Hydrometer reading help...

[mattmainster]

After fermenting my IPA (and first homebrew) for 14 days, I was finally able to take a hydrometer reading...

It's my understanding that there is no way to get an accurate alcohol level without getting an OG reading and an FG reading and calculating it based off of that. However, the based off the reading that I took tonight, the chart included with my hydrometer says that I have a potential of 1% alcohol content by volume.

Am I going to have a realllly weak brew, or should I not even be looking at that chart?

Here's a picture of my reading, which I believe is a 1.016

Also, here's my "detailed" drawing of the reading...

I think it's done fermenting, and I'll be taking two more readings this week to confirm. Then, on to secondary, where I'll be dry hopping.

 

[nallanrex]

need to know what your og was. I wouldn't worry about what the scale says.


-Nick

 

[mattmainster]

Sadly, I wasn't able to take an OG reading due to my EXTREMELY tall hydrometer and my short test tube haha

 

[Walker]

Yes, I'd call your reading 1.016.

Throw that chart away. I think it's just confusing you.

Do you have the recipe you used? If it's an IPA, it probably started in the upper 1.050's or higher and you've probably got over 5.5% abv.

 

[Walker]

IIRC, that table you are referring to is something that is only useful before fermentation. It's telling you the potential alcohol content of your wort if it ferments 100%.

In other words, if you made a batch of beer that had an OG of 1.016, it could produce (at most) 1% alcohol if it fermented completely.

 

[mattmainster]

Awesome, thanks! Here's the recipe I used...

http://www.brewmasterswarehouse.com/recipe/33fad005/shoultzmeyer-brewery-hop-combo-ipa

 

[Walker]

It's impossible to know EXACTLY because I don't know how much efficiency you got from the grains, but running that through ProMash and assuming a poor efficiency in the low 50's, you probably had an OG of 1.060 at least. Maybe as high as 1.066 if you had a good mash and sparge of the grain.

That's somewhere in the 5.8% to 6.6% range on abv.

 

[mattmainster]

Right on. I appreciate your help!

 

[mattmainster]

BTW...just realized I posted the link to the partial mash recipe.
I brewed the extract version:

http://www.brewmasterswarehouse.com/recipe/3af0f953/shoultzmeyer-brewery-hop-combo-ipa