Missed OG - can I boil it to raise it?

[pdog44450]

I have never missed my OG on an all-grain brew by more than a few points, but I missed one tonight on an IPA. Beersmith estimated at 72 but I measured a 60 (12 points!!!) I boiled too much off so I added top up water to get to the right and didn't imagine it to lower the OG so much. Can I throw the wort back in the pot and boil off the top up water without any adverse affects? I've made a yeast starter but haven't pitched yet.

If anything I could take a little wort and boil it down extremely concentrated since I have no more ice to do an icebath, I'd just throw the concentrated wort into the fermentor to cool it.

 

[Aonghus]

I have never missed my OG on an all-grain brew by more than a few points, but I missed one tonight on an IPA. Beersmith estimated at 72 but I measured a 60 (12 points!!!) I boiled too much off so I added top up water to get to the right and didn't imagine it to lower the OG so much. Can I throw the wort back in the pot and boil off the top up water without any adverse affects? I've made a yeast starter but haven't pitched yet.

If anything I could take a little wort and boil it down extremely concentrated since I have no more ice to do an icebath, I'd just throw the concentrated wort into the fermentor to cool it.

I believe boiling it down again could darken your wort. You might take a gallon of wort and toss in a Lb and half of sugar or honey, bring it to a boil and cool it in just a water bath and re-add it to the main wort. Assuming you have a 5 gallon batch that should get you your 12 points back. Or, you could just pitch on the 1.06 wort and still have a strong beer of around 6.5 percent, assuming attenuation down to 1.01.

 

[pdog44450]

I believe boiling it down again could darken your wort. You might take a gallon of wort and toss in a Lb and half of sugar or honey, bring it to a boil and cool it in just a water bath and re-add it to the main wort. Assuming you have a 5 gallon batch that should get you your 12 points back. Or, you could just pitch on the 1.06 wort and still have a strong beer of around 6.5 percent, assuming attenuation down to 1.01.

I'm actually doing a 2.5 gallon batch. I using safale 05 so I shouldn't have a problem getting a low FG.

Beersmith originally estimated a 7.4%, but assuming I get to a 1.010 I would get a 6.6.

Would adding the sugar have a strong affect of the taste, because it seems to me it would?

 

[MrHopScotch]

As long as your sugar amount isn't huge and your fermentation practices are good, it shouldn't have a drastic effect on flavor. Are you certain that the wort was completely stirred after you added the top up water?

 

[pdog44450]

As long as your sugar amount isn't huge and your fermentation practices are good, it shouldn't have a drastic effect on flavor. Are you certain that the wort was completely stirred after you added the top up water?

Yes, I suspected that to be the problem so I shook my fermentor for 5 minutes vigorously and got the same reading

 

[Aonghus]

If you are doing a 2.5 gallon batch then you only need 30 gravity points worth of sugar. Therefore you only need about .65 of a LB to hit your gravity.

 

[pdog44450]

If you are doing a 2.5 gallon batch then you only need 30 gravity points worth of sugar. Therefore you only need about .65 of a LB to hit your gravity.

So I added about 8 cups to a pot, boiled over half of it off while adding about 3/4 cups sugar and the gravity is now at 73. Thanks for the help

 

[dpatrickv]

I have never missed my OG on an all-grain brew by more than a few points, but I missed one tonight on an IPA. Beersmith estimated at 72 but I measured a 60 (12 points!!!) I boiled too much off so I added top up water to get to the right and didn't imagine it to lower the OG so much. Can I throw the wort back in the pot and boil off the top up water without any adverse affects? I've made a yeast starter but haven't pitched yet.

If anything I could take a little wort and boil it down extremely concentrated since I have no more ice to do an icebath, I'd just throw the concentrated wort into the fermentor to cool it.

Personally, who cares? Ive missed my OG a couple of times by a decent margin. I just ferment it and let it ride. Whether it is 8% or 6%, as long as the flavor is there, I couldnt care less about the ABV

 

[LostBoyScout]

Further boiling would ruin your hop schedule, if you had later additions