Low OG

[BelligerentOwl]

Kit used: Brewers Best American Pale Ale
With this kit and a few other BB kits, my Original gravity (OG) has been too low. It is about .005 lower than the range bottom projected by the kit.

I cool the wart to 70 degrees before moving to the fermenting pale, I add water to a five gallon level, and I spin my hydrometer when putting it into the thief to avoid bubbles. What else could be causing this?

Cheers!

 

[myelo]

The most likely reason is when you add the water to get your final 5 gallon volume, this water is not getting completely mixed into the wort. So you have a top layer of wort that is a little less dense.

Assuming the recipe is correct, if you measure all your volumes correctly, the OG should be really close.

 

[BelligerentOwl]

Thanks! I will be sure to stir more with the next batch and see if that gets me in range.

 

[RM-MN]

Thanks! I will be sure to stir more with the next batch and see if that gets me in range.

Even stirring more may not get you the mixing needed to get the accurate hydrometer reading for the OG. Don't stress about it, the kit contains the correct amount of malt extract to get the predicted OG so just assume that you hit the OG right in the middle of the range specified.

 

[IslandLizard]

If there's a relatively lot of wort left behind in the kettle, with the trub, you may come up short too. 5 points difference is not that much to worry about, though, unless it's a 1.040 or lower beer.

 

[BelligerentOwl]

If there's a relatively lot of wort left behind in the kettle, with the trub, you may come up short too. 5 points difference is not that much to worry about, though, unless it's a 1.040 or lower beer.

I am dumping the wort into the fermenting bucket through a strainer purchased at the local brew supply store. Anything special I need to do there?

 

[Whatsgoodmiley]

Aeration is important. I dump my wort from bucket to bucket about ten times to get a good amount of o2 in there for the yeast to use when multiplying. It increases the risk of contamination through airborne pathogens but I don't think it's much of a risk. I haven't had a detectable infection using this technique. I've never used a strainer before but if you generate a lot of "froth" and bubbles in your wort you should be okay. Best (BUT STILL CHEAP) way is to aerate is to get an aquarium pump

edit: lost the scope of the conversation, sorry. I'm not sure if aeration has any effect on gravity readings.

 

[IslandLizard]

I am dumping the wort into the fermenting bucket through a strainer purchased at the local brew supply store. Anything special I need to do there?

If you're straining there will be very little wort lost, so that can't be the issue then.

What kind of strainer are you using, must be fairly large size so it doesn't clog fast? As long as you can clean and sanitize it, it should work fine. Typically funnels with that little sieve in the bottom clog up in no time.

 

[Erik_Mog]

If you're straining there will be very little wort lost, so that can't be the issue then.

What kind of strainer are you using, must be fairly large size so it doesn't clog fast? As long as you can clean and sanitize it, it should work fine. Typically funnels with that little sieve in the bottom clog up in no time.

I tried the funnel with the strainer in it, and gave up after a few minutes of it clogging up constantly. In the future, I have purchased some 5 gal paint strainer bags. I think I may use one weighted down in the kettle for hops, and then one that has been soaking in StarSan to catch what I can of everything else when transferring to a bucket.

 

[BelligerentOwl]

If you're straining there will be very little wort lost, so that can't be the issue then.

What kind of strainer are you using, must be fairly large size so it doesn't clog fast? As long as you can clean and sanitize it, it should work fine. Typically funnels with that little sieve in the bottom clog up in no time.

The strainer is specifically for brewing, sized to fit the fermenting pail.

 

[IslandLizard]

The strainer is specifically for brewing, sized to fit the fermenting pail.

As long as you can keep the strainer clean and sanitized, they should work well to catch the bulk of the (coarser) hop sludge. But it will still pass the finer dust and some break. Don't let any crud build up in or on it. I guess you could place it in a 250-350°F oven to sterilize it from time to time. Just remove the wooden handle insert before you do.

This is just an illustration, right? You're not using orange homer buckets as fermenters.

 

[BelligerentOwl]

As long as you can keep the strainer clean and sanitized, they should work well to catch the bulk of the (coarser) hop sludge. But it will still pass the finer dust and some break. Don't let any crud build up in or on it. I guess you could place it in a 250-350°F oven to sterilize it from time to time. Just remove the wooden handle insert before you do.

This is just an illustration, right? You're not using orange homer buckets as fermenters.

Just an illustration for size 😉

Keeping it clean hasn't been a problem. Is there an issue with finer dust or break passing through? I'm getting good clarity in the end product. Is it a flavor thing? If so, recommendations?

 

[IslandLizard]

Just an illustration for size 😉

Keeping it clean hasn't been a problem. Is there an issue with finer dust or break passing through? I'm getting good clarity in the end product. Is it a flavor thing? If so, recommendations?

That surely is a big one

Aside from the mesh itself, the crimped rim area is a potential trap that could harbor bugs over time. Sweet wort is a great incubator.

No, trub doesn't seem to have negative impact on the beer, as long as it doesn't sit on it for months. The fine hop dust and break (mostly proteins) will all sink to the bottom. It only makes it more difficult to harvest clean yeast from it. So overbuild your starters and save some out for the next starter (yeast ranching).

I use those very fine mesh hop sacks to contain the hops during the boil, and they get agitated well. A lot of the fine dust even makes it through those.

 

[Whatsgoodmiley]

http://brulosophy.com/2014/06/02/the-great-trub-exbeeriment-results-are-in/

 

[BelligerentOwl]

Good read - thanks!