So I did mu first brew ever yesterday. I decided to jump into AG right off the bat. I did a Stone levitation clone. Everything went smooth. Wort looked and smelled great! Even tasted good (gravity read)! The recipe says the OG shod of been 1.048 but my actual reading was 1.056. I made sure to take the reading atthe correct tempurature. My questions are is 1: is it okay for the OG to be that much higher? 2: what causes the OG to be higher in AG?
First brew concern
- Thread starter zero_gabe
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MonsterBrew
Well-Known Member
The difference in gravity is fine, it sounds like you had a pretty successful brew. There are many things that can affect the OG, especially with all grain. First off is the efficiency used in calculations for the recipe. If you had higher efficiency than you would have a higher OG. Additionally things like water added, and mash temperature all easily affect the OG. In the long run, 1.056 is not far off from what you were shooting ror and should still be pretty spot on for what you were looking for. Cheers!
BryceL
Well-Known Member
Sure it will be okay. It might throw of the balance a bit in regards to the bitterness. With a higher than expected OG, it will probably be a little less bitter than intended. The main factor is probably the mash efficiency or volume issues. Does the recipe state what efficiency it is using? This is something you will need to dial in over several batches. It will change for every brewer based on equipment and process.
Every all grain system is different. I would suggest that use some kind of brewing software, like Beersmith, to keep track of your brew days. You can make changes and set the software to your exact conditions. This will allow you to know how a particular recipe is going to work out on your system. It is also great for determining what temperatures you need to hit and what water volumes you will need.
Hmm okay. So i will definately look into Beersmith. I think i may have the definition of efficiency confused because if im getting a higher efficiency that what the recipe calls for i thought that was a good thing. Also if the OG is higher does that mean a possibly higher alcohol beer? So higher OG can be from primarily mash temp?
Higher efficiency will give you an increased OG, but that's not the only thing. So will a batch size smaller than the recipe called for, so if the recipe calls for a 5.5g batch, and you make 5g, you will get ~10% higher gravity.
Another thing that is very likely to give you a small error is an inaccurate hydrometer. Test it in some water at the calibration temperature. It should read 1.000. If it reads 0.996, just add 0.004 to all readings. If it reads 1.002, just subtract 0.002 from all readings.
A higher mash temperature should not increase the OG, but will probably increase the FG.
I wouldn't necessarily say that higher efficiency is always good. I can increase my efficiency with low gravity ales by over-sparging, but the beer suffers as a consequence. Predictable efficiency is very good. If you know you always get 80%, you can adjust the grain bills and save a few cents on each brew.
-a.
Another thing that is very likely to give you a small error is an inaccurate hydrometer. Test it in some water at the calibration temperature. It should read 1.000. If it reads 0.996, just add 0.004 to all readings. If it reads 1.002, just subtract 0.002 from all readings.
A higher mash temperature should not increase the OG, but will probably increase the FG.
I wouldn't necessarily say that higher efficiency is always good. I can increase my efficiency with low gravity ales by over-sparging, but the beer suffers as a consequence. Predictable efficiency is very good. If you know you always get 80%, you can adjust the grain bills and save a few cents on each brew.
-a.
ajf said:
I will make sure to calibrate my hydrometer. I did come up on the low side after doing my boil so that might of been it. So if i come up with a smaller batch with a higher gravity would it be recommended to add water?
That depends on how low the volume is and how high the gravity is.
Assuming your hydrometer is accurate, your OG is about 17% higher than the recipe suggested, but an OG of 1.056 is still within the recommended range for an American Amber Ale.
If the OG was so high that it is well outside the range for the style (see http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.php for definitions of the standard styles) then I would be inclined to add some water. In this case, you are within range, and I would leave it alone.
-a.
Assuming your hydrometer is accurate, your OG is about 17% higher than the recipe suggested, but an OG of 1.056 is still within the recommended range for an American Amber Ale.
If the OG was so high that it is well outside the range for the style (see http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.php for definitions of the standard styles) then I would be inclined to add some water. In this case, you are within range, and I would leave it alone.
-a.
Congrats, it sounds like you had good efficiency. Let us know how the beer turns out.
