Too much sugar!? Help !

[budbrewson]

Hello Brew Community.

I'm a noob to brewing. I've jumped head first into all grain. Ive done a few batches and loving it!
I do have a question though.

I have been hitting my preboil gravity ok, never over but pretty close too, but the final runnings always seem to be high. How come? Why is that sugar not increasing my preboil why is there a lot left behind?

thanx!

 

[seatazzz]

Ok I'm a bit confused. What are the numbers you are aiming for, and what are you getting? What is your preboil volume, and what is your final volume (going into the fermenter)? Are you compensating for temperature when taking your hydrometer readings? Give us an example of a recipe you have used, with your numbers and process?

For context, your starting gravity (gravity of your wort going into your fermenter before you add your yeast and start the fermentation process) should always be higher than your preboil gravity. Boiling the wort will boil off water that will increase your gravity (amount of sugar) in your wort. Let us know what you've been getting with your current process.

 

[Nokie]

+1 to everything sear said.
What you're dealing with now is your bre who efficientcy now. And to help you out with that we'll have to know what your recipe is and what your AG set up and process is. It's no big deal if you're not right on with all your numbers your first few batches. It could be caused by a lot of things.
But once you get it narrowed down you can adjust your recipe and process a little to get to your numbers

 

[william_shakes_beer]

Once you toss the grains and fire the kettle, nothing you do in the "normal" brewing process is going to increase or decrease sugar. Only water changes. In my system, I loose 1 gallon of water per hour. If my preboil volume is 6 gallons at 1.055 and I boil off 1 gallon, my post boil gravity will be:

(55*6)/5=1.066

Beer Math!!!

 

[kh54s10]

Preboil gravity is on, but OG is high. Most likely answer is that you are boiling off too much water compared to the recipe. If you were supposed to end up with 5 gallons and only had 4.5 your OG will be higher.

 

[TungstenBeer]

I don't think he's asking about pre-boil gravity versus gravity going into the fermenter.

I think he's asking about pre-boil gravity vs. the final runnings' reading while fly sparging. For example, when I fly sparge, my initial runnings might be something like 1.090. My typical final runnings at the end might be something like 1.005. Perhaps the OP is seeing his final runnings measure somewhere around 1.020 or something.

Am I understanding your question right, bud?

If I am, then ironically - and somewhat coincidentally - I think the answer is still related to boil-off, only this would be the opposite of the other answers (you aren't boiling off enough). In theory you could use less grain, but sparge longer and get more sugars - and more liquid volume - and then boil-off more, and be in the same place for OG as you are now.

 

[xpops]

Ok I'm a bit confused. What are the numbers you are aiming for, and what are you getting? What is your preboil volume, and what is your final volume (going into the fermenter)? Are you compensating for temperature when taking your hydrometer readings? Give us an example of a recipe you have used, with your numbers and process?

For context, your starting gravity (gravity of your wort going into your fermenter before you add your yeast and start the fermentation process) should always be higher than your preboil gravity. Boiling the wort will boil off water that will increase your gravity (amount of sugar) in your wort. Let us know what you've been getting with your current process.

yup - knowing some numbers would help for sure!

 

[budbrewson]

Ok. I apologize for all the confusion.
Tung is on the case.
Ok soooo
On a brew day I'm meeting all the numbers.
My preboil gravity matches what BS states. My preboil Volume matches what BS tells me it should. I hit my evap rate which means my post boil volume and post boil gravity are all the same as what BS is telling me.

My issue is that the final runnings are alway HIGH like 1030.

 

[xpops]

final runnings, as in you're taking measurements during lautering?

maybe you're hitting a higher efficiency than anticipated?

Either you keep lautering until you see runnings of 1.010 (im assuming based on literature this is the final runnigs number you have in mind?), but then your Preboil volumes will be way high and you'll have to boil longer.

or you leave sugars behind (as you're experiencing) but you hit your preboil volume and can boil a regular 60 mins.

Eitherway you look at it, it seems like you're hitting higher efficiency than you expected.

 

[kh54s10]

It does sound like the estimated BH efficiency in the software or recipe is being set way to low for what the actual efficiency is. This adds grain to the recipe to compensate when it is not needed. Lower the anticipated gravity, you will use less grain, then your final runnings should be closer.

You are talking about the runnings at the end of the fly sparge and not at the beginning aren't you. 1.030 sounds close for the number you should see at the start.

 

[coloneltc]

Are you using a pump? I noticed that when I take my final runnings sample when sparge is 98% complete and running clear, my gravity is around 1.010. But if I let it go further, it will start to pull some cloudier wort right at the end, that reads closer to 1.020's.

 

[xpops]

I think you want to RAISE anticipated gravity, thus lowering amount of grain required.