Og reading

[Gustavo]

Ok so we don't always get the wanted OG reading on the first try. How far off can you be on your OG reading with out jeopardizing taste or too much abv. How low is too low and is it possible to have a higher OG than expected? New brewer

 

[TopherM]

Are you doing extract kits? If you are too high on an extract kit, you just add more water in the top-off step after cooling. If you are too low, you added too much water. The efficiency of extract is already set (i.e., the sugars have already been extracted), so short of messing up the temperatures or not actually getting all of the extract out of the container, it is hard to mess up OG.

A common mistake new brewers will make is trying to ALWAYS top off water up to 5 gallons, when you should actually top off slowly until you reach your OG, then stop, even if it's more or less than the 5 gallon target. Top off to your target OG, not your target volume.

 

[Mpavlik22]

Unless more than 10 points off, I personally dont think your OG will affect taste much. There are those exceptions, but generally it wont. I know several people who never check there OG or FG; they just brew, and honestly it turns out very well.

If you get higher OG than expected, then you are achieving more efficient extraction of sugars from the grains (better efficiency assuming your all grain). Im not sure where ou got your OG target number, but generally they are using 70% efficiency.

 

[hopsalot]

what was your OG?

 

[Gustavo]

Was suppose to be 1.040
Turned ou t 1.038. I might hav miss read it but I also didnt take into consideration the temp. Honestly I just forgot to check

 

[NigeltheBold]

Was suppose to be 1.040
Turned ou t 1.038. I might hav miss read it but I also didnt take into consideration the temp. Honestly I just forgot to check

Depending on what the temperature was, you shouldn't have much to worry about. You only missed the target OG by .002, which isn't a big deal in my opinion. I doubt you'll taste much of a difference in the final product... unless you are extremely picky.

 

[AdvGroo]

A common mistake new brewers will make is trying to ALWAYS top off water up to 5 gallons, when you should actually top off slowly until you reach your OG, then stop, even if it's more or less than the 5 gallon target. Top off to your target OG, not your target volume.

I think I am going to take this advice, as it seems that some of my beers and I mean all of them so far have tasted watered down. I have so far followed the instruction to fill to the 5 gallon mark, or just above. I think I am going to change my procedure to cool the wort in the pot till under 80 deg. add water to the pot with the hydrometer in the pot floating to get near my expected OG. Then transfer to Carboy and Aerate ect.

I boil so far with the lid of the pot off. so I have had so far to add at least 1-1.5 gallons of water to hit my 5 gallon mark. I will see how it goes with this change in procedure. thanks.

 

[Gustavo]

well went back to check my records and it show i had 1.028 apose to 1.040 damn thats like a 12point diff.I could have read it wrong? i just did a grav. reading ..it is at 1.006..tasted the wart and it was very water down tast. not as full body as i expected.. IDK what i did wrong but i will sure learn from it

 

[ajf]

Can you post the recipe? We can help you if we know what you are talking about, but can't help with no information.
Did you add top off water? Unless this is mixed in really well with the wort, you will get an inaccurate gravity reading. If you take the gravity reading from the top after adding top off water, it will be very low because a large proportion of the sample will be just top off water.
Have you calibrated your hydrometer? It isn't unusual for them to be a few points off.
If you tasted your sample from the fermenter, it probably won't taste at all good. It needs time to carbonate and condition before it tastes like beer.

-a.

 

[Gustavo]

7lbs 2 row rhs
.75 honey malt
.25 biscuit malt
All grain. mash 60 min. 150. Sparge 170 10 min

I did check hydo for accuracy, 1.000 in water correct?

 

[Gustavo]

Well my burner busted just before the brew. So I had to divid wort into two 5gl kettle. Added half hopes to both. Boiled for 60. Cooled and added worts in bucket. Took grave. Reading from top

 

[hopsalot]

.002? Forget about it, keep brewing

 

[ajf]

At 70% efficiency, you should have got an OG of about 1.040
If you really got a gravity of 1.028, that would be about 50% efficiency.
As it's an AG batch, I doubt that you added top off water, but if you did a split boil, it is quite possible that the gravity of one batch was lower than the other. If that is the case, then the low gravity could be explained by adding the lower gravity wort second, and taking the gravity sample before it was thoroughly mixed.
Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to verify if this is the case or not.

-a.