Very very HIGH OG. Whats wrong?

[ALopez]

Hi, this is my first thread and I am a beginner so, probably I will not explain myself very weel. I will try my best.

It is the first time I brew. I bought a Corona mill to mill my own malt. I am not sure how to use it, but I got a lot of flour, but problem is that if I reduce a little the preasure there are many whole grains. I used 5,5 kg 2row pale ale and 125 gr crystal 120. I used the grainfather to brew. I put 19 L of spring water at 66c for 60 min. Accidentally the filter moved and there where a lot of particles in the water. It was not very clean. I added 14,7 L of sparge water. After boiling for 60 min, i took the original gravity and it was more than 7. It was actually around 8 probably but I cannot ensure because the hydrometer only reads up to 7. The estimated OG of the recipe was 1,054....

What I am doing wrong? Any advice?

Many thanks.

 

[ALopez]

Photo of the OG I took

 

[slym2none]

"more than 7"

7 what?

 

[laredo7mm]

That doesn't look like a typical hydrometer used for home brewing. Where did you get your hydrometer and how was it described?

You need one that goes from 0.990 to something like 1.170.

 

[chickypad]

That is not the correct hydrometer for beer. Might be potential alcohol reading, as for wine?

 

[wysiwyg]

That looks like brix instead of specific gravity. Also, that hydrometer doesn't look like it's for beer since it's off the scale. I'd get a hydrometer that's calibrated for beer. In the meantime, here's a conversion table for brix / specific gravity - http://www.winning-homebrew.com/specific-gravity-to-brix.html

By the looks of it, you might not be far off from your target, maybe a bit lower than the intended 1.054.
Actually, who knows how close you were - that's totally the wrong hydrometer...

 

[kh54s10]

What is the 8? I figured that it might be Brix. If so I put that in a calculator and came up with only 1.032. Are you sure your hydrometer is made for measuring beer. There are others used in labs for measuring other things.

Based on what I see it is unlikely that you got anything very high. Most beginners have trouble getting as high as a recipe states with an all grain brew

 

[kh54s10]

Boy, I type slowly!!! Yes, that is not the correct hydrometer. It doesn't even look like it is Brix. Who knows what you really got? I would say you are close enough to the recipe. If you can get the proper hydrometer before fermentation starts you could take another reading, if not don't sweat it too much. It will be beer.

 

[zippyclown]

Photo of the OG I took

The good news is, that's the wrong tool for calculating gravity

The bad news is, it's the right tool for MEASURING POISON and anything over 7 is POISON!!

No worries though, you can probably get it down to 5 or 6 if you just swirl the fermenter a bit.

Have a night day!

zc

 

[TexasDroughtBrewery]

It looks like he is using one of these.

http://www.coleparmer.com/Product/H...erred_id=778&gclid=CLXbqtGo4s8CFQIRaQodgqEJ2A

no idea how to read it though...

 

[schematix]

That hydrometer looks like my Brix FG hydrometer (0-8.5B).

It's not on the scale though so who knows what the actual measurement is other than "more than 7".

I have recently become an advocate of precision lab grade hydrometers. It takes several of them to cover the entire brewing range but it's super easy to read to 0.1 Brix (less than half an SG point). Your typical $8 do-it-all hydrometer is hard to read better than 2 SG points.

 

[ALopez]

Thanks all for the reply!

This is what I bought. Happy to hear It is the hydrometer.

Many thanks!


http://www.hobbybrauerversand.de/Saccharimeter-Hobby-wort-spindle-0-7/01

 

[kh54s10]

That hydrometer looks like my Brix FG hydrometer (0-8.5B).

It's not on the scale though so who knows what the actual measurement is other than "more than 7".

I have recently become an advocate of precision lab grade hydrometers. It takes several of them to cover the entire brewing range but it's super easy to read to 0.1 Brix (less than half an SG point). Your typical $8 do-it-all hydrometer is hard to read better than 2 SG points.

If you really need to know better than 2 SG points. I could care less if my beer was 1.054, 1.055, 1.056. I could not possibly tell the difference.

I looked at a 3 hydrometer set and decided to save the money.

If that is Brix hydrometer, it is just about useless in brewing beer. It seem to measure 1.000 to 1.028

 

[stella_tigre]

Thanks all for the reply!

This is what I bought. Happy to hear It is the hydrometer.

Many thanks!


http://www.hobbybrauerversand.de/Saccharimeter-Hobby-wort-spindle-0-7/01

Looks like it is measuring ABV
edit eh maybe not, Brix is more likely. 7% abv associates to a little above 1.053 or so, but 13ish brix (assuming going to 1.000/0 brix)

 

[schematix]

If you really need to know better than 2 SG points. I could care less if my beer was 1.054, 1.055, 1.056. I could not possibly tell the difference.

You may not care, but some of us do. I would agree it's not terrible important if you're 1.054, 1.055 or 1.056. However, i would argue that at the lower end of the scale there is a difference between 1.015, 1.016 or 1.017, especially for things like timing transfers or packaging with additional sugars. I do those things so i need to know within a point where i'm at or the process doesn't work out right.

If that is Brix hydrometer, it is just about useless in brewing beer. It seem to measure 1.000 to 1.028

Nope this type of hydrometer is extremely valuable for measuring final gravity... but that's about it. And its very good at that task, especially the one he linked to.

 

[kh54s10]

You may not care, but some of us do. I would agree it's not terrible important if you're 1.054, 1.055 or 1.056. However, i would argue that at the lower end of the scale there is a difference between 1.015, 1.016 or 1.017, especially for things like timing transfers or packaging with additional sugars. I do those things so i need to know within a point where i'm at or the process doesn't work out right.



Nope this type of hydrometer is extremely valuable for measuring final gravity... but that's about it. And its very good at that task, especially the one he linked to.

Well, I never make any transfers until I reach final gravity, so a point or 4 doesn't make any difference in my processes. And, I would suspect you are in a very small minority that measure that closely.

But whatever works.

It still applies that the hydrometer shown has no use in the stage of brewing that it has been used for. Also we still don't really know what it is calibrated for since the site only says 0-7%. 0-7% of what???

 

[schematix]

It still applies that the hydrometer shown has no use in the stage of brewing that it has been used for. Also we still don't really know what it is calibrated for since the site only says 0-7%. 0-7% of what???

It is an FG hydrometer so yes it's been used in the wrong stage, but it is still highly useful for brewing in general. Maybe not for everyone, but for some.

From the context of the website it's being sold on I'd say its either a brix or plato scale. Pretty close but it doesn't matter since it's off the scale anyways.