do i take my OG reading before i add the extra water to bring it up to 5 gal? i was under the assumption that you take the reading after but i want to make sure. got 50 minutes till my boils done. great time for the question. haha
quick OG question
- Thread starter BFitch
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk:
Well, I assume you are doing extract partial boil. In this case your OG will likely be spot on because you know exactly how much malt extract you are putting in and it has a set amount of fermentables. Your OG will be way high before you top up with water and unreliable after topping up as your wort will not be properly mixed in most cases.
When doing extract, you are much better off using a beer calculator like beersmith to calculate OG and then using your hydrometer to check your final gravity to determine when fermentation is finished. It is much more important to check OG when doing all grain brewing as it will tell you your brewhouse efficiency, which you can then use to dial in your recipes to start hitting desired OGs.
When doing extract, you are much better off using a beer calculator like beersmith to calculate OG and then using your hydrometer to check your final gravity to determine when fermentation is finished. It is much more important to check OG when doing all grain brewing as it will tell you your brewhouse efficiency, which you can then use to dial in your recipes to start hitting desired OGs.
Yes, take the OG after you add the top up water. Stir it well but no matter how well the wort wont mix completly and your OG could be off but dont worrie about it. Your yeast will take care of the rest. Good luck on your brew!
