Should I correct for OG?

cayslayer · Sep 2, 2014

Hello!

Wicked newbie here...

Last night we brewed a partial-mash pecan stout, with a recipe that I completely made up based on not a whole lot in the way of actual knowledge.
I put the recipe into Beersmith and it gave me an OG of 1.047

We got an OG of 1.041 (temp corrected), and then pitched the yeast, because I was exhausted. I am sure that the reason the OG is low is because of my terrible sparging, which I will aim to correct in the future.

Okay so my question is:
Is it too late to correct for OG, since we've already pitched yeast? It's not bubbling yet, though I realize that doesn't mean that it's not fermenting. From what I've read, to get it up to what it should be, I could make a micro-wort with about 1lb of DME and the existing wort to raise it.
is the .006 going to make a noticeable difference? If so, I'd like to do whatever I can. Thanks!

Homercidal · Sep 2, 2014

It's not too late. The question is, what do you plan to add?

Plain Sugar is easy. You can also make a candi sugar solution.

Or extract, boiled for sanitation.

If it were me, I'd just add a bit of plain sugar right to it.

OR, not worry about it at all and just let it go. It will still be beer. The question is, what happened to get such a low gravity? It's important to know so you can plan future batches with a more accurate calculation.

cayslayer · Sep 2, 2014

If sugar is okay, then that is totally what I'll use..
How much would I need to raise a 5 gal batch from 1.041 to 1.047?
And what method should I use to add it?

Thanks!!

Homercidal · Sep 2, 2014

You would need to know the volume of beer, or very close to it, to estimate the amount needed to raise it. There are several online calculators available that will give you a precise amount of extract, sugar, etc. you need to add.

stpug · Sep 2, 2014

Sugar, table sugar, dextrose, belgian candi/y sugar will all gain you the wanted gravity points. However, you must keep in mind that they are fully fermentable (or nearly so) and will lead to a thinner end product and higher ABV than you may be shooting for. For an IPA, IIPA, belgian ale, saison and many other styles, I might think this route is fine, but for a stout I don't think this is the best route. You want full body, not thin body.

I would personally opt to leave it as-is, but if you're inclined to adjust it then go the boiled extract route (make a rich wort with little water and a very short boil; 5 minutes max; cool and add to fermenting beer).

0.75 lb DME should get you close to 7 gravity points in 5 gallons
1.00 lb DME should get you a tad more than 9 gravity points in 5 gallons