I never hit my OG...

[GrantH]

I just brewed a DIPA from Midwest. 5 gallon batch, OG 1.070 is what it called for. I hit 1.042. I mashed at 152, batch sparged with boiling and hit ~164. Lautered only on the mash. Got 5.5 gallons out of the mash/sparge and added a half gallon of tap before boiling.

60 minute boil, correct hop additions.

Transferred and took a reading and it only showed 1.042.

Can anyone give me a reason why I would be getting such a low reading?

 

[JLem]

I just brewed a DIPA from Midwest. 5 gallon batch, OG 1.070 is what it called for. I hit 1.042. I mashed at 152, batch sparged with boiling and hit ~164. Lautered only on the mash. Got 5.5 gallons out of the mash/sparge and added a half gallon of tap before boiling.

60 minute boil, correct hop additions.

Transferred and took a reading and it only showed 1.042.

Can anyone give me a reason why I would be getting such a low reading?

Poor crush on the grains perhaps. Inaccurate thermometer - your mash temps may be low.

What was the recipe? Also, I don't understand "Lautered only on the mash". And why add 1/2 gallon of tap water - you should be able to get your preboil volume from the mash/sparge.

 

[Grizzlybrew]

sorry to be negative - but, that's ridiculous.

My LHBS owner had some insight to bigger beers and mashing/sparging schedules.

What ratio did you mash and sparge with with?

It probably should have been a 1:1 mash ratio so you could sparge with 2-3 times to fully rinse the grains to extract the sugars you needed.

A side note - this is a good reason to keep some DME laying around...

 

[Grizzlybrew]

And why add 1/2 gallon of tap water - you should be able to get your preboil volume from the mash/sparge.

I was thinking this too. Just sparge more.

 

[GrantH]

1.25 qt/lbs

I thought the thermometer was right, but who knows really. I tried using my other digital but it doesn't go above 140* because it's for gardening.

I added tap water because I wasn't aware you should/could sparge over and over. I only sparged onced. I was told if I couldn't do a full boil with all-grain that I could add tap to the carboy, figured the same went for pre boil. Even then, it should have cut the ABV down 4% or more, should it? I mashed once. I got 5.5 out which is only .5 shy of what I needed so I figured a little shy was no big deal.

What thermometer should I get?

 

[JLem]

1.25 qt/lbs

I thought the thermometer was right, but who knows really. I tried using my other digital but it doesn't go above 140* because it's for gardening.

I added tap water because I wasn't aware you should/could sparge over and over. I only sparged onced. I mashed once. I got 5.5 out which is only .5 shy of what I needed so I figured a little shy was no big deal.

What thermometer should I get?

Your thermometer may be just fine - just check it in some ice water and in some boiling water to see if it reads a little high.

The more i think about it, I'm not sure a slightly off temp can account for missing your OG by that much. Sounds more like a poor crush and/or you were off on your volumes.

I'd be curious too to know what your final volume was if you only started with 5.5 gallons. Also how much grain did you use?

 

[GrantH]

15.5 lbs grains, mashed with 4.85 gallons, sparged with 4. Got 5.5 off the runnings and added .5 gallons to make 6 for pre boil. 5 gallon batch, put roughly that in the carboy.

I'm typing the recipe now.

 

[GrantH]

Ingredients: 14 lbs. Domestic 2-Row barley malt, 4 oz. Aromatic, 12 oz. Caramel 60L, 8 oz. Victory, 1 oz. Chinook, 1 oz. Cascade, 1 oz. Centennial, 1 oz. Crystal and 2 oz. whole hops (dry hop),

 

[JLem]

Ingredients: 14 lbs. Domestic 2-Row barley malt, 4 oz. Aromatic, 12 oz. Caramel 60L, 8 oz. Victory, 1 oz. Chinook, 1 oz. Cascade, 1 oz. Centennial, 1 oz. Crystal and 2 oz. whole hops (dry hop),

15.5 lbs of grain is certainly enough to get you to 1.070. Looks more and more like a poor crush on the grain may be the culprit. I've had really poor efficiencies from a poor crush on a couple of my beers. Can't really think of what else would get you this low an OG. What is your mash setup?

 

[GrantH]

52 qt. cooler, CPVC "screen", and towels layered on top. Brass release valve.

 

[JLem]

Do you mill your own grain? If so, try a finer crush setting. You only got 30-something % efficiency. Are you sure the grains were crushed? (sorry, had to ask)

 

[GrantH]

It looked like they were...but I guess it could have been a terrible crush.

 

[Breck09]

Did you add the top up water after the boil? If so maybe the wort wasn't fully mixed and that gave you the bad reading.

 

[GrantH]

Pre-boil.

 

[Griff777]

sounds like Hop Head IPA I have done three of those kits. I use a thermapen, expensive but quick and worth it. An accurate thermometer is THE most important piece of equipment.

Possibly you added the grain to your strike water which was too hot? That would kill some of the enzymes right off the bat. My calculations say about 165 degrees of five gallons for initial infusion with the grain at about seventy degrees. That should give you an mash temp of 152. That is my favorite kit from midwest. Their crushes were always very nice in my opinion. I condition and crush my own now just for freshness. You can go to your Lhbs and buy the grains to try the recipe again. temperatues are the most important factor. I found that a Lab thermometer, for six bucks is pretty darn close to my thermapen, and a lot cheaper.

 

[GrantH]

Strike water was 165-167, and I hit 150-152. I don't think the mash process was my problem, unless I just completely misunderstand it. It took 20 minutes or so to varlouf and drain the mash and a couple shy of that for the sparge (guessing). I took it to be a decent crush...or at the least, crushed...as there is always a powder of grain at the bottom of the bag and it is always like that. My next batch is a red ale from my not so local HBS. I saw her crush the grains, so hopefully that is a bit better.

 

[ajf]

When you added the sparge water, did you stir it in really well before vorlaufing and draining. Whit a batch sparge, it is is stirring in of the sparge water that extracts the sugars.
I also find it hard to believe that you could collect 5 gallons post boil if you started the boil with just 6 gallons. I need to start with at least 7g to get 5 in the fermenter.

-a.

 

[GrantH]

When you added the sparge water, did you stir it in really well before vorlaufing and draining. Whit a batch sparge, it is is stirring in of the sparge water that extracts the sugars.
I also find it hard to believe that you could collect 5 gallons post boil if you started the boil with just 6 gallons. I need to start with at least 7g to get 5 in the fermenter.

-a.

I lost a gallon during an hour boil, everything I've read says this is average/normal. And yes, I did stir as well as I could before draining the sparge water.