belmontbrew
Well-Known Member
This sounds too ridiculous to be true, but I think I am using my hydrometer incorrectly.
My first batch of beer measured out to about 3.5% ABV. I know that tasting alcohol is difficult and subjective, but pretty much everyone that tried it felt like it was more in the 4-5% range. I think the problem that time was that the FG sample had CO2 in it and falsely raised the gravity reading.
The second batch of beer measured 5.5% ABV. That seemed reasonable, but again, people really felt it after a pint. This was a sweet stout with 4 lbs of blueberries added. This is when I realized that CO2 might be an issue.
Third batch went into primary yesterday. This was basically all-extract, including 3 lbs of honey and 0.5 lbs of honey malt for steeping (it's the Jim Rossi Honey Pale). I measured the OG at 70F and got 1062. The expected OG was 1058. Just for kicks, I put the sample in the fridge overnight to let it settle. This morning, I took it out of the fridge and let it warm back up to 70... And I measured 1070.
So now I know that I am doing something horribly wrong. I just don't know what! Here is the procedure I am following:
1) Take sample into sampling jar (I use the spigot attached to my bucket).
2) Wait a bit to let sample settle out and reach room temperature.
3) Gently drop in hydrometer, spin it around, and let it stop bobbing.
4) Read reading.
Using this method, I seem to consistently underestimate the ABV, and I think that my OG is reading is slightly higher than actual, and that my FG reading is even more higher than actual.
Uhh... help?
My first batch of beer measured out to about 3.5% ABV. I know that tasting alcohol is difficult and subjective, but pretty much everyone that tried it felt like it was more in the 4-5% range. I think the problem that time was that the FG sample had CO2 in it and falsely raised the gravity reading.
The second batch of beer measured 5.5% ABV. That seemed reasonable, but again, people really felt it after a pint. This was a sweet stout with 4 lbs of blueberries added. This is when I realized that CO2 might be an issue.
Third batch went into primary yesterday. This was basically all-extract, including 3 lbs of honey and 0.5 lbs of honey malt for steeping (it's the Jim Rossi Honey Pale). I measured the OG at 70F and got 1062. The expected OG was 1058. Just for kicks, I put the sample in the fridge overnight to let it settle. This morning, I took it out of the fridge and let it warm back up to 70... And I measured 1070.
So now I know that I am doing something horribly wrong. I just don't know what! Here is the procedure I am following:
1) Take sample into sampling jar (I use the spigot attached to my bucket).
2) Wait a bit to let sample settle out and reach room temperature.
3) Gently drop in hydrometer, spin it around, and let it stop bobbing.
4) Read reading.
Using this method, I seem to consistently underestimate the ABV, and I think that my OG is reading is slightly higher than actual, and that my FG reading is even more higher than actual.
Uhh... help?
