Higher OG then Kit stated

[pcianciulli]

Hey everyone beginner here and did my first brew today. I came back with a higher OG then the beer kit suggested. I followed the recipe to a tee and am doing a full boil with extract kit. Once it cooled with a wort cooler I took the first sample of the wort. The OG was 1.074 then add for temp being round 72 degrees and it ended up at 1.087. The recipe suggested the OG to be around 1.066-70. I have been searching the threads but haven't found any with full boil. I began with 6 gallons and ended with just under 5 gallons with sample taken and remnants left on the bottom of the kettle. Nice color and consistency. Why is the G so different what did I do if anything? Thank you for your help.

 

[DrinkinSurfer]

I'm just a beginner as well but my guess would be that since you boiled it to under 5 gallons it is denser than if it were 5 gallons. Or you may have had higher efficiency with the steeping grains. I doubt you'll really notice a .004 difference. But again, I am a beginner too.

 

[rl1373]

The temperature conversion I came up with was 1.075. Although a little higher then suggested OG I wouldn't worry to much about it. You probably wont be able to tell the difference. It could just be a measurement issue or maybe a little bit extra extract in your kit. I wouldn't stress to much about it.

 

[pcianciulli]

Thanks you guys! What does it mean to have brewed with the higher efficiency? I know generally but how does this occur with the homebrew when done with a recipe. Does water, constant vigorous boil, full boil etc make a difference? Also if it does have a higher OG then is that bad? Does that change the taste as well as alcohol content overall?

 

[mojotele]

Thanks you guys! What does it mean to have brewed with the higher efficiency? I know generally but how does this occur with the homebrew when done with a recipe. Does water, constant vigorous boil, full boil etc make a difference? Also if it does have a higher OG then is that bad? Does that change the taste as well as alcohol content overall?

Efficiency is generally meaningless for extract or extract with steeping grain recipes. Efficiency from extract is always 100%. I suppose you get some variable efficiency from steeping grains, but it is really low. ProMash always suggested it was 30% or below. Almost all of your sugars come from the extract.

Efficiency is a big thing when it comes to doing partial mashes or all grain recipes. The pH of water can make a difference, but the other things you mention really don't (at least not directly). It's really all about the mash, and you aren't doing a mash with an extract recipe.