Extract brew OG anomaly

[novaraz]

Hello everyone,
I'm relatively new to the homebrewing world, with about 7 brews of varying quality completed. I got all the basics, and my last (a homemade recipe extract Pale Ale) came out superb. Last night I brewed an extract kit that some buddies recommended,
1# 40L Crystal
0.5# US 2-row
4.5# Pale LME
1.5# "Adjunct" (a clear syrup)
1oz Cascade @60min
1oz Fuggles @15min
SaleAle S-04
4oz lemon juice @bottling
(weights are approximate, LHBS sells by quart, 1qt ~ 3lb)
It's a refreshing summer brew, and I've enjoyed it when they made it in the past. The brew went fine, but my OG is way lower than expected at 1.035. The wort tasted pretty thin, like a weak sweet tea. The recipe was from the LHBS and didn't list OG, FG, or ABV, so I don't have much to go on, but my buddy's beer was definitely not 3% where this will end up. So what went wrong? Was the "adjunct" under potential or is my hydrometer wrong? Should I try anything to "fix" it, or just call it a light brew? I finished late last night, so I pitched the yeast when the wort was ~66F. It was bubbling this morning...

 

[thasnazzle]

Are you doing full wort boils? Sounds like you may have just not stirred in the top off water well enough before drawing a sample.

 

[novaraz]

Are you doing full wort boils? Sounds like you may have just not stirred in the top off water well enough before drawing a sample.

Ah, that definitely could be it. I added ~2 gallons of cold water to ~3 gal of wort at 75F. I typically don't stir the fermentor and my other measures where in line with expected values. That won't hurt the fermentation right? I assume the yeasties will eat their way through a malt gradient.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Ah, that definitely could be it. I added ~2 gallons of cold water to ~3 gal of wort at 75F. I typically don't stir the fermentor and my other measures where in line with expected values. That won't hurt the fermentation right? I assume the yeasties will eat their way through a malt gradient.

There ya go... it's near impossible to properly mix it all the way in. If you used all the extract and topped up to the correct volume, you hit your OG even if your sample was thin.

 

[PA49erFan21]

You are only using 4.5 pounds of LME? That's a bit light. Sounds as though the OG would be right around where you got your result. Typically, I've been using anywhere from 7lbs to 11 lbs of LME. 7lbs puts me around 1.050.

 

[kh54s10]

What you have defense on what the adjunct is.

Without the adjunct, Hopville.com comes up with 1.036. If the adjunct added gravity, solution mix is probably the problem.

 

[novaraz]

What you have defense on what the adjunct is.

Without the adjunct, Hopville.com comes up with 1.036. If the adjunct added gravity, solution mix is probably the problem.

The adjunct definitely adds gravity; it's sweet, probably an invert sugar syrup. I'll ask next time I'm at the shop, for curiosity's sake. The more I think about it, the more it's probably poor mixing. One jug of spring water partial froze, so bits of ice where probably melting near the top where I drew the sample. I like this answer too because it means I didn't screw anything up!

 

[codycodycody]

You are probably fine. I did the same thing with my last brew. Was supposed to come out at 1.046, only showed 1.025. I do partial boils. Hard to get an accurate reading. It came out great anyway.