Help....we got a beer down

[buckeyebrewer]

I just made my oatmeal stout. I took an OG at 70 degrees. It was 1.022. This seems way to low for an OG. The beer also tasted weak and watery. The wort was delicious so I think I may have added to much water to the cooled wort. I only ended up with 5.5 gallons. Is there anything I can/should do to correct it. First time I've gotten away from the kits. Can I reduce it on the stove, cool it and repitch the yeast??? Thanks for the feedback.

1/2 lb flaked oats
3 oz flaked barley
1/2 lb crystal malt
1/2 lb chocolate malt
6 lb Light DME
2 oz kent golding leaf hops
1 tsp irish moss
white labs Irish Ale Yeast WLP004

Roast oats and barley at 325 for 75 min.
Add all grains to 1 gal @150 for 20 min
sparge grains with 1/2 gal 150 degree H2O
Add DME and (honey?)
Add all hops for 50 min
irish moss 10 min
at 80 degrees pitch yeast

 

[Monk]

You may want to post your volumes--volume boiled, volume added, final volume. This might help us figure out what went wrong.

 

[Monk]

Sorry, I'm looking at it again, and I see you have a 5.5 gallon final volume. I don't think you can put 6 lbs of dme into 5.5 gallons and have an OG under 1.050. Is 1.020 your final gravity? I'm confused.

Monk

 

[RichBrewer]

Did you stir or shake it throughly?
It takes quite a but to mix the wort into the top off water.

 

[Cheesefood]

I'm willing to bet you poured the water on top of the wort, right? Water sits on the top, so you probably pulled your sample from the top and it probably barely had any wort mixed in.

You'll be ok.

 

[Yooper]

I agree- at this point, I'd leave it alone. The reason it tastes thin and watery is because it hasn't fermented yet. Your og is higher- I think it's not mixed up well enough.

In a week, I think it'll be fine!

 

[AnOldUR]

Cheesefood, RichBrewer or anyone,

Low OG is something that I am worrying about also. Cheesefood mentioned that water could sit on the top. I did aerate well, but used a baster that just barely reached the liquid, so my sample was taken from the very top. What you got me questioning is how fast the solids settle and if my reading might have been off. Any opinions? I will be adding a wine thief to my new brew order.

Off Topic: This is my first batch after graduating from Mr. Beer to a glass carboy. Watching the bubbles in the airlock is hypnotic. Every time I walk by I can’t help but stop and stare.

Thanks

 

[buckeyebrewer]

After sleeping on it and some more thought...I think this is what happened. I did pour water onto the wort after the wort had cooled. I don't think I shook it good before I took the hydrometer sample. I thought that pouring water in would mix it.......I guess I thought wrong. Also the hydrometer reading was 1.022 @ 70 degrees. Using the temp chart the final reading was more like 1.034. Still seems a little low, but if I didn't mix it thouroughly before I took my sample all the sugars obviously weren't mix in. I guess I'll have to play the waiting game and see what happens. Rookie mistake.....from now on I will make sure to put the lid on and shake well before taking the OG and pitching yeast. Thanks for the good feedback......sorry for the knee jerk reaction.

 

[AnOldUR]

I'm new to this, but I think you have a decimal point error in your conversion.

 

[Cheesefood]

Cheesefood, RichBrewer or anyone,

Low OG is something that I am worrying about also. Cheesefood mentioned that water could sit on the top. I did aerate well, but used a baster that just barely reached the liquid, so my sample was taken from the very top. What you got me questioning is how fast the solids settle and if my reading might have been off. Any opinions? I will be adding a wine thief to my new brew order.

Off Topic: This is my first batch after graduating from Mr. Beer to a glass carboy. Watching the bubbles in the airlock is hypnotic. Every time I walk by I can’t help but stop and stare.

Thanks

It's like everything else: heavy stuff sinks. The good news is the the yeast know where to find it and will eat it up.

What you need to do right now is to forget about it. Leave it alone. Let it do it's magic, and talk to it again in a week. Making beer is like a good first date: you can F it up if you keep bugging her too soon. In a week to 10 days, rack to your secondary, then think about something else for two weeks. Make more beer. Research more. Go out and do something. Just leave it alone. Right now, your beer is like an angry crying woman and if you mess with it you'll regret it for a long time.

 

[mgt2000]

Right now, your beer is like an angry crying woman and if you mess with it you'll regret it for a long time.

Best line ever!

 

[buckeyebrewer]

Nice one Cheese..... I will take your advise and move on to the next brew. I will update with results in a month. If I buy my beer flowers or a ring will that make it stop crying?

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

If you read 1.022 at 70degrees then corrected it would not be 1.034... more like 1.023 or 1.024. Most hydrometers read correctly at 60 degrees, 10 degrees hotter is not gonna take it up 12 points.

You might have been reading for celcius conversion. For every 5 degrees celcius above the correct reading temp is roughly .001 higher.... I believe. And, I believe that's roughly, not exact.

 

[Fingers]

Beer is NOTHING like an angry crying woman. Yes, beer needs to be nurtured, to sometimes find its own way, more like a pubescent child that has to be guided with gentle nudges to grow and flower into a beautiful creature. It needs to be wanted and loved and watched.

Of course if you were to marry your beer then your analogy would be perfectly correct. Never mind....