Didn't hit my final gravity target. Thoughts?

[Megachimp]

My recipe had a target OG of 1.054. My measurement was 1.056.

The target final gravity was supposed to be 1.016. After three weeks in the fermenter, I've bottomed out at 1.024. Seems like I'm a full percentage point off my target ABV.

What could have been the cause of this? Is there anything I should do at this point or should I just drink my 4.2% beer?

 

[The_Bishop]

How are you measuring? Hydrometer or refractometer?

Recipe? All grain or extract?

 

[Megachimp]

How are you measuring? Hydrometer or refractometer?

Recipe? All grain or extract?

refractometer
All grain

would posting the full recipe be of help?

 

[beergolf]

Check it with a hydrometer. I am willing to it will be right....

 

[kev211]

Ditto to beergolf. You have to adjust your FG when using a refractometer, which is semi-accurate at best. The alcohol present in the beer skews the reading of the refractometer. Your best best for FG is to use a hydrometer.

FWIW I plugged your numbers into the Northern Brewer calculator and it gave a FG of 1.004

 

[The_Bishop]

Refractometers become useless once there's alcohol in solution. Need a hydrometer to get a reliable FG.

This is likely the issue you're seeing.

 

[Megachimp]

Ditto to beergolf. You have to adjust your FG when using a refractometer, which is semi-accurate at best. The alcohol present in the beer skews the reading of the refractometer. Your best best for FG is to use a hydrometer.

FWIW I plugged your numbers into the Northern Brewer calculator and it gave a FG of 1.004

Huh. Good to know. I'll grab a hydrometer and check it out. Mind sharing the link to the calculator you used on norther brewer?

 

[kev211]

Huh. Good to know. I'll grab a hydrometer and check it out. Mind sharing the link to the calculator you used on norther brewer?

Here it is. Also, just realized that I miss-typed part of the calculation. Looks like your FG is more like 1.010

 

[Megachimp]

Here it is. Also, just realized that I miss-typed part of the calculation. Looks like your FG is more like 1.010

man, i didn't realize the whole measuring FG using a refractometer was such a pain in the A$$. Best get me a hydrometer stat. Hey, I learned something today. Yay!

 

[kev211]

man, i didn't realize the whole measuring FG using a refractometer was such a pain in the A$$. Best get me a hydrometer stat. Hey, I learned something today. Yay!

Get two hydrometers. Because if you have 1, when you need it, it will break. If you have 2, they will never break. Its a proven theory (see broken hydrometer thread)

 

[Brewenstein]

Get two hydrometers. Because if you have 1, when you need it, it will break. If you have 2, they will never break. Its a proven theory (see broken hydrometer thread)

QFT. I bought a couple extra a few years ago. Still sitting on the shelf....