Specific Gravity

[Hose]

Lately I have started straining the Brown Porter wort as it is poured from my boil pot to the primary. The strainer has a fine stainless mesh to it. When the SG is checked after the strain it is falling short of the extract recipe SG number. Do you think that too much of the "heavier" wort is being removed by the strainer causing the lower SG? Thanks.

 

[tjpfeister]

Nope. SG is measuring that which is dissolved in solution. Anything being strained out would not influence your reading.

 

[crash1292]

no its more likely you have too much water,or your testing at the wrong temperature.
or maybe your hydrometer is off,check it in plain water it should read 1.00

 

[unionrdr]

The most common cause of a low reading is not getting the chilled wort & top off water thoroughly mixed together. I pour both through a fine mesh strainer perched on top of the FV to strain & aerate it all. Then stir roughly with my plastic paddle for 5 minutes straight. This seems to get it mixed quite well,& gives more accurate readings. What you're testing basically is the amount of sugars in solution from the malts,etc. Then as it ferments & converts to alcohol,the number goes down on the hydrometer since alcohol is lighter than the dissolved sugars.

 

[Hose]

Thanks everyone. So far, I have not throughly mixed the wort and top off water but will in the future!