Low OG :(

So I brewed a batch last night "Cinco De Mayo" Brew My og should have been 1.045 - 1.052. It turned out to be 1.022

3.5 Ib LME
1 Ib DME
1/2 oz hops last 3 mins of boil

the reading was taken after the boil, wort was put in 5gal & water added also.

The kicker is I had already cooked the wort by time I remembered I broke my thermometer after the last batch :smack: so temperature was unknown Id say in the range of 70F - 80F


Maybe next brew I'll try no to so much before I cook LoL, do you think I didn't have it mixed well & had a watered down reading. I try to stay out of my beer to reduce risk of contamination but do you think i should check it today?

Any advice from the veteran brewers? The batch is fermenting normal.

If you want folks to respond, you need to supply more details. Was this a kit? What was the yeast? Brewing procedures?

Just seeing the amount of base malts you added for 5 gallons, I can see why the OG was 1.022.

Based on your extract additions, your OG should be 1.033 in 5 gallons.
You would need >7 gallons to dilute it down to 1.022. You probably didn't mix the top off water well causing an inaccurate hydrometer reading.

To hit 1.050 you would need about 6 lb LME + 1 lb DME

Assuming the 1.033 OG and good attenuation this batch should be about 3% ABV.

Sorry I'm a complete noob. This is my 4th batch that's basicly american light 20 min boil kit but I went to brew store to get the ingredients seperate this time. One batch was 1.045 and I had another at 1.055 from identical kit. The yeast is different from the kit its sae05 american ale I think. I cooked the wort for 30 mins after 3.5 galons of water was boiling took it off heat added the lme & dme put on for 30 mins added whirfloc tablets after 15 mins and tossed in pellet hops last 3 mins.

If you're using the same amount of extract and the final volume is the same for each batch, the OG will be the same. Any variance is just mixing error or temperature differences.