Help!!! I'm confused and can't get out.

[ozarks42]

Last weekend was my first time using a recipe to brew by instead of a kit from a brew shop. I have done a few extract batches and have now gone to BIAB.



With the kits, I would take the OG and FG readings only. This time I thought I would advance myself and try SG readings at different times such as preboil, OG and FG. my goal was to be within the reccomeded OG of the recipe. I also have a refractometer and wanted to develop my abilities in its use.


Confusion struck between pre-boil and turning up the heat to start a boil. My bag of grain was removed and drained now all I had to do was check the preboil gravity. As I was drawing the sample I remembererd an accurate gravity ready should be taken when the wort is at 68 degrees. I wanted to adjust, if needed, to meet Beersmith2 pre-boil gravity, but I would be waiting a long time for 7.5 gallons to cool. Would an hydrometer adjustment chart have worked for this this? What do others do when the wort is hot and a gravity reading is needed?

 

[LabRatBrewer]

Just cool the sample. I just pull the few drops for the refractometer into a pipette and rest it in star san or other cool liquid (even my beer) for a second. The few drops cool very fast. Even a couple ounces for a hydrometer will cool in an ice bath way before you could get your 7.5 gallons up to a boil, so there will be plenty of time to adjust.

 

[GrogNerd]

refractometer only requires a drop of wort, which will reach ambient temperature very quickly

hydrometer only requires 100ml/3.3 oz or so, which would reach ambient temperature in enough time to bring the rest of your wort to a boil, start your hop additions and take a reading in plenty of time to reach a decision to add some extract or more water to hit your gravity or volume target

edit: listen to the lab rat

 

[jekeane]

Placing the drop or two on the refractometer will cool the sample most of the way. There are also online conversion calculators for hydrometers that are accurate

 

[ozarks42]

Thanks for the quick responses, I did use an online adjustment tool for temp and have that figure written down.

This past brew day was definitely a learning adventure for me. Through a "OOPS, did I ever read that wrong" mistake that led to me using 3 gallons to much water in the boil to a "pay attention to hop addition times" so an aroma hop would not be added @ the 15 minute boil mark instead of @ 5.

During all this I'm also learning Beersmith2. Another brew day coming this weekend. I have an all grain Witbier kit I'm going to try and make taste like a Blue Moon Summer Honey Ale. I have the recipe in Beersmith2 and will be doing gravity readings as I go making adjustments as needed.

 

[Cider123]

Hi Ozarks,

Good choice on using BIAB.

I would recommend finding a good BIAB calculator to determine the correct amount of water and grains in order to reach the OG you wish. I use the BIABacus which is available for free at BIABrewer.info. A great site BTW for learning best practices with BIAB, although there is great deal of info here too.

I started out trying to enter all the in between gravities to eventually determine the various type of effeciencies. Eventually, brewing became too complicated and I was losing the enjoyment. Now some folks really get into that aspect and there is nothing wrong with that.

For me, what was important was to get the volume of wort I wanted at the OG and IBU's I expected. Eventually I found that when I entered the expected OG, volumes, boil time, grains and hops into the BIABacus, it told me exactly how much water to start with and the amounts of grain and hops. Now, if I follow what it says, I hit my expected OG practically every time. Since that is working for me, I could care less what my brewhouse effeciency or my pre-boil gravity is. If I have an expected OG of 1.050 and my actual OG is 1.050, then in my mind that is 100% perfect.

 

[ozarks42]

cider123,

Reaching the target OG with the correct volume is goal of mine along with not making all this complicated. I don't need to know the scientific aspect of all this. I just want to know if I do this, this will happen. All that thinking makes my head hurt.

I think what I'm going to do is develop a consistent process of BIAB, I sure do like BIAB and plan to stick with that for quite awhile. Once I have that it should be much easier to adjust or refine from there.

I'm going to take another look at the BIABacus since I have a little more experience brewing. To be honest the first time I looked at it I was intimatated by it. I do like the thought of something else doing all that headache work for me. I'll plug in all my equipment profile items that apply from Beersmith2 and start from there. What I need is a BIABacus or Beersmith2 manual for 3rd graders. I should be able to understand it then. At times I feel an Engineer degree is needed to even understand the instructions to those two, maybe I'm way over thinking it.

 

[doug293cz]

For figuring out water volumes and temps for BIAB, I like this calculator: http://pricelessbrewing.github.io/BiabCalc/. For recipes, I use BeerSmith.

Brew on

 

[ozarks42]

Seems like a simple and easy calculator thanks for sharing.

 

[Natdavis777]

I like to pull my pre-boil sample as the boil starts to ensure the most accurate reading (ensure even distribution of sugar). Ill pull my OG sample right before I kill the boil (same premise). I take a small amount each time, an ounce or two, and put it in the freezer. In a few minutes, its withing range and a few drops on the refract and I have my numbers.

 

[ozarks42]

Natdavis777, if your taking your OG before you kill your boil when do you check volume going into the fermentor? If low and you add water would that not change OG?

 

[Natdavis777]

Natdavis777, if your taking your OG before you kill your boil when do you check volume going into the fermentor? If low and you add water would that not change OG?

I have a sightglass. So I can adjust my boil, if need be, to hit my final volume of 10.75 gal. I electric brew now, and have my system set @ 65% duty cycle with 13gal will net me 5.5 gal in each of my carboys. Either way, I have never topped off, as I dont keep extra RO water on hand for that. And I woudnt top off with my tap water, as bicarbs are in the 200s, so it could affect my overall flavor profile.

 

[Cider123]

For figuring out water volumes and temps for BIAB, I like this calculator: http://pricelessbrewing.github.io/BiabCalc/. For recipes, I use BeerSmith.

Brew on

This is a very good calculator. If I came across this when I started, I'd probably still be using it.

But I have used the BIABacus for a while now and it has grown on me. It is certainly designed to calculate a lot of measurements, but you can make it quite easy by only filling in some key areas. Each time I make a new beer, I save that version as a separate file recipe. I can then go back and make changes as I fine tune the recipes.

PistolPatch is over there at BIABrewer.info and he will help you out immensely. I'd search some of his posts on using it.