Gravity Ratings

[Pazzmon]

Hi all, sorry if this is in the wrong section, I'm just getting used to this app, also getting used to this new phone! So, two days ago, I finally started my home brewing, a coopers lager. However, my first initial reading was 1010, I've hunted down forums and can't find what sort of reading I should get, I did get told by a local that I should aim for about 1006? I seem to be up to date with all the other aspects but gravity measuring is the one section which confuses me the most! Any help would be fully appreciated. Many thanks.


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[prandlesc]

I'll qualify my comments by saying I've not used a Coopers kit, but I have brewed a few dozen batches of beer - both from kits and all-grain.

When did you take your first reading? A good practice is to take an initial reading after your wort has been cooled, and just as you're putting it into your fermenter - and this is your starting gravity (SG). My guess is it should have been around 1.040. And getting to 1.010 after 2 days seems pretty quick for a lager. What was the fermentation temperature? Generally lagers ferment cooler and longer than ales. And 1.006 could be a good target for your final gravity (FG) reading. What do the instructions that came with the kit say the FG should be? Keep in mind that fermentation could stop before 1.006. Take readings a couple of days apart, and when there's no change you can bottle.

Best of luck.

 

[Kaz]

The actual number you get isn't too terribly important. What you really concerned with is knowing that it is done fermenting. Take another reading in a few days to a week and if it is still 1.010, then fermentation is complete and its safe to bottle or keg. If you bottle too soon and there still some sugar left in there, you run the risk of over carbonating and having bottles explode. A final gravity of 1.010 is pretty good, do you know what the gravity started out at before fermentation? With the original and final, you can get an estimate of alcohol by volume (ABV). HTH Cheers

 

[Pazzmon]

The first reading I had after I added the yeast and cooled it was 1.010, that was two days ago, shall I take another reading today? Or would opening the seal of the fermenter ruin the batch? Many thanks and sorry for a confusing post.

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[Pazzmon]

The fermentation temperature was around 28°c, but it has been cooled since then to around 20°c.

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[flars]

The fermentation temperature was around 28°c, but it has been cooled since then to around 20°c.

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28°C is 82°F. That temperature is way to high except for some saison yeasts.
Here is a link to a previous HBT discussion on the Coopers Lager.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/coopers-lager-kit-151614/

This is a link on how to use a hydrometer. Adding this because your Original Gravity reading of 1.010 is more like an Final Gravity reading.
http://www.howtobrew.com/appendices/appendixA.html

 

[Pazzmon]

Thanks for the links, I did think it to was a tad high myself,now it's cooled down, shall I take another reading?

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[Kaz]

Agreed, 28C is way too high of a fermentation temp especially for a lager. Lager should be down closer to 10C. If your starting gravity, before fermentation was 1.010, then you either measured wrong, or left out an ingredient.

 

[GibbyGibson]

Can you post your recipe? I was thinking also that you left out an ingredient. 1.010 is a very low OG. Most beers finish around this number rather than start at it.

 

[seph]

Or when he topped up the fermenter he had a lot of stratification (layering).

When you add your wort to the fermenter, and then top up with water, sometimes the water will sit on the top, and not mix in well. If you take a reading like this, you will get a really low number, since most of the sugar (wort) is at the bottom. I vote to leave it closed up and watch to see if any fermentation is occurring. If not, you may have to add more yeast. If it starts fermenting, relax, don't worry, have a homebrew.

 

[Pazzmon]

Coopers malt extract, 1st sugar, 28°c before yeast. Current temperature is 20°c, as this batch is two days old is there enough time to save it? Fermentation is going well though, still plenty of bubbles occurring and there is a strong smell of alcohol there. So I am a bit confused.

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[Pazzmon]

I must have misread the original gravity measure as I now have a reading of 1.020, so either I'm turning alcohol into water or I just read wrong!

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[Pazzmon]

Sorry, 1Kg of sugar.

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[flars]

Thanks for the links, I did think it to was a tad high myself,now it's cooled down, shall I take another reading?

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Wait ten days then take a reading. Take another reading two days later. Fermentation is complete if the readings are the same.
It will do your beer good if you do not bottle as soon as it is done fermenting. The yeast do some clean up work of the off flavors produced by fermentation.
You can leave the beer in the primary for a month with no problems. Well there is one problem with that long of a primary. It causes the "Anxious To Taste Syndrome".

 

[GibbyGibson]

To reduce your confusion about gravity readings, let's start at the beginning. Gravity is measured and compared to water at 60F. First check your hydrometer in a glass of 60F (sorry I don't know the Celsius conversion) water. If it measures 1.000 then your hydrometer is calibrated correctly.

When you add ingredients, they are dissolved in the water, making it more dense. This pushes harder against the hydrometer and causes it to float higher this increasing the hydrometer reading.

All this being said, the three factors that affect your gravity readings are 1)correctly calibrated hydrometer, 2) amount of dissolved material, and 3) temperature of the material being measured.

When do you take readings? First reading should be once your wort is cooled to pitching temps and before you pitch the yeast. Second reading should be several weeks into fermentation (2-3 weeks). If it is low enough based on expected attenuation of your yeast, wait a couple days and measure again. If readings at different, wait a couple more days and read again. You are done fermenting if readings are the same a few days apart.

I hope this helps clear some of the confusion with using the hydrometer.

 

[GibbyGibson]

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like an ass. Your first post made it sound as if you didn't quite understand the hydrometer process. My apologies.

 

[Pazzmon]

It's okay, it definitely tightened up my knowledge on gravity measuring, as all other posts use acronyms which are pretty useless to a beginner. I'll leave it be for now, turns out the hydrometer wasn't calibrated peoperly, no surprise as it was £3.50, 60°F showed a 984/6 rating, which would mean that my initial gravity rating would be about 1.036, I think?

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[flars]

It's okay, it definitely tightened up my knowledge on gravity measuring, as all other posts use acronyms which are pretty useless to a beginner. I'll leave it be for now, turns out the hydrometer wasn't calibrated peoperly, no surprise as it was £3.50, 60°F showed a 984/6 rating, which would mean that my initial gravity rating would be about 1.036, I think?

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That would be a good Specific Gravity reading, especially since some fermentation already ocurred.
I have read where brewers used a kilo of light or extra light DME instead of the sugar. They said it gave the beer more body and was less watery than when they used sugar.

 

[Pazzmon]

Thanks for helping me clear it up, did get very worried as I won't be able to sort out another batch until payday! I'm going to leave it now for about ten days, after I have a new rating to start from. Cheers for all the hints, tips and links, all information has been useful, no doubt will see you all on the rest of the forum.

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[GibbyGibson]

That sounds a lot better as a original gravity. For the short term, you can keep using that hydrometer. It still works for the intended purposes. It is just a little inconvenient and you have to do some math to correct it.

 

[Pazzmon]

Well just to let you know, the fermentation finished, and I did keg it, to carbonate and will leave it do so for a little while and bottle it after that. My For was 1.004. Slightly lower than I expected but not too much. 1.036 to 1.004. Is that any good?

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