Specific Gravity questions

[BartJY]

Hi Folks,

Three questions:

1. Adding water lowers specific gravity, in other words causes the hydrometer to float lower, correct?

2. My brew kit wanted an OG of 1.061 to 1.065. It read 1.060. Is the beer ruined.

3. At OG 1.060 the actual amount of brew is a tad less than 4.5 gallons, more like 4.4. Is it normal to not have it closer to the 5 gallons that the kit suggests?

Thanks
Bart

 

[cannman]

What's up bart?

1) correct

2) nah you're fine. Don't even worry about it. If you really want to Rambo the alcohol numbers, just aim to hit a FG one tic lower than what is expected (you really have very little control over this part, but some people play music to the wort, etc... Just make sure you're pitching healthy yeast. The temp of the wort/beer will also affect the Og/FG reading. Do a google search for "hydrometer temp correction calculator"

3) this had to do with your boil off rates and process loss. Normal. Just compensate next time. On a very rudimentary scale you would just go "crap I was .5 gal short, next time I'm going to use .5 more water." And see how close you come to 5 gal. If you use beer smith, you can use it to figure out how much more Grain to add or sugar to add to make up for the dilution. At this point, just rock out the 4.5 gal and don't mess with it.

Cheers!

 

[Sadu]

Hi Bart,

Basically you have a set amount of sugars that you start with from your grains / extract. How much water you add controls how much beer you get and what the gravity will be. Adding more water equals lower gravity and vice versa.

If you are finding that you have a lower gravity than you want AND a lower volume than you want, then there are 2 choices for next time:
- increase the amount of malts or sugars used in the recipe.
- improve your brew process for better efficiency (ie squeeze more sugars out of the same amount of grains). I don't think this applies to extract brews, could be wrong on that.

For this batch though, no big deal. I missed my target gravity on the weekend by a few points and while there's nothing to be done now I know what to do differently next time. Make sure you record everything (gravity readings, recipe, water used, process) so that you can make adjustments next time.

I use Beersmith for calculating what ges in the recipe and have noticed that if I add 1.5 litres more water than Beersmith says, it comes out perfect. That's my observation using my gear, you will be able to do the same if you keep good records of what you add to each brew and the process you used.

 

[PADave]

What kind of kit are you doing, extract or AG?

 

[BartJY]

It's a Brewer's Best India Pale Ale kit. It has extract and powdered malt along with steeping grain.

It' been 19 hours since I pitched the yeast and there is no sign of bubbling. Should I be concerned?

Thanks
Bart

 

[flars]

It's a Brewer's Best India Pale Ale kit. It has extract and powdered malt along with steeping grain.

It' been 19 hours since I pitched the yeast and there is no sign of bubbling. Should I be concerned?

Thanks
Bart

When you brew with a kit containing LME and DME your OG will be as the kit states if you use all the fermentables and have the recipe volume in the fermentor. A difference in OG is just a measurement error. The sample measured just came from part of the wort which was heavier or lighter in sugars. It can be quite difficult to thoroughly mix the boiled wort with the top up water. The yeast will take care of the mixing so this is not a problem. Check the calibration on your hydrometer, or refractometer, if you did a full boil and are short on the volume and the OG is still under the recipe OG. Also check the volume markings on your fermentor.

This is a calculator you can use to estimate OG.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/extract-ogfg/

Your beer isn't ruined though. Your ABV may just be a few tenths of a percent higher with less than the recipe volume in the fermentor.

Are you brewing in a bucket and watching for activity in the airlock? The fermentation may have already started but there isn't enough pressure to push the CO2 through the airlock yet. You can begin to worry at 36 hours if the wort is not to cold for the yeast.

Which yeast did you use and at what temperature was the wort when you pitched?

 

[DrWill]

A difference in OG is just a measurement error.

Most likely the measurement error is coming from stratification of wort as flars suggested, although it's also possible that your volume measurements are off. I certainly wouldn't panic.

I'd you're not building a starter or oxygenating your wort, lag times can be frustratingly long. Even 36 hours might be jumping the gun. I'd be inclined to leave it even longer if you're not getting activity, and always keep a sachet of dried yeast in hand for emergencies.

 

[ncbrewer]

Be sure to keep the beer at a good temperature for the yeast you're using - usually around mid to upper 60's for most ale yeasts. It can go higher after active fermentation is over.

This is a calculator you can use to estimate OG.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/extract-ogfg/

This calculator doesn't seem to allow for varying ppg of the malt extract. LME can vary from 34 to 37 that I know of. I think it would be better just to do it on a calculator, using the actual ppg of your extract.

 

[PADave]

When you brew with a kit containing LME and DME your OG will be as the kit states if you use all the fermentables and have the recipe volume in the fermentor. A difference in OG is just a measurement error. The sample measured just came from part of the wort which was heavier or lighter in sugars. It can be quite difficult to thoroughly mix the boiled wort with the top up water. The yeast will take care of the mixing so this is not a problem. Check the calibration on your hydrometer, or refractometer, if you did a full boil and are short on the volume and the OG is still under the recipe OG. Also check the volume markings on your fermentor.

This is why I asked if it was extract. I kinda had a feeling it was and this was the case.

 

[seabrew8]

It's a Brewer's Best India Pale Ale kit. It has extract and powdered malt along with steeping grain.

It' been 19 hours since I pitched the yeast and there is no sign of bubbling. Should I be concerned?

Thanks
Bart

What do you have the wort in? Personally, i would be worried if its not fermenting after 19hours. Foam is the best indicator.

 

[BartJY]

It started bubbling shortly after 20 hours. 9 hours later, no bubbles........ What has happened?

 

[flars]

Is your fermentor a bucket? If so the CO2 may be pushing out around the rim rather than through the airlock. What is the temperature of the fermenting beer? Which yeast did you use?

 

[cannman]

It started bubbling shortly after 20 hours. 9 hours later, no bubbles........ What has happened?

Prob no starter+hotter than optimal pitch... just sit back and call today day 1

 

[BartJY]

Just followed the directions found in the kit: Cool the wort to 70 degrees, put in plastic bucket, add 70 degree non-chlorinated water, pitch yeast directly into wort. No rehydration. Stir. Done.

This batch is an IPA. The previous batches have been Kolsch. They bubbled furiously. The IPA very little bubbling.

 

[seabrew8]

Well you have to pull out the hydrometer. It might be stuck or its almost done. And again if there's still a lot of foam i would assume you have a air leak somewhere.

 

[jpakstis]

Just followed the directions found in the kit: Cool the wort to 70 degrees, put in plastic bucket, add 70 degree non-chlorinated water, pitch yeast directly into wort. No rehydration. Stir. Done.

This batch is an IPA. The previous batches have been Kolsch. They bubbled furiously. The IPA very little bubbling.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Do you know what kind of yeast it is? I looked up the Brewer's Best IPA kit ingredients online and it only says "1 sachet yeast." Its probably a different type of yeast from your Kolsch kit and as I'm sure its obvious, different yeast react differently.

I've had some batches take a long time to get going and others that have taken off almost immediately so I would wait and see. The "ingredients" you are providing the yeast early on is sugar and oxygen. The amount of sugar (i.e. the extract) is known; the variable is oxygen. There are ways to introduce more oxygen into the wort (i.e. sloshing, stirring, even using tools like oxygenating wands, etc.) but even if you don't do any of those, the yeast will find the oxygen in the water and sometimes that just takes time.

 

[BartJY]

Talk about starting slow. Yesterday I gave the brew a shake, today it's bubbling furiously. Yeah! Somewhere between 48 and 72 hours, it decided to do it's job. Lesson learned: be patient.

Cheers
Bart

 

[prrriiide]

If you want repeatability, brew for gravity, not volume. If your gravity is low, boil it longer until it hits your target. If it's high, add water. Use a refractometer and check your expected pre-boil gravity if you're doing AG. If you're doing extract, then you should be within a point after the boil.