Well, I did *something* wrong, but...

[CanadianQuaffer]

...the pumpkin ale still looks and tastes really good!

This was my first stab at all grain and I used the BIAB method.
OG was roughly 1.047. I say roughly because I forgot to take a gravity reading after chilling the wort and pitching, so I had to go by the gravity readings I was taking during the mash and boil, using an online converter to account for the temperature and 1.047 was what I had with about 20 minutes left in the boil.

FG is...wait for it...1.022, so 3.3% ABV. Which is strange because the ale definitely has a dry finish to it, not malty at all. AND I've got an ever so slight buzz from the amount of beer that I took the final gravity reading from. You can taste a hint of pumpkin and the spices. By all accounts this is a pretty good beer, except for the gravity readings.

Any ideas where I goofed? I'm not complaining, because thankfully this is a very drinkable beer, but ideas from the experts would be appreciated. I've never had a FG over 1.014.

Cheers!

Nick

 

[tchuklobrau]

How were all readings taken? hydrometer? refractometer?

 

[CanadianQuaffer]

Hydrometer.

 

[tchuklobrau]

you mentioned taking a reading during boil. what temp was wort when you took reading?

 

[CanadianQuaffer]

you mentioned taking a reading during boil. what temp was wort when you took reading?

I had to wait for thetemp to get down to 120F as that's the highest temp the online calculator would allow. I forget the actual reading, but the calculator converted it to 1.047 for me based on the actual reading and temp.

 

[tchuklobrau]

If you are happy with the beer no problems. the #'s sound off to me, but hey I have been known to be "off". Do you ever calibrate your hydrometer? I make sure once a month I check it to make sure it is still accurate. sometimes the papers slip and they give poor readings because of that.

 

[terodox]

The thing to keep in mind with a hydrometer is the further from it's calibrated temp you are, the less reliable it is. You very well may have had a 1.060 OG. I would highly recommend a refractometer if you want to do mid-boil or sparge runnings type of gravity measurements.