2nd batch APA questions

[snacks]

So with my first brew (BB's Weizenbier) I forgot to take a OG but I hit the FG. Not sure what the ABV ended up but 2-3 bottles give me a good buzz.

Yesterday I started a Brewers best american pale ale. I decided to boil 3.5 gallons instead of 2.5 recommended and I did a late extract addition. Half of the 3.3lbs after steeping the caramel then the rest of the extract at 15mins. After I cooled and topped off to 5 gallons my OG was 1.041. The kit says it should have been 1.051-1.055.

Will I just end up with a low ABV or something worse?

 

[lazarwolf]

you'll be fine you just wont hit your final gravity. when did you take your reading? was the wort still hot?

 

[SHbrewing]

Do you use BeerSmith?

 

[snacks]

you'll be fine you just wont hit your final gravity. when did you take your reading? was the wort still hot?

80ish

Do you use BeerSmith?

No

 

[lazarwolf]

did you adjust for temperature in your gravity reading.

 

[lazarwolf]

what is your hydrometer calibrated to, most are 65 to 68

 

[snacks]

Lol good questions, I have no clue.

 

[lazarwolf]

ok, well lets assume you are at 68 most of them are. if your thermometer is not accurate, and most of the digitals are not very accurate (that's why you see us old guys using floating thermometers) and you were really at 82 or even 83 your adjusted gravity is really around 1.044 which is not too bad. Also doing a late addition of extract and a through stir of the wort when you add the water to top off would make a huge difference. My guess is that you are probably right on the money.

 

[snacks]

Thanks for the input!

 

[lazarwolf]

Thanks for the input!

No problem, keep on brewing! Also, remember to never put too much emphasis on efficiency. You'll learn what your system can produce. If it is consistently low... who cares... a pound of grain costs $1.50 to 2.50 depending on where you live. Too many guys get too hung up on efficiency.
WARNING CRANKY OLD GUY COMMENT COMING IN 3, 2, 1... when I started brewing we never talked about efficiency. The only readings we took were post boil, and final gravity. If you missed it post boil, you knew next time you needed more grains for your system. That was part of the fun, dialing in a recipe.

 

[eadavis80]

If you used all the extract and steeped the grains and had 5 gallons of volume then it would probably just be an error reading the hydrometer and/or your gravity sample was not properly mixed so it seemed more watered down than your wort really was. Enjoy that kit. IT was my third and one of my favorites.

 

[mblanks2]

This!
Probably just wasn't mixed well when you took your measurement. Kits are hard to miss the numbers on. You should be fine and end up with pretty much the ABV the kit calls for.

 

[snacks]

If you used all the extract and steeped the grains and had 5 gallons of volume then it would probably just be an error reading the hydrometer and/or your gravity sample was not properly mixed so it seemed more watered down than your wort really was. Enjoy that kit. IT was my third and one of my favorites.

good deal. Its been in the primary for a week, I'm going to let it sit for 1, maybe 2 more then bottle. Already planning my next batch just need to figure out when is better to start to keep a supply available.

 

[unionrdr]

Or maybe you just didn't get the wort & top off water stirred together well enough for an accurate gravity reading?

 

[eadavis80]

The right time to start your next batch is when 1) you have an open primary 2) you're not going to be rushed. Never brew in a hurry. I brewed Oktoberfest yesterday. It was cold in the garage, but I wasn't out there that much - just to check on it here and there. Thankfully, there were only ingredients put in at the beginning of the boil and 15 minutes left. Windchills were sub-zero.