what can i assume my abv is?

[bobbydigital]

i made a honey brown..
i think i had 1.02 at the begging (i think)
2 weeks later i tranferred to secondary, it is aat 1.01
----------------
what will abv likely be?

 

[Bobby_M]

I doubt you had 1.020 original gravity. I don't know of any beers that start that low. Did you stir well before taking a sample?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Make no assumptions. Take accurate readings, and use this formula:

ABV = (OG-FG) x 131

If your readings were accurate, your beer is 1.31% ABV. I tend to agree with Bobby_M on this one, though. You've barely made beer if the OG was 1.020.

 

[Rick_R]

what can i assume my abv is?

Anything you want.
.
.
.
But if you want to know what it is, you can take readings and see.

Edit: Okay, if you really want to take a shot at estimating the ABV then, if extract, post what went into the original recipe, 'cause it probably wasn't 1.02 to start out. And if the 1.01 is 1.010 (it's normally given to three decimal places), then it's probably doable to get an estimate. Thing is, if the 1.01 is just a 1.005 to 1.015 estimate, then it'll be a wide range even if you knew the original gravity. For example, if you started with a 1.040 OG, the ABV range for a final gravity from 1.005 to 1.015 is 4.6% to 3.3%.

Rick

 

[bobbydigital]

on the stick it looks like "1.1 - 5%" -- its so confusing!!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

on the stick it looks like "1.1 - 5%" -- its so confusing!!

Yeah it is! I have no idea what you're talking about now. Can you elaborate a little?

 

[RICLARK]

What was the recipe? Extract?? Odds are you didn't mix the water with the wort and got a funky reading.

 

[splat]

on the stick it looks like "1.1 - 5%" -- its so confusing!!

If you are just trying to drop your hydrometer in a finished beer to read how much alcohol it has in it it wont work.... You have to measure the Original Gravity when you first make it, then the final gravity, then subtract the final from the original, then multiply that number by 131.... Once you do it once it wont be a big deal to do....And I agree that your beer wasnt 1.020...Thats really low...If you post your recipe, or go to beer tools you can punch it in and it will tell you what your OG(original gravity) should be....And if you are doing extract it should be right on the money or really close... Good luck...

 

[bobbydigital]

I my OG was 1.010 on the hyrometer is says 5%(it looks like 1.1) but i knowits not...............then in my secondary its 1.020

There is around 6.5 pounds of honey extract/dry malt

 

[Yooper]

Well, after you did your boil, you took the sg, right? What was it?

I don't understand what you mean by honey extract/dry malt. If you post the actual recipe, though, we could help you figure it out.

 

[bobbydigital]

yea, the day i brewed after adding water.. it was 1.010
when transferring to seconary (2weeks later) it was 1.020

 

[Yooper]

Well, that's not correct. Fermentation would cause the SG to go DOWN, not up. So, obviously, one or both of the readings are incorrect.

 

[AFAJ Brew Guy]

I have a feeling that this was an extract brew and the wort was not mixed well enough when you put it int primary, therefore giving you the low SG. After fermentation and racking to secondary things have had time to mix and settle out quite a bit.

Then again unless this was a moderately big beer, 1.020 seems a little high for the FG.

I am going with the Beer Goddess on this one, I am thinking some went horribly wrong when you were taking your readings.

 

[bobbydigital]

it was some kit, i dont remeber exactly what it was, it was around 6 to 7 pounds of gold dry extract and honey

sg = start gravity? the first reading i took was after i poured it from the pot into the carboy and added water...

 

[AFAJ Brew Guy]

Well since it was an extract kit your SG (yes starting gravity) should have been higher, especially with that amount of extract. It is darn near impossible to not hit your expected gravity with extract. I am guessing that you just didn't mix the wort and the water well enough whisch is what gave you such a low starting number.

If you can remember or find what kit you used, or have the recipe, and know what kind of yeast you used we could run the numbers and the get you a close estimation of where you are.

Also how long have you had this in the fermenter?
Edit: Just noticed the "two weeks later."

 

[Yooper]

SG = specific gravity. That is what you are measuring with your hydrometer. Since alcohol weighs less then water and sugar, as it ferments, the SG will drop. That's how you know when your beer is finished- by the drop in gravity to the expected sg reading.

OG= original gravity. That would be the reading you should have had when you finished your brewing, before you added yeast. You have to correct your SG readings for temperature, though, so you have to look at a chart if you take the SG at any temp other than 60 degrees. the hydrometers come with a little piece of paper with that info on it, or you can find it online.

I suspect that your OG was very wrong- you may not have mixed up your wort and top off water enough, and didn't correct for temperature. If you know the correct OG, and the correct FG (final gravity), it is easy to calculate your alcohol by volume (ABV%). Without those readings, it would be a guess. No one can tell you without knowing those readings, or at least the recipe so we can sort of make an educated guess.

 

[AFAJ Brew Guy]

So I was little off on my "s"

That and to a great fault of mine in my head I usually lump SG and OG into the same category, technically I know they are different, but like I said it is a fault.

Yooper thanks for straightening me out

 

[bobbydigital]

you would be correct on assuming this.

" I am guessing that you just didn't mix the wort and the water well enough whisch is what gave you such a low starting number."

 

[AFAJ Brew Guy]

OK, well now we are getting somewhere!

Pretty much the only way that we will be able to figure this out now is you have the recipe, or at least the name of the kit and what yeast you used. Then, as Yooper said we can give a best estimate.

 

[Schwind]

I my OG was 1.010 on the hyrometer is says 5%(it looks like 1.1) but i knowits not...............then in my secondary its 1.020

There is around 6.5 pounds of honey extract/dry malt

I apologize if I'm wrong and don't take offense to this but, were you reading the correct side of the hydrometer when you measured your OG. The Balling number could kind of look like 1.1 and its real close to the 5% on the other column. at least on my hydrometer. If thats what happened your OG was around 1.040 and shoudn't be finshed fermenting, if its only at 1.020. If it is finished, measure more than once, then your beer is 1.040- 1.020 x 131= 2.62% ABV.