Does the size fo the tube affect the hydrometer reading?

[GreenDragon]

My first AG missed it's SG by quite a bit. This is my first time using a new tube for my hydrometer. I had to replace the tube that came with my hydrometer due to stupidity. When I went to the LHBS I accidentally got a tube way to large for my hydrometer. Would this affect the reading of the hydrometer?

 

[GodsStepBrother]

No it wouldn’t affect the reading. In fact it is better because you can let the hydrometer float better in the wort.

 

[GreenDragon]

I thought so, I was just fishing for an answer other then my first AG is gonna suck lol.

 

[GodsStepBrother]

What happened with the F.G. being off? Describe your process some, who crushed the grain for you.

 

[hops2it]

It'll probably be good anyway. How bad did you miss it?

 

[GreenDragon]

The LHBS crushed the grain for me the same day I brewed. I used a large grain bag to put all the grains it and tied the open end shut. I heated 3 gallons of water to 168F put the grains in a Coleman 5 gallon cooler and then poured the hot water over them.. it hit 152F which was almost spot on.

I left the first batch in the cooler for about an hour with the lid on. It held temps really well, it was only at 150F when I opened it after the hour. I emptied the water through the spickot and then added another 3 gallons of 170F water and let that sit for 20 mins while heating the original batch on my burner.

The second batch through the cooler was really really light colored. The first batch through the cooler looked almost like LME but man that 2nd batch was very watered down.

I then followed the instructions listed here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/bee-cave-brewery-haus-pale-ale-31793/

My OG was a embarrassing 1.034. I think I may need to make a real 10 gallon mash tun.

 

[seanybubbles]

I would be pretty suspicious of your lhbs crush. I had the same thing happen many years ago and I now go to a different place for my grains. Did the crush seem ok?

 

[emetcalf]

You probably had dry spots in the bag. You need to stir the grain after you add the water, and again when you add the sparge water to make sure you are getting as much sugar dissolved as possible.

 

[hops2it]

+1 on stirring. Was that part of the process somehow and just not mentioned or did you leave the bag closed the whole time? Almost certainly the culprit if you weren't stirring prior to the mash.

 

[GreenDragon]

Yeah no stirring so that was probably my downfall. Guess I'll need to do the mod to the cooler that everyone else has done. What I get for trying to save a few bucks.

Next time I'm also gonna just buy a pre-crushed AG kit from Nothern Brewer like I do my extract kits. I thought buying grains at my LHBS would be a better way to go, but they make you do your own crushing and it's a manual crusher.

 

[hops2it]

Don't worry about it, you'll still have beer. I recently did that recipe myself and undershot a little also. With your numbers and solid attenuation, you're still looking at 3.3%. Probably taste great, you'll just be able to pound a few more. :rockin:

 

[GodsStepBrother]

I used a large grain bag to put all the grains it and tied the open end shut.

This part worries me dragon. It probably isn’t the grain crush from your local homebrew store. These grains need to swim around freely and get completely saturated with water. By tying of the top of the back you might have just made one huge dough ball, and even though the sugars inside of it might have gotten wet, you were unable to extract the sugars from them.

Where the grains pretty tight inside of this bag? When you do an extract batch you put the “specialty grains” in a nylon bag because you are only extracting color from these grains. However when you are mashing base grains, you need them to be loose and exposable to all your strike water.

What was the water to grain ratio you used?

 

[GreenDragon]

I'm scratching the entire process. I'm going to do the mash tun mod on the cooler and try again with an American Creme Ale from Nothern. After the mod is complete the grains will be free to swim around and I'll give them a quick stir before closing the lid.

At least I know what doesn't work now