Maybe a stupid question...

[CTBORN]

I'm only seven batches into the beginning of my brewing life and I tried putting together an American Pale Ale yesterday. I used the following:

2.71 lbs. of American 2-row
2.74 lbs of American 6-row
0.35 lbs. of American 60L

4 lbs. Pale Liquid - Alexander's

0.6 oz. Magnum (at 60 min.)
0.5 oz. Perle (at 15 min.)
1.0 oz. Cascade (at 1 min.)

Projected OG was 1.054 and mine was 1.038...what could I have screwed up? I think I followed instructions to the T.

Any thoughts?

 

[IffyG]

How did you utilize the 2-row and 6-row (why the mix?)? Did you just steep it like specialty grain or mash it? My guess is you either didn't mash it, or did a poor job mashing.

 

[Fid]

How did you utilize the 2-row and 6-row (why the mix?)? Did you just steep it like specialty grain or mash it? My guess is you either didn't mash it, or did a poor job mashing.

I'd have to agree. IF you mashed it you got something like 30% efficiency which is so poor that it would be pretty tough to accomplish I feel. Let us know some more about your process and we'll try to sort it out.

 

[CTBORN]

I steeped it in 2.5 gallons at 155 degrees for 20 minutes. With the exception to the last batch prior to this one, where I steeped the grains in 1.5 gallons at 155 for 20 minutes and then poured a 170 degree gallon over the grains again, I've only steeped the grains in all my prior batches and they all were within the projected OGs.

 

[Yooper]

I steeped it in 2.5 gallons at 155 degrees for 20 minutes. With the exception to the last batch prior to this one, where I steeped the grains in 1.5 gallons at 155 for 20 minutes and then poured a 170 degree gallon over the grains again, I've only steeped the grains in all my prior batches and they all were within the projected OGs.

Maybe you didn't get conversion in only 20 minutes. Usually, a mash is done for at least 45 minutes, most often an hour. Twenty minutes would be a terribly fast amount of time to ensure complete conversion. If you're not testing with iodine for starch conversion, I'd suggest mashing for at least an hour.