I took a hydrometer reading.....

[SilentT]

Initially it was 1.048

And now it's 1.2

Shouldn't it be dropping? What gives?

 

[lumpher]

sounds like it is dropping. how long has it been, what recipe, what yeast, etc? i cranked my car with a full tank, and it ran, now it has 1/2 tank. why? that's the equivalent...

 

[BigFloyd]

It's not really 1.200. 1.020 maybe?

You could possibly have a bubble stuck on the bottom of your hydrometer. Twirl it a bit.

You may be looking at the wrong scale (which isn't all that uncommon).

Have you let it sit so that any bubbles at the top can settle down?

How long has it been fermenting?