First AG, missed OG by 16 points

[Mrboost21]

Can I add extract?

Here is the brew.
I made a brown ale, being my first AG I did not take into account service air temp and I ended up mashing 12 degrees lower than what I should have, I heated up exactly what I wanted and did not take into water burn off. So I didn't measure the water going in to mash ton, I measured it pre heat up(yes I know I'm a dumb ass). Any ways. The OG was 1.040 and it's stuck at 1.011, giving my a whooping 3.7% beer...... Can I add a 1/2 of light extract to get some more ABV, and if so is there a calculator to measure ABV for that?

 

[TheMadKing]

If your beer is already fermented, you can add DME to boost your gravity but not promises on flavor.

Temperature measurement and monitoring is key with AG brewing, 12 degrees is a LONG way off. Hope that helps for next time!

 

[hucklb]

Been there. Enjoy the beer. The lower gravity should not significantly impact flavor. Think of it this way, you can have a few more beers without getting loopy and the calorie count will be lower, too. Next time, take a preboil gravity reading. That is the time to see where you stand and if a DME addition is needed to boost the gravity. (Been there, too.) Also, go to the Allgrain thread and read the threads there about boosting efficiency. They helped me. I hit my final gravity on my third AG attempt. Enjoy.

 

[atom]

if you missed your OG by 16 points...something is up and it's not your mash temp. take a look at your crush. also i wouldn't say your beer is stuck at 1.011...that's a pretty typical FG, although with a low mash temp, I might expect a few points lower...depending on the grain bill.

 

[Mrboost21]

Had to add a gallon of water at the end because I did not put enough water in the mash ton.
I did a winter Ale this past Saturday and it my OG of 1.056. My OG on the brown was so low because I didn't soak the grains with the right amount of water. I was off by a gallon [emoji17]

 

[Mrboost21]

I added a 1/2 lb of DME, is there anyway to calculate ABV now?

 

[Mrboost21]

And thank you all for the advice [emoji1]

 

[chickypad]

I added a 1/2 lb of DME, is there anyway to calculate ABV now?

How big is the batch and how much water did you dissolve the DME in? For 5 gal batch it's probably going to end up raising the gravity about 1.004.

 

[Mrboost21]

It is a 5gallon batch

 

[Owly055]

You can do anything you want....... If you add DME, dissolve it in water. You can add corn sugar, etc. Is alcohol content really that important? High alcohol does not equal good beer.


My father used to say that the difference between a good carpenter and a poor one was in his ability to cover up his mistakes. The same applies to brewing, and many other endeavors.

Being prepared for screw ups is part of brewing. It may be the Boy Scout motto, but it's also the brewer's motto. Even the micro brewers do remedial brewing. For example a friend of mine made a 15 barrel brew that wasn't well thought out, added blood orange and created as brew that sold well. Be prepared and think on your feet.

When you see that you've missed your mash temp by 12 degrees, it's time to look at how you can remedy that rather than just running with it. In your case, adding hot water was the answer. Increase your mash volume, and sparge with less water.

You obviously knew you missed your temp. With low temp, it's not a runaway train, you aren't denaturing your enzymes, the solution was simple. If you missed high by 12 deg, you had better act fast.

Using software, you can adjust your grain bill to match your OG, then add your DME. The result will give you a pretty good idea where you are going to end up. I personally prefer Brewer's Friend, which you can use on line free, or join for a reasonable fee and save recipes, etc.


H.W.