Anglecard48
Member
I'm a little confused about when to take OG reading in an extract brew. I do a 2.5 gallon brew and do a full boil — about 3 gallons is in the brewpot at end of boil and about 2.6 gallons after being cooled goes into fermenter.
I know OG is to be taken at the end of the boil. But is it best taken before or after cooling the wort? I have read in some instructions that it can be taken right before or even right after pitching the yeast. I'm a little confused there because if one reads the OG after the wort is cooled, then what could the homebrewer do at that point to correct the wort if the OG is not on target?
Let's say the OG is taken after cooling and right before pitching yeast, assume the wort is in the fermenting vessel and OG is too low. Would homebrewer calculate the amount of malt or sugar and pour it into the fermenter. Or does homebrewer have to make a slurry, boil it, cool it, and then add it to the wort in the fermenter? And then take another reading?
If one takes the OG reading at end of boil but before cooling, wouldn't the brewer be able to, at that point, more conveniently be able adjust the gravity of the wort by addition of more fementables or water?
And what about converting hydrometer or refractometer reading to adjust for the (hot) temperature of wort?
And in reading at end of boil but before cooling, let's say an adjustment is needed to raise or lower the OG reading. Then does the homebrewer need to then reheat the wort to the boiling point after the adjustment and before a subsequent OG reading? Does one keep doing this until one is happy with the OG reading? This could be a never ending process!
And of course there is the issue of adjustments by adding fermentables or more water affects amount of volume (gallons) of the wort. Yikes.
I have a hydrometer and a refractometer. I bought the refractometer because I hate consuming beer in the hydrometer. But I recently found out that I need to keep the hydrometer and use it for FG readings.
Thanks.
I know OG is to be taken at the end of the boil. But is it best taken before or after cooling the wort? I have read in some instructions that it can be taken right before or even right after pitching the yeast. I'm a little confused there because if one reads the OG after the wort is cooled, then what could the homebrewer do at that point to correct the wort if the OG is not on target?
Let's say the OG is taken after cooling and right before pitching yeast, assume the wort is in the fermenting vessel and OG is too low. Would homebrewer calculate the amount of malt or sugar and pour it into the fermenter. Or does homebrewer have to make a slurry, boil it, cool it, and then add it to the wort in the fermenter? And then take another reading?
If one takes the OG reading at end of boil but before cooling, wouldn't the brewer be able to, at that point, more conveniently be able adjust the gravity of the wort by addition of more fementables or water?
And what about converting hydrometer or refractometer reading to adjust for the (hot) temperature of wort?
And in reading at end of boil but before cooling, let's say an adjustment is needed to raise or lower the OG reading. Then does the homebrewer need to then reheat the wort to the boiling point after the adjustment and before a subsequent OG reading? Does one keep doing this until one is happy with the OG reading? This could be a never ending process!
And of course there is the issue of adjustments by adding fermentables or more water affects amount of volume (gallons) of the wort. Yikes.
I have a hydrometer and a refractometer. I bought the refractometer because I hate consuming beer in the hydrometer. But I recently found out that I need to keep the hydrometer and use it for FG readings.
Thanks.