Low OG

[stratman471]

I'm making an Irish Red Ale from an extract kit, and for some reason the OG was waaaaay off from the target. The instructions say it should be between 1.046-1.050. But when I measured it the OG was 1.027. What could have caused this and will it effect the outcome of the beer?

 

[BobC]

A lower ABV. How did you brew it?

 

[Beer_Eugenics]

Full boil or Partial with top off water? If partial and you did not shake it well enough it would throw off your OG as your reading was watered down. Hard to miss OG with extract.

 

[jetmac]

You did not stir enough.

Read the quote from Revvy below.

We get this question 3-4 times every day, so you're not alone. And in reality, nothing's wrong.

It's a pretty common issue for ANYONE topping off with water in the fermenter (and that includes partial mashes, extract or all grain recipes) to have an error in reading the OG...In fact, it is actually nearly impossible to mix the wort and the top off water in a way to get an accurate OG reading...

Brewers get a low reading if they get more of the top off water than the wort, conversely they get a higher number if they grabbed more of the extract than the top off water in their sample.

RM-MN has a great analogy;



When I am doing an extract with grain recipe I make sure to stir for a minimum of 5 minutes (whipping up a froth to aerate as well) before I draw a grav sample and pitch my yeast....It really is an effort to integrate the wort with the top off water...This is a fairly common new brewer issue we get on here...unless you under or over topped off or the final volume for the kit was 5 gallons and you topped off to 5.5, then the issue, sorry to say, is "operator error"

More than likely your true OG is really what the recipe says it's supposed to be. And it will mix itself fine during fermentation.

And just use the number it says in the instructions as the true OG, because it will be. .

 

[brewhacker]

I agree with jetmac. When I first started my cavities were always low, until it dawned on me that I wasn't stirring enough. Most of the extract is sitting in the lower half of your carboy.
it's not a huge deal though when you are first starting, when the yeast start to work their magic they will mix it up for you are.

 

[AAIndigo]

Did you aerate your batch, After chill down I pour my batch to my formenter, add water to 5 gallons and pour back to brew pot and back to fermenter. Take my reading and pitch my yeast.