So I brewed a nice red today. It's an extract kit that I got locally and has great success with others I've talked to. So with all my brews, I started with 3 gallons of distilled water. Brought temp up to 158, added my grain t make my tea. Let that sit for 20 minutes, temp went down to 155. Pulled my grain and started the boil. When it was rolling pulled off of heat, added my extract, continued to boil. Added my bittering hops and brewed for 55 mins. And then 5 mins with my aroma hops. Chilled, with my wort chiller, and put into my bottling bucket with spigot and added the rest of my water to 5 gallons (I do this to to avoid sediments and take measurements). I then took my read.....da faq!?! I get a reading of 1036. Not good since my kit says I should be near 1050 to 1055. What did I do wrong?
Dealing with gravity.
- Thread starter MrTux
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fartinmartin
Well-Known Member
That's why I have a refractometer and take loads of readings right through the process, for instance it would have shown and indicated not to add all the water.
I have had similar problems over here, but that was due to a US gal and Imperial gallon conflict.
I have had similar problems over here, but that was due to a US gal and Imperial gallon conflict.
SmokeyMcBong
Well-Known Member
maybe you didn't stir enough to get the top off water and the wort combined? your reading could have been skewed because of this. as long as you got all the extract into the wort and didn't leave gobs of it in the container, you're likely fine.
if you stirred the bejesus outta it, then never mind.
edit: was the recipe to steep the grains or to steep to convert the grains? do you remember what the grains you had to steep were?
if you stirred the bejesus outta it, then never mind.
edit: was the recipe to steep the grains or to steep to convert the grains? do you remember what the grains you had to steep were?
fartinmartin
Well-Known Member
Your temps don't look to be the problem, you could so long as you haven't pitched get it back on the boil to raise the reading.
Extract + top-off water. Search the forum, there are hundreds, if not thousands of threads where people have gotten low OG readings with extract not fully mixing.
The cause is almost certainly due to not having fully mixed the sugars with the water. With extract beers, if you added everything, you will get the right gravity reading.
You brewed Today. You can still take another sample if it will make you feel better. Mix the wort up as well as you can before taking it.
The cause is almost certainly due to not having fully mixed the sugars with the water. With extract beers, if you added everything, you will get the right gravity reading.
You brewed Today. You can still take another sample if it will make you feel better. Mix the wort up as well as you can before taking it.
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This ^^^
If you ended up with the proper volume and used all the ingredients, your gravity will be right in 90%, or more, cases. It is almost always due to uneven mixing. It is somewhat difficult to get an even mix when using top up water.
Thanks all for the replies. We'll see what happens. I have the carboy in a dark warm place (second bathroom at 71*) and I'll post to let everyone know. In my dismay, instead of committing hari kari, I built a stir plate. I'll post in diy forums.
Stirring the hell out of it still often isn't enough when it comes to topping off wort with water.
What these guys said is correct. If you added exactly what you were supposed to, nothing less and nothing more, and if your volume after top off was exactly what it was supposed to be, then your gravity is correct (unless the recipe was wrong, which is certainly possible but not nearly as likely). You're essentially adding water or removing it (via boiling) from a known sugar concentration when you use extract. It doesn't change. Extract brewing is foolproof.
What these guys said is correct. If you added exactly what you were supposed to, nothing less and nothing more, and if your volume after top off was exactly what it was supposed to be, then your gravity is correct (unless the recipe was wrong, which is certainly possible but not nearly as likely). You're essentially adding water or removing it (via boiling) from a known sugar concentration when you use extract. It doesn't change. Extract brewing is foolproof.
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