O.G.

[Phil Shields]

I am brewing an American Pale Ale from an extract kit. The kit is supposed to make 5 gallons. I hit my target gravity at about 4 gallons though. Any thoughts on why?

 

[charliethebum]

Either your hydrometer is off or they didn't include as much extract as they should have.what kit, what was included weight wise, what was the target OG?

 

[ike8228]

Or not all the extract was removed from the can/bag. When I use extract if a bag squeeze it out like tooth paste, if a can/container I use a spatula. Was the temperature around 70F? Did you calibrate the hydrometer in water at room temp? Maybe there is more liquid than you think. It’s not the end of the world. I find I hit my desired OGs around 4.75 more times than not.

 

[Phil Shields]

Either your hydrometer is off or they didn't include as much extract as they should have.what kit, what was included weight wise, what was the target OG?

The target was 1.051. 6.6 lbs of lme. And 1 lb of kara red.

 

[Phil Shields]

Or not all the extract was removed from the can/bag. When I use extract if a bag squeeze it out like tooth paste, if a can/container I use a spatula. Was the temperature around 70F? Did you calibrate the hydrometer in water at room temp? Maybe there is more liquid than you think. It’s not the end of the world. I find I hit my desired OGs around 4.75 more times than not.

I will try spatula next time. Lme was in cans that I warmed in hot water.

 

[ike8228]

Ya you would be surprised just how much more you can get out. Even if it was warm. Maybe be enough for a couple points. Tip: scrap the lid too, a lot of times it’s on the can lid.

 

[doug293cz]

I am brewing an American Pale Ale from an extract kit. The kit is supposed to make 5 gallons. I hit my target gravity at about 4 gallons though. Any thoughts on why?

Did you top up volume after the boil? If so, inadequate mixing of top-off water is a common issue that can lead to too low, or too high, OG readings depending on the point the sample was taken.

Brew on

 

[Phil Shields]

I did top it off. Pretty sure it was thou

Ya you would be surprised just how much more you can get out. Even if it was warm. Maybe be enough for a couple points. Tip: scrap the lid too, a lot of times it’s on the can lid.

Ty. I will try that next time!

 

[Calder]

With those ingredients, 1.051 is about right.

Possible issues:
- Fermenter volumes incorrect. It is a good idea to check this anyway.
- Hydrometer not reading correctly. Check with distilled water at calibration temp (should be on the paper with the hydrometer - some are calibrated at different temps)
- You didn't mix in all the ingredients (this has been explained), but you would have had to miss a fifth of it to get your result.
- But he most likely is ...... You didn't fully mix the water and malt. This is a very common problem. From the number of times this has been reported, it seems the malt and water are extremely difficult to mix to get a homogeneous solution. We find if the sample is taken from the top of the fermenter, the reading can be low, and if taken from a spout at the bottom, it can be high.
- I'm sure there are other possibilities too, but I can't think of them.

When I use any extract, I take some of the hot water/wort from the kettle and dissolve whats left in the can with it, and pour it back.