OG readings are off

[Brewfill]

i constantly am getting a OG reading lower than I should. If it should be 1.054 i get 1.045...if its supposed to be 1.04 i get 1.03??? why is that? what am i missing? i am brewing by recipe kits so everything is already portioned out for me. how could i be getting this wrong?

 

[mistermateo]

Could be that you ended up with more than the traditional 5 gallons of wort or that you are taken hydrometer readings at a higher temp than it is calibrated for. With my hydrometer a wort that is 100 F is going to read about .01 lower than a 68 F wort

 

[lamdachiguy]

Have you calibrated your hydrometer? If not, it could be off.

 

[wailingguitar]

Are you doing partial boils? Getting weird OG readings is pretty common since it is hard to be certain of a perfect mix when doing partials

 

[Brewfill]

Calibrated my hydrometer? How do I do that??

 

[geer537]

Do you top off with water?

If so it could be that the top off water is not fully mixing with the wort. It happens a lot in extract brews.

Check you hydrometer in plain water at 68 F. It should read 1.000. If it's higher or lower, make a mental note and add or subtract that to your readings. I have a hydrometer that is 1.002 off. It's the only one that has not broke yet.

 

[unionrdr]

It's most likely the wort & top off water aren't getting mixed well. I pour all through a fine mesh strainer to aerate it well,but I think it helps mixing a little. I then stir roughly for 5 minutes straight to aid mixing & aerate further. I get 3-5 inches of foam,& better readings with this method.

 

[El_Exorcisto]

Are you all grain brewing or extract? If you are brewing all grain just adjust your brewhouse efficiency to accommodate and adjust next time.

 

[Brewfill]

That might be it. I am topping the water off and bringing it to 5 gallons before I test the OG. I'm guessing that's what is making it lower....next batch I will check hydrometer before topping it off. Should I aerate before topi g off to 5g? I usually put wort in fermenter, add water to get to 5 gallons and then aerate for about 5 min. Then I check the hydrometer and pitch the yeast. Am I backwards somewhere?

 

[unionrdr]

You should pour in the chilled wort roughly,dito with top off water to final volume. Then stir roughly for 5 minutes straight to mix the wort/top off water. I aerate with a fine mesh strainer while adding them,then stiring. Then take your hydrometer reading.

 

[Brewfill]

Ok thanks. I haven't tried using the strainer when pouring so I'll do that to help aerate. I appreciate the help. I have an IPA I plan on brewing this weekend and I'll update on the results...