Topping off fermenter

[MrFancyPlants]

Has any one gotten really low gravity readings after topping of a fermenter with a couple gallons of water? I sure hope the water layered on top.. It does look clearer at the top. 1.024? I was hoping for 1.040 or higher.

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

If everything went according to plan, it's most likely a mixing issue. Give it a really good shake and try again. If you've already got the air lock in give it an hour or two and check again before fermentation gets started.

 

[budbo]

Probably didn't mix well just shake it and try again

 

[MrFancyPlants]

It was all grain if that makes a difference. Here is the kicker: I didn't actually weigh the grain. I sure hope I didn't botch this batch. I was shooting for 10 pounds and found a conversion to 3.6 Gallons of malt, but that seemed like too much.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Looks like I might have to pick up 10 lbs of DME to bring the recipe into line.
What can I use as a stopper to give the carboy a good shake just to make sure.

 

[Subdivisions]

Surely you have a stopper with a hole in it for the airlock. Put that in then sanitize a piece of foil and hold it over the hole.

 

[sablesurfer]

Surely you have a stopper with a hole in it for the airlock. Put that in then sanitize a piece of foil and hold it over the hole.

That or I use plastic wrap around the whole stopper, sanitize and go to town for my aeration. It keeps wort out of the airlock hole.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Sorry I'm a little frantic and panicky about this batch since it is for a friends wedding. After cooling over night in the kegerator/fermentaion chamber the gravity reading was up to 1.030 for the 12 Gallon batch minus trub.. I think that will do ok for my base beer. I have about 4 Gallons on reserve for blending with this beer that is 9% and 40 ibu. I was hoping to be able to have some left over, but I want the wedding beer up in ESB territory, so I think I'll need all of the blending beer and/or some DME.
If we call the new beer 11G @ 3% + 4G @ 9%, that will give me 15G @ 4.6%abv.
Add 5# DME and it would be an even 6%abv.

Time to buy a scale.

 

[chickypad]

On the occasion that I top off an all grain batch (e.g. making 5 gals on my 3 gal system) I always take the gravity post boil but before topping off, then calculate from there. Then I don't have to worry about an error from not having it mixed well enough.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

That is two lessons learned for me:

1. Get a scale. Do you think and electronic scale to 50# would work?

2. Cool to pitching temps over night measure gravity and then top off. I have a chiller but I use that mainly to lock in the hop flavor and to chill to the point where I won't crack a glass carboy.

I suppose refractometer could save some waiting on point 2 but there is so much gear already.

 

[jamina1]

That is two lessons learned for me:

1. Get a scale. Do you think and electronic scale to 50# would work?

2. Cool to pitching temps over night measure gravity and then top off. I have a chiller but I use that mainly to lock in the hop flavor and to chill to the point where I won't crack a glass carboy.

I suppose refractometer could save some waiting on point 2 but there is so much gear already.

You can take a hydrometer reading at a higher temperature, you just have to use a calculator to adjust it. We took a reading once our wort had fallen to about 180 F, and the sample in the hydrometer tube fell another 40~ degrees while we were doing other things.

As long as you know the temp your hydrometer is calibrated at, the temp of your wort, and your gravity you can figure out the ACTUAL gravity.

 

[chickypad]

You can cool just the sample quickly to room temp in a bowl of ice so you can take your temp right away, then you can use cool top off water to help chill.

 

[Subdivisions]

I do this to get my pre-boil gravity quickly since I don't have a refractometer. I think chicky means take the gravity

 

[chickypad]

I do this to get my pre-boil gravity quickly since I don't have a refractometer. I think chicky means take the gravity

Yes, thanks! I think I was only on my first cup o' joe when I typed that this morning.