High gravity readings every time....

[chadm817]

My buddy and I are on our fifth extract kit. All have turned or drinkable that many people we give them to really enjoy them.

To make a long story shirt our SG readings are always high and our FG readings are always high.

The beers always have the right amount of alcohol. (Meaning if it was .05 high on the OG reading it was roughly .05 high in the FG reading.

We've tried dry yeast, we've tried smack packs we even recently did a starter.

The last beer was a midwest brew power pack porter and once again the OG reading was 1.07 instead of the recommended 1.063-1.067. This time we added probably 1/4 of a gallon more water than the normal 5 gallons and the OG reading was still high.......

Is this normal? Are there any recommendations? How can I get this right?

 

[DeBAD]

Are you sure you are fully aerating your pre-pitch batch before you take your test sample? If its not mixed up really well that could maybe throw off the OG?

 

[Quaker]

Have you checked the calibration on your hydrometer?

 

[beergolf]

Quaker is probably right.

It is nearly impossible to miss OG with extract unless your water volumes are waaaaay off.

 

[bajaedition]

what is the temperature of the test sample?

 

[whirlpoolinfool]

The post above probably has your answer on the what temp is the wort when dropping in the hydrometer. Most hydrometers read accurately at 60 degree F.

 

[beergolf]

Temp won't account for a .05 difference. I think the hydrometer is off.

 

[chadm817]

Checked the hydro and everything is right. We keep filling up the wort with 5 gals. Do I need to start with like 5.5-6?

 

[MarcusKillion]

I am going to say you are not stirring in the top off water well enough and reading high . Or you just get a good return on your mash . Any way my FG is always around 1.012 or close no matter what I make with AG but kits were usually much lower.

 

[chadm817]

We always chill a sample of the wort to 60 degrees and then take the reading.

 

[flars]

Checked the hydro and everything is right. We keep filling up the wort with 5 gals. Do I need to start with like 5.5-6?

Are you starting with a five gallon boil and expecting to have five gallons in the fermentor? Most recipes are for five gallons in the fermentor.

 

[MadIslander]

Are you starting with a five gallon boil and expecting to have five gallons in the fermentor? Most recipes are for five gallons in the fermentor.

This was going to be my question.
It sounds like your OG MIGHT be high and then your condensing this at the same rate to get your FG. For a 60 minute boil and you want 5 gallons in the fermenter you will need around 6.5 gal at the start of your boil this should help your FG in a major way.

 

[MadIslander]

My pot has a very high evaporation rate in the cold Maine temps