Forgot to take gravity reading

[Chapster100]

Hi all

I did a brew yesterday but after the boil and cooling i forgot to take a gravity reading. However when i cleaned out my boiler this evening there was a whole lot of wort/sediment mix. I have got about a full bottle of clear liquid now. Can i use that to take a gravity reading when i get a new hydrometer tomorrow.
It is currently in the fridge.

 

[ncbrewer]

I've never checked on how much evaporation you'd get in a day under those conditions, so I can't say if it's still a good sample. But if it was a partial boil and then topped off, naturally it wouldn't be any good. If this was an extract batch, you can calculate the OG close enough from the amount that was added, so an OG reading really isn't necessary. In fact, I stopped taking OG readings a couple years ago because it's really hard to get the top-off water mixed in completely.

 

[Chapster100]

Hi, it was an all grain brew, and it was really raining today so I don't think there would have been that much evaporation. It was not topped off either. Is there a way to call the alc level without having OG and FG.

 

[zefbrew]

I think you will be fine, measure the gravity of the remaining wort. I highly doubt anything evaporated enough to make a massive difference. please post your gravity reading, for science

 

[ncbrewer]

If you've brewed many batches with the same equipment and process, you could use your typical efficiency for the size grain bill used. That would get you fairly close.

 

[Chapster100]

Ok so I finally took a gravity reading of my sample, but after 5 days of it sitting in the fridge. The reading was 1.042 but was expecting 1.049. I think I may have used a little to much water for the brew so that would make my gravity lower, right. Then I also took a gravity reading after 7 days and got 1.010 and then at 10 days and got 1.008. I am expecting final gravity of 1.012. Why is it so low?

 

[zefbrew]

Your gravity might be lower due to a few things. Could be too much water, or your mash efficiency is lower than the guy who posted the original recipe. As long as it tastes good, then you are ok, because that's what counts, is the taste, not numbers.

 

[RM-MN]

Ok so I finally took a gravity reading of my sample, but after 5 days of it sitting in the fridge. The reading was 1.042 but was expecting 1.049. I think I may have used a little to much water for the brew so that would make my gravity lower, right. Then I also took a gravity reading after 7 days and got 1.010 and then at 10 days and got 1.008. I am expecting final gravity of 1.012. Why is it so low?

The expected final gravity is just that, expected. Unfortunately, yeast cannot read so they don't know when to stop, they just keep on until the sugar is gone. Some strains of yeast will quit a little earlier (Danstar Windsor comes to mind) while others will ferment very well (Danstar Belle Saison gives me a final gravity of 1.002 or less).

With an all grain beer, the conditions in the mash also play a role in how low the final gravity becomes. Higher mash temperatures will leave you with a more dextrinous wort which will leave you with a higher final gravity and correspondingly a more malty beer. At the lower end of the mash temperature range, the enzymes will produce a wort with more fermentable sugar and your final gravity will be lower giving you a thinner beer.