OG way off

[dejotra]

I just brewed a red ale and according to the paper i should be at a 1.058 OG and my reading with my refractometer was a 1.022. what happened?

 

[Nuggethead]

Did you check calibration on the refractometer with distilled water.
If your final volume is correct for that recipe or kit then the refract would be suspect.

 

[dejotra]

yeah i made sure it was calibrated. i believe it could just be that it wasnt mixed completely. had to add some water on top to bring it up to the 5 gallon mark.

 

[Nuggethead]

If the LME isn't mixed thoroughly, the heavier sugars stay at the bottom. If you sample from the top you get low readings. You would definitely see a big swing if you didn't stir in the top off water.

 

[max384]

What type of brew was this? All grain? Extract? BIAB?

If it's an extract brew, I'd think it's probably because it wasn't properly stirred or your refractometer wasn't calibrated properly. Do you also have a hydrometer? You'll need one to check FG. A refractometer doesn't work for that.