High OG. Help

[clr2lnd]

More Beer Citra Pale Ale. We worked it perfectly by the book except for changing the hop schedule slightly. Into the primary & a top off to 5 gal. OG of 1.050-1.055 per the book but ours was 1.064. Waited....1.064. Starting adding some additional H2O & finally got to 1.056. Now have nearly 6gal batch from a 5gal kit. How bad off are we? Help please!!'m

 

[bottlebomber]

Was it a full boil or a partial boil with a top off?

 

[amandabab]

the guy measuring at the kit factory was filling bags a little heavy that day.

You have 6 gallons of beer, not too bad off at all.

 

[wfowlks]

the guy measuring at the kit factory was filling bags a little heavy that day.

You have 6 gallons of beer, not too bad off at all.

+1


It will probably come out really nasty. So here is what you do: You let it ferment out all the way, then bottle it, and ship it to my address. I will dispose of it in the proper fashion. My methods though for disposal are proprietary, so no one else can be around when I'm disposing of them.

 

[clr2lnd]

60 min nice rolling boil... Maybe + 5 due to a flame out while adjusting for the wort chiller addition at the 45min mark. All seemed fine but have never had to add this much H2O to hit my mark.

 

[Spicemon1972]

+1

It will probably come out really nasty. So here is what you do: You let it ferment out all the way, then bottle it, and ship it to my address. I will dispose of it in the proper fashion. My methods though for disposal are proprietary, so no one else can be around when I'm disposing of them.

+1
If wfowlks has any trouble helping you dispose of this obviously nasty brew, I lend my services to assist in the disposal. I will be happy to send the bottles back to you once the deed is done.

 

[Calder]

More Beer Citra Pale Ale. We worked it perfectly by the book except for changing the hop schedule slightly. Into the primary & a top off to 5 gal. OG of 1.050-1.055 per the book but ours was 1.064. Waited....1.064. Starting adding some additional H2O & finally got to 1.056. Now have nearly 6gal batch from a 5gal kit. How bad off are we? Help please!!'m

I assume it is an extract batch. I suspect you got a bad reading. Are you taking the reading from the bottom of the fermenter? If it is not fully mixed, samples from the bottom will have a higher gravity.

 

[Pezman1]

If you were doing an extract kit partial boil with top off, you didn't need to add extra water. If you used all the extract in the kit, you WILL end up in the correct OG range if you end up with the proper wort volume. There is no OG to "hit" in this circumstance. Just use all the indgedients and top off to the correct volume..... All you did was thin out your beer.

It is very hard to get top off water and the boiled wort to mix perfectly, leading to strange gravity readings - usually on the high side.

There are no effeciency issues to worry about in extract brewing, and even if you got more steeping grains that you should have, it wouldn't make a big difference.

In other words, as long as the kit OG was figured correctly, there simply is no way to end up with the wrong OG as long as you used all the ingredients, and ended up with the proper volume.

So.....when doing an extract kit with grains partial boil with top off, there is no reason at all to even take an OG. Really. The kit ALREADY has it figured for you.

Pez.

 

[Draken]

If you were doing an extract kit partial boil with top off, you didn't need to add extra water. If you used all the extract in the kit, you WILL end up in the correct OG range if you end up with the proper wort volume. There is no OG to "hit" in the circumstance. Just use all the indgedients and up up with the correct volume. All you did was thin out your beer.

It is very hard to get top off water and the boiled wort to mix perfectly, leading to strange gravity readings - usually on the high side.

There are no effeciency issues to worry about in extract brewing, and even if you got more steeping grains that you should have, it wouldn't make a big difference.

In other words, as long as the kit OG was figured correctly, there simply is no way to end up with the wrong OG as long as you used all the ingredients, and ended up with the proper volume.

So.....when doing an extract with grains partial boil with top off, there is no reason at all to even take an OG. Really. The kit ALREADY has it figured for you.

Pez.

I agree. In the rare instance that you got too much DME or LME in your kit.. Eh just roll with it. Next time I would suggest asking the question prior to taking action. Since you've already diluted your beer there's nothing we can really do at this point but say, well here's what you should have done...

 

[clr2lnd]

Yes it was an extract kit. Whether its necessary or not I've always checked the OG / FG etc.... The brew equip came w the tools so why not use them, take notes & act like ur not just a drunk looking for his next 2 sketchy cases. This isn't my "first rodeo" but it is the first time I've seen anything that far off. I let it sit, checked, added little h2o, waited, checked, added little h2o, etc... Yeast has been added...working hard, but just curious as to how something got that far off. Trying to get a system going & expand my fridge offerings as well as learn along the way. Didn't want to sit and wait too long before pitching yeast waiting on responses either. For those offering to "dispose" of my mistake...just add shot KY Bourbon for instant Boilermaker" fix!! Privilege of living in blue grass!!

 

[boscobeans]

5 english gallons = 6 US gallons
Was it geared to Imperial gallons?

bosco

 

[Pezman1]

Yes it was an extract kit. Whether its necessary or not I've always checked the OG / FG etc.... The brew equip came w the tools so why not use them, take notes & act like ur not just a drunk looking for his next 2 sketchy cases. This isn't my "first rodeo" but it is the first time I've seen anything that far off. I let it sit, checked, added little h2o, waited, checked, added little h2o, etc... Yeast has been added...working hard, but just curious as to how something got that far off. Trying to get a system going & expand my fridge offerings as well as learn along the way. Didn't want to sit and wait too long before pitching yeast waiting on responses either. For those offering to "dispose" of my mistake...just add shot KY Bourbon for instant Boilermaker" fix!! Privilege of living in blue grass!!

Like I said. Top off water and boiled wort are notorious for not mixing well.

This is most likely the cause your OG differed from the specified range of the kit. Keep in mind that the kit OG is not a "target", but what you WILL end up with if you use all the fermentables and end up with the correct volume.

Your brew equipment DOES have a hydrometer, and it is a must for checking FGs in any beer. However, in this case, you simply don't need it for checking the OG. The kit has it figured out already. That's part of what makes an extract kit easy. Everything is pre-measured and calculated for you.

Cheers! Pez.

 

[clr2lnd]

I understand that everything is pre determined based on the kit/recipe & there should be little variance. I'm also a checklist kinda guy and read back thru all the old notes/recommended procedures etc. BB, More Beer, MW etc and they each mention h2o to a certain level (close to 5gal & stir) & then OG reading. Then Add a volume of water that will bring the wort into "range" if needed & OG reading etc... Also figured I needed the OG to fill in the blank in the ABV% Calculator. It's bubbling like crazy as I type & I'm sure I have beer, but I was just curious as to why it seemed that far off. Getting ready to pour another brown ale from mid march batch, so Thanks for the comments & I'll advise a reading in a few days to see if I just had foggy beer goggles or if someone forgot to put their thumb on scale at More Beer!

 

[bottlebomber]

How is taking a reading a few days from now going to tell you if the kit was heavy? I am In the group that says it wasn't mixed thoroughly.

 

[clr2lnd]

There was gal or so in fermentor then wort added then the top to 5 gal & man did it get stirred ( I didn't think about mixing or settling etc between ingredients)...then the high reading etc & u know the rest. Figured if my "added" h20 put me at the top end of 1.050-1.055 range & at the end of fermentation my reading was in the 1.012-1.015 and the formulas all worked out it would provide an answer. But I guess I just didn't blend it thoroughly & diluted it by 3/4 extra h2o. If that's the case I've lived and learned & will have to choke it down. 2 other flavors on standby & ready to brew!

 

[wfowlks]

If that's the case I've lived and learned & will have to choke it down.

That's what she said....


In Grown-Up news:
It will be fine, but you get the additional benefit of more alcohol content in the beer, which is not a bad thing. If you really can't stand it that much, I have even offered my disposal services, and will pay for shipping . But using it in Beer battered recipes is great, the extra flavor really kicks it up a notch. Bratwurst, Onion Rings, Fish, etc

 

[stroderick]

Just had a similar experience with a BB Dunkelweizen. My OG was .008 over the predicted OG. Checked gravity after 2 weeks and it was .008 over target FG. Checked after another week, still .008 over. Checked the ingredients, the list had one pound of maltodextrin added during the boil. It's not fermentable, but it adds, you guessed it, .008 to your gravity reading (1 lb maltodextrin in a 5 gal batch). I don't think BB accounted for the maltodextrin in the OG or FG.

I checked the ingredients of the kit you mentioned, and it lists maltodextrin. If it was a pound, and they did not factor that in, that would account for the high OG.

 

[clr2lnd]

Your right on as far as the ingredients list & Maltodextrin added during the boil. I've also talked to few friends that brew who have had similar experiences. One let it ride as is & his FG was in line, high, similar to his OG. Another added 1/2 gal + attempting to get it "in range" and still said all ended fine as well. Im hoping for the best but no biggie...it'll get put to good use!