Undershot OG by twenty points

[vance]

I brewed a rye IPA yesterday, my 4th batch all with BIAB. This was the recipe:
11# 2-row
3# rye
1.25# crystal 40L
1# white wheat
The grain bill was adopted from a popular rye IPA recipe on homebrewtalk. The hop schedule was as follows:
.25 oz @ FWH (I put them in as soon as I hit the flame for my boil)
1 oz @ 20
1.75 oz @ 10
2 oz @ flameout
Brewers friend estimated a 1.082 OG. I targeted ~6 gallons in the kettle and 5.5 into my bucket, so that I would leave a bit extra behind when I bottle or keg. I used priceless' BIAB calculator. It suggested I use 9.25 gallons of water. I have an 11 gallon kettle and that was a bit tight, so I mashed with 8.5 gallons. After the mash was done, I set my bag over another kettle to drain, and poured 0.75 gallons through it for a small sparge to get my full 9.25 gallons.
I added my grain bag at 155 degF, targeting a 153 degree mash, and covered my kettle/wrapped it in a sleeping bag. I stirred occasionally, and had dropped down to 150 by the end of it.
Did my boil and hop additions, blah blah blah. I don't have a wort chiller yet so I do an overnight chill since my kettle doesn't fit in anything I own. I let it get down to 135 naturally, then I dumped 5.5 gallons into my bucket and put it in a cooler with frozen jugs. Today after class, it was down to 70 degF so right now, I'm currently rehydrating my yeast (US-05).
I took a gravity reading and it read 1.062. This is way, way off. The wort was at 70 degrees when I checked it so I cooled it to 60 deg, and it read the same.
Also, my hydrometer doesn't seem to float at all when it's in a test tube of distilled water.
What's going on with my beer? Why am I so far under my gravity? As far as I know my crush is fine - I always run it through twice at the LHBS I buy grain from. And also, why won't my hydrometer float in distilled water?

 

[BargainFittings]

Sounds like your hydrometer is off if it does not float in distilled water.

 

[kh54s10]

Also, my hydrometer doesn't seem to float at all when it's in a test tube of distilled water.

Something is wrong. Do you have enough water in the tube that it could float?? If yes and it won't float, you need a new one and new readings, anything else would only be speculation....

It should float and read 1.000.

 

[h22lude]

Sounds like your hydrometer is off if it does not float in distilled water.

I agree with this. Your hydrometer should read 1.000 in distilled water. Is it not floating because you didn't have enough water and the hydrometer is touching the bottom? Put in enough water for it to float and see how far below the water level it is. It won't be very accurate but you can take the amount it is under 1.000 and compare it to what you got and see if the calculation brings you close to your estimated SG

 

[h22lude]

Also, my hydrometer doesn't seem to float at all when it's in a test tube of distilled water.

Something is wrong. Do you have enough water in the tube that it could float?? If yes and it won't float, you need a new one and new readings, anything else would only be speculation....

It should float and read 1.000.

Beat me to it

 

[vance]

I have two hydrometers. One I know is broken - it reads way below 1.000 in starsan, water, and wort. The other read 1.062 in wort. I put it in distilled water to check it and it just sank to the bottom, no matter how much water I added. After that, it did the same with wort too. I already pitched yeast so I can't test anymore with this batch, but I think I'm going to buy a new hydrometer for my next brew.

 

[kh54s10]

I have two hydrometers. One I know is broken - it reads way below 1.000 in starsan, water, and wort. The other read 1.062 in wort. I put it in distilled water to check it and it just sank to the bottom, no matter how much water I added. After that, it did the same with wort too. I already pitched yeast so I can't test anymore with this batch, but I think I'm going to buy a new hydrometer for my next brew.

As easy as they are to break, or have the paper scale move. Buy 2. One for backup when one breaks/fails.

That from someone who only has one!!




But, I do have a refractometer also.

 

[vance]

The hydrometer was probably part of my issue but I don't think it was all of it. Are there any glaring issues from what I've written that might cause an OG mishap?

The only thing I can think of is my water measuring. I used the markings on my bottling bucket to get the first 5 gallons, then a pitcher from there. If my bucket isn't accurate I could have had more water than intended.

 

[h22lude]

My guess is 98% of the problem was the hydrometer. If it sinks in water, it is broken. So what ever reading you took in wort, it was wrong.

 

[RM-MN]

I have two hydrometers. One I know is broken - it reads way below 1.000 in starsan, water, and wort. The other read 1.062 in wort. I put it in distilled water to check it and it just sank to the bottom, no matter how much water I added. After that, it did the same with wort too. I already pitched yeast so I can't test anymore with this batch, but I think I'm going to buy a new hydrometer for my next brew.

Throw out both of them because they are defective and cannot be made correct. Keeping them is like keeping a watch that won't work.

 

[kh54s10]

The hydrometer was probably part of my issue but I don't think it was all of it. Are there any glaring issues from what I've written that might cause an OG mishap?

The only thing I can think of is my water measuring. I used the markings on my bottling bucket to get the first 5 gallons, then a pitcher from there. If my bucket isn't accurate I could have had more water than intended.

Without an accurate gravity reading you don't know that you have any problem.

Buckets measure scales are often off, but you would need to be gallons too much to be that far off.

 

[messiah]

As easy as they are to break, or have the paper scale move. Buy 2. One for backup when one breaks/fails.

That from someone who only has one!!




But, I do have a refractometer also.

Mine is as good as the day I bought it 5 or 6 years ago. I likely just cursed it.


My refractometer is utter ****. From what I understand, I am not alone. I wanted something to measure pre boil quickly without cooling, and its never been close to what it should be. I found this, http://www.brewersfriend.com/2013/0...rrectly-for-maximum-accuracy-in-home-brewing/, but the whole point was to take a quick easy measurement.