, "I bottled a beer 1 week ago and it's not carbed yet," they will post a single sentence question like (one from today) "Can using finings kill yeast?" Or something like "Does sediment/particulat matter in the primary/secondary skew the specific gravity?" Which gets asked quite often by folks who brewing in the exact scenario I mentioned above. So rather than waiting to see how much more info you were going to give, I thought, to save time I'd take a stab at where you were headed. Because honestly a lot of new brewers throw all manner of odd questions/scenarios to try to figure out what is happenning often even when there is nothing wrong.
And in the case of carbonation the reason why the beer isn't carbed at one week, is that RARELY is a beer carbed at one week. And usually the reason why a new brewer's gravity is off, is NOT because of sediment, but because of insufficient mixing of their topping off water, skewing their grav readings......which if the person had given the scenario, and not just their cryptic theory, we could have cut to the chase and give them the right answer instead of having to fish for more info.
So usually even for the most "straight forward" of questions it's usually best for those who are trying to help, if folks go into specifics and as much detail as possible.
Now to your situation, are you talking only about your OG readings only, or your later gravity readings being off? I'm still having trouble deciphering exactly what is wrong. And now that you know that your scenario isn't the answer as to why your reading is off, don't you really want to know why it is?
Answers to brewing question tend to be more in depth than a short, sweet, and to the point, "yes or no."
Sorry I think I read too much into your post and took offense to how you phrased it. Regardless I didn't state too much about the brew b/c there were a few mistakes in the process(being drunk and reheating the grains during mash) and I was using a few techniques that are relatively new to me. I think I know a couple of reasons why the OG might have been reading differently and plan on fixing it in the next batch (being drunk when I did it didn't help). I plan on taking more than one refractometer reading for one and ensuring my temperature is ~60/70 degrees.
The original question stemmed from the fact that I still have krausen after two weeks and my blow off is still bubbling (not a large tube but a blow-off none-the-less). I decided to take a refractometer reading and got a Brix of ~12 today. I had a brix of ~18 when I brewed but got an OG reading of 1.102 with the hydrometer (I think the recipe OG is 1.09 but I added a 1% alcohol booster from Austin Homebrew). Using the MoreBeer excel spreadsheet I get a current gravity of 1.02 to 1.033 depending on which OG I believe (i'm inclined to believe the hydrometer more).
With all of that information I'm inclined to believe it is STILL fermenting. All I really wanted to know was does solid particles in the beer affect the Specific Gravity. My beer is currently very hazy and even the little beer I picked up to check had a decent amount of sediment. This question was more of the physics behind specific gravity/Brix and do solid particles affect the overall score. I'm not really worried about anything in particular at this point in time. In a week or two if the FG doesn't come down then I might start to worry.
The original question stemmed from the fact that I still have krausen after two weeks and my blow off is still bubbling (not a large tube but a blow-off none-the-less). I decided to take a refractometer reading and got a Brix of ~12 today. I had a brix of ~18 when I brewed but got an OG reading of 1.102 with the hydrometer (I think the recipe OG is 1.09 but I added a 1% alcohol booster from Austin Homebrew). Using the MoreBeer excel spreadsheet I get a current gravity of 1.02 to 1.033 depending on which OG I believe (i'm inclined to believe the hydrometer more).
With all of that information I'm inclined to believe it is STILL fermenting. All I really wanted to know was does solid particles in the beer affect the Specific Gravity. My beer is currently very hazy and even the little beer I picked up to check had a decent amount of sediment. This question was more of the physics behind specific gravity/Brix and do solid particles affect the overall score. I'm not really worried about anything in particular at this point in time. In a week or two if the FG doesn't come down then I might start to worry.
One thing to realize is that a refractomenter is really only accurate for PRE FERMENTED beer, once there is alcohol and/or co2 in the solution THAT will skew refractometer readings. There are tables online that in theory will take that stuff into consideration but I don't take stock in those, and I go back to my hydrometer once yeast is pitched.
As to krausen, some yeast will finish fermentation and still leave a krausen for weeks after. I just posted this earlier,
If you still have krausen, and are still away from you terminal gravity range by a significant number, then yeah, your beer is still fermenting. That's just the way our yeastie friends are, they can't read, so instructions, and calendars by us humans mean very little.
But also if a beer is done, it is done no-matter what the gravity is. Even if it at 1.030, or higher.....if all the consumables have been fermented, and you've tried to rouse the yeast or maybe warmed the fermenter, then a beer can be finished. For example I have a Barleywine I'm aging for 5 years that had an og of 1.170, and has sat in a tertiary for a year with final gravity of 1.040 (17.5 abv) so even though the gravity is high, it is done....
Best bet is to relax, you made beer. And let the natural course of things unfold, you are taking readings, whether you believe in the accuracy or not, you can tell that fermentation is happening. Just give it time.
(Oh and often it's those process mistakes, drunken or otherwise, that often helps us to help you.
)
As to krausen, some yeast will finish fermentation and still leave a krausen for weeks after. I just posted this earlier,
If you still have krausen, and are still away from you terminal gravity range by a significant number, then yeah, your beer is still fermenting. That's just the way our yeastie friends are, they can't read, so instructions, and calendars by us humans mean very little.
But also if a beer is done, it is done no-matter what the gravity is. Even if it at 1.030, or higher.....if all the consumables have been fermented, and you've tried to rouse the yeast or maybe warmed the fermenter, then a beer can be finished. For example I have a Barleywine I'm aging for 5 years that had an og of 1.170, and has sat in a tertiary for a year with final gravity of 1.040 (17.5 abv) so even though the gravity is high, it is done....
Best bet is to relax, you made beer. And let the natural course of things unfold, you are taking readings, whether you believe in the accuracy or not, you can tell that fermentation is happening. Just give it time.
(Oh and often it's those process mistakes, drunken or otherwise, that often helps us to help you.
)crazyseany
Well-Known Member
5 years bulk aging Revvy? Now that's commitment...
I would say... Wait 3 days take a hydro reading again... No change... Should be done right?
also thanks for the info on the refractometer... Are they really worth it then? (i know when I had a saltwater tank they were a godsend)
I would say... Wait 3 days take a hydro reading again... No change... Should be done right?
also thanks for the info on the refractometer... Are they really worth it then? (i know when I had a saltwater tank they were a godsend)
windbreaker123
Well-Known Member
Dang you would think a dick would appreciate a ******.
A refractometer reading paired with a hydrometer reading can solve back to the OG, and can thus find ABV at any point in fermentation. I tested this almost carefully when I first got the refractometer, to see if I could safely retire the hydrometer and turkey baster. The presumed OG calculated this way were within a single digit, for the two batches I had going. A third test on a store bought wine yielded exactly the ABV printed on the bottle label. I'm satisfied that refractometer readings alone suffice to track fermentation, given a recorded OG reading.
You'll have to google for the equation. I used BeerSmith's refractometer tool in my testing. Since it worked so well, I saw little point in making my own calculator. I'm pretty sure BeerSmith uses the same fitted polynomial I saw published. The three variables are Brix, FG, and OG. Given any two, it will solve for the third.
You'll have to google for the equation. I used BeerSmith's refractometer tool in my testing. Since it worked so well, I saw little point in making my own calculator. I'm pretty sure BeerSmith uses the same fitted polynomial I saw published. The three variables are Brix, FG, and OG. Given any two, it will solve for the third.
iaefebs
Well-Known Member
Revvy, are you ready for me to bring you a homebrew? We can talk eac stuff.
