Help - Didn't Even Come CLOSE To Target OG

[lancers7x]

So I brewed an extract kit today - a Bavarian Hefeweizen.

The recipe was as follows:

Cara Pils Malt 8oz
German Pilsner Malt 8oz
LME (Wheat) 7lbs
Hallertau Hops 1oz

The OG, per the recipe, was supposed to be 1.050. I did tweak the recipe slightly, choosing to add 1/2 of the LME at the beginning of the boil and the other half with 20 minutes left. Also with 20 minutes left, I added 8oz of pure clove honey, 14oz of BrewVint 1% ABV boost, and 1 capsule of BrewVint Yeast Fuel. As you can probably tell, I was expecting (and hoping) that this beer would be a bit on the hefty side.

But to my dismay, my OG reading was 1.043! That's right, LESS than what the recipe said even after the addition of the honey and the ABV boost! All of the fermentables were fully dissolved and there was barely any sludge on the bottom of the brew kettle.

How the heck did this happen??

 

[unionrdr]

You had "sludge" on the bottom of the BK? Sounds like you didn't get all the LME stirred in. It goes straight to the bottom ,& feels just like this "sludge" you described.

 

[lancers7x]

You had "sludge" on the bottom of the BK? Sounds like you didn't get all the LME stirred in. It goes straight to the bottom ,& feels just like this "sludge" you described.

By "sludge" I mean more like the mossy type junk that the hops turn into as a result of the boil. I definately don't think any of it was the result of undissolved LME.

 

[Cold Country Brewery]

Did you do a full boil, or a partial and add water? If you added water, did you make 100% sure it was mixed up and you didn't sample a watered down portion of the wort.

 

[jeffmeh]

Did you do a full boil, or did you add water at the end to bring up to full volume? If the latter, it is very difficult to adequately mix the water and wort well enough to get a reliable sample. It is highly unlikely to miss your OG with an extract batch.

 

[unionrdr]

Well,when I get to the point where it's time to stir in DME/LME remnants or all of'em,I stir very briskly for a good couple of minutes to make sure I don't feel any more heavy stuff on the bottom.
And again when I add it too the fermenter & start pouring spring water to level from as high as I can without missing the target. You have to stir it again at that point to make sure the water/wort mix completely. Does that help any?...

 

[lancers7x]

Did you do a full boil, or a partial and add water? If you added water, did you make 100% sure it was mixed up and you didn't sample a watered down portion of the wort.

I boiled 3 gallons and added 2.

I did shake the carboy pretty significantly after I added the water, but I suppose this is still a possibility.

Hmmmm.

 

[Chad]

Then you added too much water or took a bad reading. Extract beers are extremely predictable. If you add X amount of water to Y amount of extract you will get Z original gravity every single time.

It could be that your wort was stratified when you took your sample. That happens fairly frequently if you didn't stir really, really well just before taking the sample wort. The heavier wort settles lower in the fermentor, leaving a lighter, i.e. less sugar-laden, wort on top, which can cause a low reading on your hydrometer. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[unionrdr]

I just noticed you didn't mention what the wort temp was when you took the OG?

 

[lancers7x]

Wort temp when I took the OG was 74 degrees.

 

[unionrdr]

brewheads.com has an easy to use correction calculator for OG at temp,Celsius or Fahrenheit. Try that,but you may have needed a really good stir first. Just my thoughts from experiences thus far...

 

[BryanJ]

Don't worry about the OG measurement lancer, the wort and water wasn't mixed up well enough to give you an accurate reading. I would go by your calculated OG since this is a extract batch. Relax and enjoy your beer when its done.

 

[lancers7x]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

So is it safe to assume that the OG of the brew is somewhere in the range of 1.060 (recipe OG of 1.050 + ABV Boost) plus whatever the 8oz of honey added?

What does everyone think is a good guesstimate?

 

[unionrdr]

I think you're likely close,just didn't stir enough or something. Let it ferment/clean up after itself,then take an FG. As long as it smells/tastes ok (albeit a bit green),you're fine.