A question about OG into the boiler

[GroosBrewz]

Hey guys,

I use Beersmith and to calculate my efficiency I always input the SG into the boiler.. What I usually do is fill the kettle from the tun, fill a hydrometer test jar, let it cool and take an SG.. and I am usually much lower than the estimated OG into the boiler.. What I have noticed is that if I take the SG from the kettle, while it's reaching a boil (somewhere around 150 degrees F), let it cool, and sample, the reading is almost spot on what the estimate is.. so my question is, #1, why the huge difference in SG between taking a reading before heating, and taking a reading before it reaches the boil? The last two brews, I took a reading before I started heating for the boil, and got 1.040 and 1.053, respectively.... After heating for 20 min and about 150F, but before the boil, I got 1.050 and 1.062, respectively....

Hopefully, this makes sense.. I am not talking about OG here.. I am talking about efficiency into the boiler.. How do you guys take your readings? Should i only take readings before I start heating? Or is it ok to take them at anytime before the boil?

 

[zbonaker]

Not sure I understand your question perfectly, but if you're not adjusting for the temperature your hydrometer is calibrated to, the reading will be way off.

If I read your post correctly, you're wondering why a hydro reading at ~150F is low? Liquid that hot is going to allow the probe to dip much lower than the measurements it's calibrated to.

In beersmith, there is a Hydrometer Adjust tool. You can use it to adjust your hydrometer readings based on temp and your hydro's calibrated temp.

Sorry if I'm totally misunderstanding the situation...

 

[phatuna]

Also, your must really stir the hell out of the wort once you get it into the kettle due to the same problems that extract brewers have with the heavy wort sinking to the bottom.

My thoughts are that this is your problem more than anything else, perhaps once you get some heat on it, the wort starts to integrate a little better which is giving you a more realistic reading just prior to a boil.

next time, stir like crazy once you get it into the kettle, take a hydro, the proceed w/ the boil.

 

[GroosBrewz]

Not sure I understand your question perfectly, but if you're not adjusting for the temperature your hydrometer is calibrated to, the reading will be way off.

If I read your post correctly, you're wondering why a hydro reading at ~150F is low? Liquid that hot is going to allow the probe to dip much lower than the measurements it's calibrated to.

In beersmith, there is a Hydrometer Adjust tool. You can use it to adjust your hydrometer readings based on temp and your hydro's calibrated temp.

Sorry if I'm totally misunderstanding the situation...

Sorry, not taking the reading at 150.. I let it cool and then adjust for actual temp.. It's just the fact that wort right into the boiler (that has been cooled) gives a much lower SG reading than wort that has been heated to 150 and then cooled.... I am just wondering which SG reading I should trust.. And which is more realistic