OG reading not correct?

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johnnyt471

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I got around 1.060 when taking the OG of my Double IPA, which should have been around 1.070-1.074. I used a midwest supplies kit. Could this just be me getting too much water in the sample?
 
It's a pretty common issue for ANYONE topping off with water in the fermenter (and that includes partial mashes, extract or all grain revcipes) 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.

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"

If your target volume was correct, then it will be fine.

More than likely your true OG is really what it's supposed to be. And it will mix itself fine during fermentation.
 
I guess first things first, you measured it post boil and after you mixed the wort well? Was the temp of the sample around 60F?
 
no, i didn't really mix it...i just poured the water in from high up, which gave off a nice froth so i figured it was aerated enough

so i guess it was obviously just too much water in the sample. ok, everything's good.

i already pitched the yeast last night after that. should i try to mix it now? or will it not affect fermentation?
 
no, i didn't really mix it...i just poured the water in from high up, which gave off a nice froth so i figured it was aerated enough

so i guess it was obviously just too much water in the sample. ok, everything's good.

i already pitched the yeast last night after that. should i try to mix it now? or will it not affect fermentation?

It won't affect fermentation at all, so don't worry. Just write down your OG as the kit gave it, assuming that you are at exactly 5 gallons. It's really hard to get a good OG sample without thorough mixing.
 
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