Need help with hydrometer

[baptistbrewer]

So I have made about 4 partial mash batches and now 2 AG. My hydrometer and gravity readings are off. I never quite hit an OG I'm always low. I.e. 1.045 instead of 1.052. I always hit my mash temps + or - 3 degrees. I've had different places mill my grain. I hit my batch sizes as well.

Now I'm wondering if the problem is my hydrometer. It isn't level. I have to try and balance it so its not hitting the side of the tube. standing upright it leans. Some times it equals out with water and sometimes not. So can a hydrometer be possessed? Jk. Seriously though can a hydrometer make different reading with different gravities?

Ps my beer tastes good, really good. I just want to know my abv and stuff. Thanks!

 

[Pappers_]

Hi Baptist. Your hydrometer is probably not leaning (probably), it is just very sensitive to being on any surface that leans even a little bit, because the tube is narrow - at least that's the case with mine.

Two ideas for your partial mash batches: 1) use more extract or 2) use more grains. If it were me, I'd probably just up the extract a little, an easy way to hit your anticipated original gravity.

 

[cruckin78]

Also, make sure your taking your hydro readings at 60* F.....Higher or lower will effect your reading by a few points.

 

[Mysticmead]

also make sure that when you get a sample for the hydro reading, mix thoroughly. You also need to make sure you are measuring the final volume correctly. If the recipe giving a suggested OG is for 5 gallons and you have 5.5 gallons, the OG will be lower.

 

[baptistbrewer]

Thanks for all the responses. Yea I know you're supposed to take it at 60 but how do you know its 60 and not say...66. I pitch at around 80. Let's say I take my readings at most 70. How much can that be off.

You might be right to say my table isn't level but I have to lean the tube pretty far to get it balanced.

 

[tasq]

Thanks for all the responses. Yea I know you're supposed to take it at 60 but how do you know its 60 and not say...66. I pitch at around 80. Let's say I take my readings at most 70. How much can that be off.

You might be right to say my table isn't level but I have to lean the tube pretty far to get it balanced.

You pitch yeast at 80F? That is way to hot my friend.

 

[Mysticmead]

Thanks for all the responses. Yea I know you're supposed to take it at 60 but how do you know its 60 and not say...66. I pitch at around 80. Let's say I take my readings at most 70. How much can that be off.

You might be right to say my table isn't level but I have to lean the tube pretty far to get it balanced.

its easy to tell the exact temp of the sample... it's called a thermometer. you're pitching high in temp as well. as far as how much it can be off. 70* would put you about 1 point off. Of course if you're not using a thermometer, you don't know if it's 70...or 80...or even 90

 

[baptistbrewer]

Yea. I have a therometer, but even if 10 degrees only changes the reading by a point last night I brewed and my reading was 1.038 and I wanted 1.052. Even if it was 80 how much could it has changed.

 

[Mysticmead]

can you post the recipe? maybe then we can see where you might have gone off. At the very least we'll see if the recipe should have given what you expected.

 

[baptistbrewer]

Yea the recipe was:
9.5 lbs of 2 ROW
10 OZ of 60L

1oz of Perele 60 min
1 oz of cascade 15 min
1oz of cascade flame out

Mashed the grain with 3.5 gallons at 150
Sparged with 5 gallons at 175

Got 6.5 gallons of wort boiled down to about 5 and a quarter.


It was the Austin Home brew recipie for Sierra Nevada. But the grain was not from them.

 

[norsk]

I use several hydrometers to double check when I think that one may be off. For checking the wort I take a small sample and place it in a small stainless steel bowl sitting in a sink with ice water....cools it to 60 in a few minutes and then take the reading.

Making sure that all volumes are correct really helps in the accuracy dept. Good luck.

 

[Mysticmead]

at 72% efficiency that would give you about 1.046 @ 5.75 gallons 1.048 @ 5.5 gallons or 1.050 @ 5.25 gallons. Now, since we don't know if you're crush was fine or course of if there were a large amount of uncracked kernels, it's hard to say if the crush is the problem. If you haven't ordered grain from Brewmasters Warehouse, give them a shot. I know their crush is good and will get you in the 72-75% range

 

[baptistbrewer]

Well either way its fermentating and well have to see if it tastes good.

I'll try that place. Maybe it was the crush. I'll also buy a few hydrometers to double check. And use the ice bath. That's a great idea.

Thanks. I'll let you all know how it goes.

 

[terrapinj]

have you checked it in distilled water at 60°?

 

[samc]

For the record - not all hydrometers are calibrated to 60F. I have one @ 68F and have seen them at several other points as well.

Get a better test jar with a wider opening, that solved the problem for me when the hydro hit the sides. Also tap the hydro gently and observe if the paper scale inside of it is moving. And lastly make sure to fill the jar with enough wort/beer to overflow when you put the hydro in, that keeps the thin neck from contacting the sides of the jar.