low OG?

[bperlmu]

HI
I am relatively new to brewing (maybe 6 or seven batches) and it seems like my OG is always low. the Pale ale i just bottled was supposed to have an O G of aroud 1.060 but when i brewed it it was at 1.045. Similar figures for a Belgian ale i brewed yesterday. is this due to inadequate mixing of wort with water as i read on one website? if so, does this affect the finished prouduct? or am i doing something else wrong? my Final Gravities seem to be right on point. thanks
b

 

[DeathBrewer]

inadequate mixing will really only mess up your reading. the fermentation will mix things up plenty. try giving it a good spin and mix in the carboy or bucket once everything (except your yeast) is in there, THEN take a reading before you pitch.

one other thing that might be a problem is temperature. you need to adjust for temperature when taking a hydrometer reading, although this won't affect much if your OG and FG readings are at the same temperature.

one last thing (which probably isn't the case based on your FGs) is that your hydrometer is giving an off reading. water at 60 F should read 1.000. give 'er a test.

 

[cheezydemon]

First and foremost, does the beer taste good? If it is too low in alcohol, or seems watered down, add more ingredients to your next batch. The target OG is not really important, the finished product is. Keep in mind that you should be making the best beer you can for you, not what some recipe or a kit says you should. Have fun with it. Good luck.

 

[DeathBrewer]

i agree except that the most important thing about taking readings is so you know when your beer is finished. especially with larger brews, you should always take care to ensure fermentation is complete before you bottle. if his OG is that far below where it's supposed to be and his FG are right on target, he may be bottling too early.

BUT from what you said, i would say that your OG is off due to poor mixing so you shouldn't have a bottling problem. mix it up before you take a reading and you're set!

 

[bperlmu]

Thanks guys.
i did check the FG a couple days in a row to make sure that fermentation was complete.
tasted pale ale today after 1 week in bottle.... actually tastes great, prob my favorite batch to date.... based on the taste and feel, i would say that the ABV is right around 6.0 which is what the recipe said, so my guess is the low og must have been due to poor mixing. i only began to wonder because all my beers have had a low OG...this makes more sense now

 

[Yooper]

Good- glad to hear it! Pale ale is one of my favorites and it sounds like you've made a good one.