Can Starting Gravity be calculated?

[jmf143]

I'm getting close to bottling my first batch (Honey Amber ale). I didn't get a starting gravity reading when I put it in the primary. A week later I racked it to the secondary. Six days after that (2 days ago) a sample read 1.012.

1. Is there a way to calculate what my starting gravity would have been based on the recipe?
2. Is 1.012 a reasonable number for the finishing gravity? I'll sample it again tomorrow to see if its still falling, but I don't know where its supposed to finish at.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Tilldeath]

FG is fine more than likely, tell us what yeast you used and based on attenuation we can give you an estimated SG.

 

[Revvy]

If it's extract then AND your final volume was the right size for your recipe, then your OG will be pretty much fool proof with what the gravity of the recipe states. You are not converting the grain yourself. You could also use a recipe calculator like even this free one;

http://beercalculus.hopville.com/recipe

Type in the recipe and it will give you a range (of a few degrees) of what the og of the recipe. And unless you added to little or too much top off water, then you can almost gaurentee that the sg will be correct.

 

[IrregularPulse]

If it's extract we can tell you your OG from the recipe. It's nearly impossible to miss you OG when using extract assuming you topped off to the right volume and got all the extract out. If All Grain, it's not so easy.

*edit*
Dang you Revvy

 

[jmf143]

The yeast was White Labs Califorina Ale, which I started 2 days before brew day. The rest of the ingredients were:

6 lbs. Gold liquid malt extract
2 lbs. Minnesota Clover Honey
8 oz. Caramel 80L
2 oz. Special B
2 oz. Roasted Barley specialty grains
1/2 oz. Galena bittering hops, 1 oz. Fuggle aroma hops

I steeped the grains at 155 degrees for 20 minutes.

 

[BendBrewer]

Your O.G. was 1.046. Enjoy your beer!

 

[ajf]

Your O.G. was 1.046. Enjoy your beer!

I make it 1.072 (assuming 5 gallons) and using Promash. That's very different than 1.046 so one of us must be wrong.

-a.

 

[likwidbliss]

Here is what I got with Beersmith.

Type: Extract

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
6 lbs Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 68.53 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 5.71 %
2.1 oz Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 1.48 %
2.0 oz Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 1.43 %
0.50 oz Galena [13.00 %] (60 min) Hops 24.9 IBU
1.00 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (5 min) Hops 3.4 IBU
2 lbs Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 22.84 %
1 Pkgs San Francisco Lager (White Labs #WLP810) Yeast-Lager



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.058 SG

 

[sprocketmaker]

3 different numbers... Nobody saw that coming. I've brewed three extract batches so far, and all of my recipes have defined target OG and SG... So if your recipe came with a data sheet that gives target gravities, then use the mid point of that number and go with god! Your FG looks like fermentation certainly happened, and is at a point where you should be fine to bottle and condition this beer! Enjoy!!

 

[rcreveli]

I got 1.059 in Beertools Pro which puts me in line with likwidbliss so, I think we win

 

[Yooper]

We're all right (sort of!)!

I get 1.046 without the honey. With 2 pounds of honey, I get 1.060ish (honey can vary a bit).

If you use DME instead of LME, the OG jumps way up to 1.070 (maybe that's why AJF's is so different?)

Anyway, I'd say 1.059-1.060 if the batch is 5 gallons is a very good estimate.

 

[eddie]

There are too many variables for anyone to give you a precise measurement of your OG. The best anyone can do is approximate it based on the recipe. Things like your fermentation temperature, yeast strain, how much it's been moved during fermentation, even the particular brand of grain or extract you use or even how old the grain or extract was when you used it can impact both the OG and FG of the brew.The most you can hope for is a "best guess."

 

[ajf]

Oops,
Yes, I did specify DME instead of LME. Correcting that, adjusted the OG down to 1.060.

Sorry,

-a.

 

[jmf143]

I am an idiot.

The instructions in the kit list both the SG (1.054 - 1.058) and FG (1.102 - 1.108) ranges.

I am truly thankful for all of your efforts. Next time I'll read twice before posting.