Bottling question - Calculating FG

[MurderMittenBrewing]

So I just bottled my red ale and, in the excitement of the moment, didn't take the time to consider the implications of my hydrometer reading.

It read 1.017 after temp correction, but this was after I added 3/4 cup of corn sugar (I forgot to take a reading beforehand)

Also, I mashed 1/2 a pound of Dextrin malt along with my specialty malts to try to help with the mouthfeel. I know that this will add unfermentable sugars, but I didn't stop to think about how it would affect my FG.

So, any idea where my actual FG is? Are my bottles going to explode? I'm about 3 weeks out from the brew date, so I'm pretty sure I'll be ok, but I figured I'd check. Thanks!

 

[bob1852]

you will be fine











(but if your bottles blow up I'm not responsible!)

 

[MurderMittenBrewing]

haha! Your warranty has officially been disclaimed. I'm not worried at all. Just wondering how the chemistry worked out on this batch. 1.017 is the highest FG I've had (I'm usually closer to 1.010).

 

[JollyToper]

I agree. You'll be fine.

Assuming the 3/4 cup of corn sugar you added is about 5oz and you added it to 5 gallons it would have raised your FG by about .002.

I calculated this using BeerSmith but you can figure it using any brewing software by adding corn sugar to your recipe and seeing how the OG or FG changes. There are formulas out there to do it long hand but I'm lazy.

Now the really hard part...waiting for it to ferment out so you can drink it!

EDIT: Fixed a math error.

 

[MurderMittenBrewing]

Thanks for the calculation, JollyTroper! I just did some searching and it looks like my 1/2 pound of dextrin malt will add about 0.002 of unfermentables, which puts me at a respectable FG of 1.013 and 5.2% ABV.

Oh, and I'm drinking a glass of it right now... it's pretty tasty, even though it's flat and green! Gotta love when that last bottle doesn't fill up all the way - better to drink it than to dump it.

 

[JollyToper]

No problem, though I was off by a zero as you noticed!