1.071!?!?

[JuGordon]

So, I brewed up my first "original" recipe yesterday, an APA. My expected OG was 1.051. Here are my fermentables:

6.6 LBS of Golden Light LME (Breiss)
1 LB of Crystal 40L (Breiss)

Now... I know that my beer cannot be 1.071, but I'm just a bit curious. I poured my wort into the fermenter and topped it off to a little over 5 gallons. I then aerated the crap out of that thing for about 5 minutes. I then took a sample for my OG and pitched my yeast.

I looked at my sample in the test tube and it was like 1.075. I figured it was some sediment in the wort and just waited for it to come out of solution. An hour later, it was 1.071. Two hours later, 1.071. Today before I left for work at 6:30pm, still 1.071. Could I have somehow gotten some wort that hadn't mixed with the water?

 

[Calder]

That's exactly what has happened, the wort did not fully mix. Was your sample from the bottom of the fermenter?

 

[fishersfirst]

If you've had your extract on the boil, then cooled it, then pitched into your fermenter, it shouldn't matter whether you've taken the sample from the top or bottom. The boil will have dissolved all the sugars evenly.
It sounds as if you've either miscalculated the amounts of extract for given volume, or, perhaps an unusually high boil off rate.
What were your pre and post boil volumes?

 

[JuGordon]

If you've had your extract on the boil, then cooled it, then pitched into your fermenter, it shouldn't matter whether you've taken the sample from the top or bottom. The boil will have dissolved all the sugars evenly.
It sounds as if you've either miscalculated the amounts of extract for given volume, or, perhaps an unusually high boil off rate.
What were your pre and post boil volumes?

To answer your question. 3 1/4 gal pre boil, unsure of post boil. I probably boiled off 1 gallon. I'm not sure how preboil and post boil volumes matter, I don't do full boils anyway.

While I'm sure that all of the sugars were dissolved evenly, I'm not sure that the water that I added in the fermenter mixed with the wort from my brew pot.

Calder, if that's what happened, that's crazy! I mixed that stuff up like a madman. O, well it's chugaluggin in the fermenter right now!

 

[fishersfirst]

The higher your boil off, the higher you water: sugar ratio will be. Ie. you boil off more water than you expect, you end up with a higher OG than you expect.

Didn't realise you were adding water to dilute your boil though, my apologies.
Still, sounds as though you mixed it through well enough so the higher OG must be from a.) extra sugars or b.) less water.

 

[JuGordon]

the higher OG must be from a.) extra sugars or b.) less water.

Where would those sugars come from? HAHA, that's my question. Maybe some sugar blew in on the wind and dusted my boil... Strange stuff. Well, if it truly is 1.071, I'm going to have a super off balance beer, but it'll get ya drunk!

 

[woknblues]

Consider dry hopping. Post your full recipe, ferment temps, vessels, etc. Lots of 1.07++ beers can be very tasty. Of course, you won't be making an APA any more, but who cares if you end up making good beer?

 

[beergolf]

With extract it is almost impossible to miss OG unless your volumes are way off. The wort was just not fully mixed with the top off water.

 

[JuGordon]

With extract it is almost impossible to miss OG unless your volumes are way off. The wort was just not fully mixed with the top off water.

That's what I thought. The idea of getting an OG that off with extract didn't seem possible to me. I just wish I knew the exact OG. O, well. I can't wait to drink this sucker! Thanks, dudes!

 

[billl]

Gravity = sugar points/gallon

LME = 37 * 6.6 = 244
Crystal - depends on your process, but generally around 18

(244+18)/5=52 so 1.052 Could be a point or 2 higher or lower depending on your exact volume measurements and batch of LME.

You cannot create or destroy sugar in your LME, so that is your gravity.

 

[JimRausch]

Where would those sugars come from? HAHA, that's my question. Maybe some sugar blew in on the wind and dusted my boil... Strange stuff. QUOTE]

Good one!!
Yeah, you're absolutely right. No such thing as magic fairy dust. So,of course, if you topped off to 5G and added all your LME, then your OG was what you figured(I calculated 1.047, but 51 or 47 is close enough).
It should taste about what you figured.

 

[JuGordon]

Good one!!
Yeah, you're absolutely right. No such thing as magic fairy dust. So,of course, if you topped off to 5G and added all your LME, then your OG was what you figured(I calculated 1.047, but 51 or 47 is close enough).
It should taste about what you figured.

Thanks! haha

Gravity = sugar points/gallon

LME = 37 * 6.6 = 244
Crystal - depends on your process, but generally around 18

(244+18)/5=52 so 1.052 Could be a point or 2 higher or lower depending on your exact volume measurements and batch of LME.

You cannot create or destroy sugar in your LME, so that is your gravity.

Thanks for the verification. I may not be an experienced brewer, but I am NOT stupid either. Sugar can neither be created nor destroyed (in LME/DME) only fermented into alcohol, and that, friends, is awesome!

 

[JimRausch]

Thanks! haha



Thanks for the verification. I may not be an experienced brewer, but I am NOT stupid either. Sugar can neither be created nor destroyed (in LME/DME) only fermented into alcohol, and that, friends, is awesome!

I like your attitude!

 

[JuGordon]

Thanks! I try to keep a level head and not worry about my homebrew. I have a hefeweizen that hasn't carbed up yet and it's been a month and a half. I figure the worst case scenario would be to just pour it all out into my bucket and add some extra sugar. O, well...

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

You cannot create or destroy sugar in your LME, so that is your gravity.

That is the Third Law of Thermodynamics, is it not? The Conservation of Beer Principle?

I encountered this law several times in my college days. A typical exam question.

Q: A train leaves Chicago heading east at 75 mph. Do they have enough beer?

a) Yes!
b) No
c) Sorry, wasn't paying attention, was admiring the head in my beer...

 

[JuGordon]

I don't think we have enough information to solve the problem. We need to know the size of the passengers, the style of beer and ABV of the beer being consumed.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

Several hundred German tourists, average mass 100 kg.

 

[JuGordon]

Those are some huge tourists, haha. I guess if we have german lagers we will definitely NOT have enough beer.

 

[Thunder_Chicken]

More beer is always the answer.

What was the OP yammering about? I forget.

 

[JuGordon]

More beer is always the answer.

What was the OP yammering about? I forget.

I'm not sure... Something about beer, alcohol, and OG... I forget

 

[Hang Glider]

how about temperature? that might account for a few points (though likely not 20)
what was the temp of the sample for OG?

 

[JuGordon]

I already checked that. It was about 75F. That puts my corrected specific gravity at 1.073... higher, haha.