OG way too high??

[brewerdad]

OK, fifth batch in the fermenter, a Chocolate Porter from the LHBS. According to their writeup, the OG on this should be 1.050-1.052. Just took my sample before pitching and set it aside. Moved the carboy into its home for the next couple of weeks, added the blowoff, then checked the reading on my sample. It's 1.068!

So, should I add more water, or just relax? I've been off a bit before, but usually low, and not nearly that much.

Any ideas would be super.

BTW, this is my first dark beer batch, and the color is really wonderful, like liquid chocolate.


Here's the scoop:
Chocoholic Porter
6 lb Pilsen Light DME
2 lb 60 L crystal
.5 lb chocolate malt
.5 lb caramel pils
.5 debitterized black barley
.9 oz Perle hops, 60 min
24 tbs cocoa powder, 10 min
Wyeast 1728 Scottish Activator

 

[rod]

i have found with my chocolate porters and stouts that the cocoa powder "thickens" the liquid and skews the reading even though it is not fermentable.
also make sure your sample was well mixed.

 

[brewerdad]

That makes sense (and me feel better). I was really looking forward to this batch, and freaked out a bit when I took the reading.

Also, the stratification after a couple of hours had a bottom layer that looked like it was nearly a third of the whole batch, so I started thinking that even if it turned out OK my total yield would be smallish. This morning, though, that layer has compacted down to more normal levels and looks fine to me. And another good sign, I have heard the blowoff burping a few times, so the yeast is starting to kick in. I expect that by this afternoon it'll be chugging along properly.

BTW, when I took my reading I had just finished rocking the h*ll out of the carboy to get things aerated, so I'm pretty confident the wort was well mixed. There was a fair amount of foam at the surface, and very even coloration through out the volume. Pitched at around 68 degrees, and the fermometer reads the same now.

Would you recommend going to a secondary with this, or just keeping it in the primary for the duration?

 

[malkore]

since its a stout, you don't really need a separate secondary. I'd give it 2 weeks in primary AFTER terminal gravity has been reached. That'll get excess yeast out of the beer, so you get less sediment in the bottle (i.e. only as much as you'd expect from bottle conditioning).