Low OG Stout - Should I try to adjust?

[loctones]

My LHBS recently put in a new grain crusher. I didn't pay attention to the crush at the store, but when I mashed in today, I noticed that it was pretty bad. Lots of whole grains that made it through the mill uncrushed. I got busy and didn't have time to measure my gravity until this evening. The beer came out at 1.043 instead of 1.055. The brew day went well, so I'm fairly certain the low efficiency was from the bad crush. Other than tasting a bit too bitter due to the low gravity, it seems like it will be a pretty good beer.

So, I'm wondering if I should try to adjust the gravity, or just let it go and call it an Oatmeal Black Mild? I'm leaning towards just letting it go, but I am curious if there's anything I can do to bump up the gravity and still have a good stout in the end. I thought about adding sugar but I imagine that would dry it out more than I want.

 

[Nateo]

(OG1Vol1 + OG2Vol2)/V1+V2 is your best friend. Mix up some DME and add it to the wort while it's fermenting.

 

[loctones]

Thanks, Nateo. I'd like to increase the volume as little as possible. Is there a rule of thumb on what the minimum amount of water per unit of weight (say, 1 lb.) is for mixing up DME?

 

[bja]

it seems like it will be a pretty good beer.

Then why mess with it?

 

[Nateo]

Thanks, Nateo. I'd like to increase the volume as little as possible. Is there a rule of thumb on what the minimum amount of water per unit of weight (say, 1 lb.) is for mixing up DME?

I don't really know. I've seen table sugar / water quoted as 750g / 1l. 450g of DME to 1l would certainly work, but you may be able to dissolve it in as little as 500ml.

 

[loctones]

Well, this problem solved itself. I ended up having to go out of town on business, so I didn't end up adding anything to the beer. I racked the beer over the weekend. It's a bit hoppier and lighter than I anticipated, but the uncarbonated sample tasted good and smelled great. This'll be a nice after dinner beer for weekdays.

Thanks for the ideas on how to up the gravity. I'll keep that in mind if this happens again.

 

[cheeseberger]

Was the LHBS in Boulder? I think the same thing happened to me but with a Porter (1.044 instead of 1.062)

 

[loctones]

Yeah, it was. I emailed the guys at the store and they told me that the new mill is adjustable. He recommended to just make sure the rollers looked parallel, and I should be close to the default adjustment. From now on, I'll be checking the crush more carefully to make sure it looks decent. I don't like that variability, though, and I think a grain mill might be on the Christmas list.

 

[Nateo]

I have a grain mill, and I use feeler gauges to set the gap. There's no way I could ever eyeball the spacing. Can you see the difference between .045" and .055"? From my experience, 55mil spacing yields about 10% lower efficiency than 45mil.

 

[Pommy]

IMO. You did the right thing letting it ride, if your LHBS didnt help you on your crush it wouldnt be unreasonable to let them know your beer didnt turn out as you had planned and they should let you off the cost of your hops or something. I know the cost is never the issue with homebrew but personally if I spend many hours considering a recipe and then for a reason out of my control it doesnt work as I expect I think its up to the guys who * it to do me right. Thats just my opinion anyway

 

[cheeseberger]

Myself in the Boulder LHBS: "The sign on your new mill says it's adjustable, how can I tell if it is appropriately adjusted?"
LHBS Clerk: With a quick glance at the mill, "uhhh, yah dude, that looks about right"

Agreed that a new mill is now on my Christmas list

 

[Pommy]

its pretty poor if you go to a LHBS and you get service like that. if they install an adjustable mill they should be in a position to use that for its benefits rather than leaving it to their clients to figure it out. Maybe their idea is that if customers lose efficiency due to their crush they might buy more grain?

 

[loctones]

Yeah. I had the same concerns as Nateo--I can't eyeball a gap you'd need feeler gauges to check. Hence, the hope that wifey puts a mill under the Christmas tree for me. I didn't know that such a small difference would have such a big effect on efficiency, though. That tells me I'm basically never going to be able to dial anything in using the mill at that store.

 

[Nateo]

I used to go there when I lived in Boulder. Then I went to their store in Denver, but I would always get annoyed at the staff for treating me like it was such a pain to take my money. Now I go out to Aurora to Brewhut. It's pretty far out of my way, but the service is way better, and I actually leave happy instead of annoyed.

For my B-day the wife got me a monster mill and a sack of barley, so I make a lot fewer trips now.

 

[loctones]

My experiences have been 50/50. Half of the time they're great and very helpful. The other half of the time they act annoyed or are too stoned to help. Come to think of it, it's usually the same guy who's stoned and/or annoyed.

I need to make it down to the Brewhut just to go next door and try some Dry Dock beers. Unfortunately, it's an hour away from where I live.