Final Gravity Question

[bnewmane]

Tonight I kegged my first beer. I forgot to take an original gravity reading before I fermented a few weeks ago but took one tonight. Final gravity was at 1.008. The sheet I used to brew my extra pale ale said the original gravity should have been 1.045. Does a final gravity of 1.008 sound about right for a pale ale since I didn't take an original gravity?

Also I sampled my brew and it tasted slightly watery. I was concerned I put a little to much water in when I was topping off my carboy for fermentation.

What's everyone's thoughts and is there anyway to find out approximate alcohol % in the brew? Thanks!

 

[sptaylor70]

Without the OG, you're guessing as to ABV. And BJCP puts the FG for an American Pale Ale as 1010-1015, and for an English Pale Ale as 1010-1016. So you're slightly low, but not so much as to comment on, especially since your OG was supposed to be 1045, which is the low side of the OG range anyway.

 

[flars]

You can find the calculator for ABV here and a few more items of interest.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/stats/
If you brewed using a kit your OG is most likely 1.045 unless you did add to much top off water. The taste of green beer will not be the same as a fully conditioned beer. You may not have anything to worry about.
When I bought several new carboys I marked a one gallon water jug at the measured one gallon level, give or take an ounce or two. Filled one carboy with 5 gallons of water, marked the level, and then poured the 5 gallons into the next carboy and marked the level; and so on with each.
FG of 1.008 is a little low for the style, but sometimes yeast does not take that into account as they do their work. Was your FG sample at 60° or the reading corrected to 60°? Typically hydrometers a calibrated for this temperature sample. Have you checked the calibration of your hydrometer with 60° distilled water. Just a couple of things to help take the worry out of a rewarding hobby.

 

[unionrdr]

I did the same thing with a 1G SunnyD jug. I used a two cup measure to mark off the jug in quarts up to the 1 gallon mark. I use it to measure mash water,my better bottle,etc. I got an FG like that once or twice with pale ales. and I had topped off with the right amount of water. But with an unmarked carboy or better bottle,it's pretty easy to overshoot.
I use the Cooper's formula of (OG-FG)/7.46 +.5 = ABV%. There are some 8 different formulas out there,& they all give different answers. Cooper's gives the highest. For instance,I brewed an IPA That BS2 gave the estimated ABV of 6.3% on the left side of the bar chart. On the right side,it says 5.5% - 7.5%. Cooper's came out at 7.2%,so it's within range of what Beersmith2 comes up with. And it def feels like it in paractice.

 

[wfowlks]

I recently had a beer that tasted watery, then after carbonation it was good. The carbonation does wonders

 

[unionrdr]

Extra pale ales being lighter will tend to seem watery before they're carbonated & conditioned. My first was like that till then. Then it was fine,as carbonation brings out flavors & aromas more.

 

[bnewmane]

Thanks everyone for the replies. All of that definitely helps. Ill let you know how it turns out after it gets carbonated.

 

[bnewmane]

It's been 5 days since I've kegged my pale ale and left it carbonating at 8 PSI. Last night I decided to try a small glass to see if it was carbonated yet. It seems to be pretty close but still has a watery like taste to it. Should I let it continue to carbonate another week and then try it again?

 

[clevefails]

It's been 5 days since I've kegged my pale ale and left it carbonating at 8 PSI. Last night I decided to try a small glass to see if it was carbonated yet. It seems to be pretty close but still has a watery like taste to it. Should I let it continue to carbonate another week and then try it again?

a bock i made tasted watery after aweek of carbing i let it go 14days and it was great

 

[cluckk]

I put most things on gas for three weeks before drinking. Many times if you pull some too soon it appears carbonated because you get a nice head of foam but there is still a very low amount actually in solution, which is what will alter the mouthfeel and even the flavor profile to a degree. Most of my pale ales taste watery out of the fermenter and then once they've been on gas for two to three weeks they get a really nice mouthfeel.

 

[bnewmane]

Sounds like a plan. I leave it for another week or two and check it again.

 

[bnewmane]

Today I tried my brew after carbing it for 11 days around 9 PSI. It's definitely drinkable and tastes decent even though my final gravity was off. I would say it's lacking a little body but for my first brew I'm happy enough. Cheers!