First all grain, a few questions

[doulovebeef]

It all started when my sister got me a Mr. Beer kit, and the obsession started. i brewed about 5 batches using my trusty Mr. Beer set, but all the beers seemed lacking. i cant really explain it, but all the beers had some kind of 'twang' to them. So then i made the jump to all grain, and heres where my dilemma began.

I constructed a 10 gallon mash tun using a rectangular 10 gal ice chest and set about brewing my first AG, ill include the recipe in a minute. i heated my strike water to 178, dumped it in my mash tun and mixed in my grain - then through a quirk of fate i dropped my thermometer, concrete floors are a *****. so im GUESSING my temp ended up in the high 160s. anyway i drained my 6 gallons of wort, boiled for 60 minutes ending up with 5 gallons. grabbed a sample for my hydrometer and started cooling the rest of of wort but when i looked at the hydrometer i noticed it read 1.070 when it should have been 1.047, WTF? once cooled i pitched using muntons dry yeast (no starter - yea i know) and let it do its then, 8 days later, fermintation has nearly stopped so i racked to secondary and added a pound of honey. 48 hours later - no activity, so i pitched another pouch of muntons yeast, proofed in warm water. at this point my gravity was 1.016 AFTER i added the honey. now its been 50 hours and still no activity, checked my airlock, check lid seal (five gallon bucket) and everything was airtight. im not worried, but im curious as to why the yeast isnt doing its thing, is it because the lack of O2 in solution? if someone could break it down for me id appreciate it, i thrive off the science of brewing. anyway, so u can get a better idea of whats going on, heres the recipe:

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Muntons dry yeast
Yeast Starter: YES
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.047
Final Gravity: 1.008
IBU: 23
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 3.1 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 8 days @ 68° F
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 10 days @ 68° F
--------------------------------------------------

1.070 original gravity (this batch)

B's Honey Wheat

Grain:
3.50 lbs. Wheat Malt 1.038
2.50 lbs. Pale 2-row Malt 1.036
1.00 lbs. Honey 1.042
.25 lbs. Honey Malt 1.030

Hops: SUBSTITUTED sAAZ, 5.8% AA (2 OZ)
.75 oz. Glacier 4.8 AA 60 mins
.75 oz. Glacier 4.8 AA 20 mins
.75 oz. Glacier 4.8 AA 0 mins

Yeast:
WLP320

Notes:
Add honey to secondary
Mash schedule: 30 min protein rest at 122°F, 60 minute Saccharification rest at 154° F.

id appreciate any light that could be shed onto my situation, thank you all for your help. im hopelessly addicted to this obsession :rockin:.

 

[northernlad]

First, there just isn't any way you got 1.070 from 6lbs of grain in a 5 gallon batch.
Second, what was the the hydro reading after primary fermentation, before honey? What was the gravity after you added the second round of yeast? This is the only way you will know if the yeast has done its work. It is likely all the work was done without you knowing it before you added the xtra yeast. Dry yeasts do not need a starter. You can pitch them dry or rehydrated.

Airlocks are for the release of gasses during fermentation, not a measurement of it.

 

[doulovebeef]

before honey after primary was 1.009. my OG was taken after my thermometer broke, so it may have still be warm, but i cooled it to what i *thought* was around 60F. i must have been reading my hydrometer wrong when i took my OG cuz i know theres no possible way i got 1.070. i know the airlock is not a indicator of fermentation. i guess what my primary question was if the lack of 02 in solution could slow down yeast activity? fermentation was fast and furious in primary, and no there seems to be no activity here in secondary. my research showed that wheat beers often started yeast activity in secondary. today my gravity was 1.016, could i take a gravity reading tomorrow or is that too soon? i know i know, rdwhahb..

 

[northernlad]

I am not sure where you were researching but fermentation happens in the primary and will only start again when more sugars are added for the yeast to consume. Most of the time no fermentation happnes in the secondary.
If you find 3 consecutive days with the same gravity, it is done. I don't have my books in front of me but I think i recall honey being less than fully fermentable so you would have residual gravity after the yeast was finished.

 

[doulovebeef]

oh ok i guess thats just confusion on my part lol, thanks for your help. i wasnt really worried about this, but i was just confused as to what ive read vs what im seeing. you guys rock