Can S.G. Drop after bottling?

[Jtd6628]

I have a BIPA thats O.G. was 1.073 that was suppose to drop to a F.G. of 1.012 according to the recipe the brewing software calculated this would be an 8.0% abv. beer. I hit my O.G. of 1.073 spot on but after three weeks in fermentor and one week in secondary for dry hopping the F.G. at bottling was only 1.023 which is calculated to be a 6.2% abv. beer. It has been carbonating in bottles in the closet for over 6 weeks now. I just tried it for the first time and the taste is not the best beer I have ever made but it is good enough. I have drunk 1/2 the beer over the course of 30 min when I noticed I was a bit tipsy, too tipsy to have drunk 1/2 of a 6.2%abv beer. Which leads me to ponder could the S.G. of the beer continued to drop after bottling getting this beer closer to the 8 %abv. range?

 

[mattd2]

I have a BIPA thats O.G. was 1.073 that was suppose to drop to a F.G. of 1.012 according to the recipe the brewing software calculated this would be an 8.0% abv. beer. I hit my O.G. of 1.073 spot on but after three weeks in fermentor and one week in secondary for dry hopping the F.G. at bottling was only 1.023 which is calculated to be a 6.2% abv. beer. It has been carbonating in bottles in the closet for over 6 weeks now. I just tried it for the first time and the taste is not the best beer I have ever made but it is good enough. I have drunk 1/2 the beer over the course of 30 min when I noticed I was a bit tipsy, too tipsy to have drunk 1/2 of a 6.2%abv beer. Which leads me to ponder could the S.G. of the beer continued to drop after bottling getting this beer closer to the 8 %abv. range?

Had you had anything to eat before drinking?
Easiest way would be to pop one and pour a sample into your hydrometer test tube and wait for it to degas then check the SG.
If it has dropped past 1.023 I would be caustious as if it went to low you would have a issue with bottle bombs. On that how was the beer for carbonation? If it was carbed to where you think it should be then I wouldn't expect the SG to have dropped more.

 

[phenry]

The only way the SG would significantly drop in bottles would result in overcarbed bottles and excessive foaming, and in extreme cases, exploding bottles. Hydrometers aren't the most accurate tools known to man, it's very possible you could have misread your reading.

Also, even more likely, is that your body's alcohol tolerance isn't constant. Depending on how much water you had drank and food you had eaten that day, you may have really been feeling a little tipsy after half a beer.

 

[RM-MN]

My homebrew seems to have much more effect on me than a commercially produced beer does. I had a Sam Adams Dark Lager and was disappointed that I didn't get even a slight buzz when one of my own will make me think twice about driving.

 

[Jtd6628]

Had you had anything to eat before drinking?
On that how was the beer for carbonation? If it was carbed to where you think it should be then I wouldn't expect the SG to have dropped more.

Of yeah I am a fairly hefty boy so i had been eating all day. As for carbonation I would say it is on the high side to slightly over carbonated.

 

[Jtd6628]

My homebrew seems to have much more effect on me than a commercially produced beer does. I had a Sam Adams Dark Lager and was disappointed that I didn't get even a slight buzz when one of my own will make me think twice about driving.

Do you have any explanation as to why that is?

 

[mattd2]

Do you have any explanation as to why that is?

If it was 6-pack for 6-pack I would suggest that the commercial is overstating their ABV (remembering that it is a generic label that is not change from batch to batch so needs to accomidate some range in the ABV) and a under estmaition on the homebrew. But bottle for bottle just doesn't seem right if its "same" ABV.

 

[Jtd6628]

If it was 6-pack for 6-pack I would suggest that the commercial is overstating their ABV (remembering that it is a generic label that is not change from batch to batch so needs to accomidate some range in the ABV) and a under estmaition on the homebrew..

I would buy that.

 

[helibrewer]

Maybe those nice fresh hops got to ya....

 

[momobono]

The only way the SG would significantly drop in bottles would result in overcarbed bottles and excessive foaming, and in extreme cases, exploding bottles.

+1 to this, yeast can't make alcohol under high-co2 conditions.