Original Gravity Reading Question

[HappyC73]

Hello!
I'm new to brewing and am on only my second brew of a mixed grain and extract recipe. My first batch turned out great! I've just made up my wort for my second batch (a Belgian Saison recipe) and I think that I wasn't careful when topping up the wort with water because my OG reading is now off. It is supposed to be 1.048...but instead it is 1.042. I'm gutted!!
What does this mean in terms of the beer? Will this batch be a complete waste, or will it just be a lower alcohol beer?

Lesson learned: add water carefully and take OG readings until the right gravity is obtained!

Thanks and happy weekend!
Chantal

 

[two_one_seven]

Lower alcohol. It will be fine. Won't change the beer much at all. All grain brewers miss on gravity, high and low, all the time and it's fine. Don't worry it's all good.

 

[Channel66]

It might not even be as low as you think. A lot of the time when topping up people don't mix it well enough to get an accurate reading. Don't worry though even if it is low out won't be an issue.

 

[agcorry00]

At most a difference of 0.8% abv.

 

[HopZombie99]

Readings are almost always off when you are using extract. Even if the reading is accurate, you would have a hard time telling the difference b/w two beers with OG of 1.048 and 1.042.

Have a home brew!

 

[HappyC73]

Thanks everyone! I was so worried because the recipe said: 'make sure that you don't fall outside of the recommended OG readings...', so I thought that I'd possibly end up with flavoured water.
On a happier note: The wort tasted great and the yeast is working away at the moment. The airlock is bubbling away.

You guys are the best!
Chantal

 

[woozy]

>> 'make sure that you don't fall outside of the recommended OG readings...'

"outside the recommended OG readings" means, roughly, dozens of points off. 6 points. *piffle*

Also, I know how nervous a new and complicated hobby may seem, but maybe we should make a sticky thread "newbies making a simple mistake does *not* mean the beer will be undrinkable toxic swill".

You are *not* gutted and your beer will *not* be a complete waste.

Did the cat pee in your fermenter? Then you are gutted and the beer will be a complete waste. Did you miss your O.G readings by 20 points? Did you pitch your yeast at 95 degrees? Do you forget to sanitize fermenter? Then you are *not* gutted and you beer will *not* be a complete waste! Your beer will just be ... flawed. Certainly drinkable (at least cookable) and might even taste good. It'll definately "have issues" and it will go down in your records as one of your failures but it will not be a "complete waste" and you will be by no means gutted.

Meanwhile *small* errors...

Sorry... rant over. (The rant was meant to make you feel better.)

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

>> 'make sure that you don't fall outside of the recommended OG readings...'

"outside the recommended OG readings" means, roughly, dozens of points off. 6 points. *piffle*

Also, I know how nervous a new and complicated hobby may seem, but maybe we should make a sticky thread "newbies making a simple mistake does *not* mean the beer will be undrinkable toxic swill".

You are *not* gutted and your beer will *not* be a complete waste.

Did the cat pee in your fermenter? Then you are gutted and the beer will be a complete waste. Did you miss your O.G readings by 20 points? Did you pitch your yeast at 95 degrees? Do you forget to sanitize fermenter? Then you are *not* gutted and you beer will *not* be a complete waste! Your beer will just be ... flawed. Certainly drinkable (at least cookable) and might even taste good. It'll definately "have issues" and it will go down in your records as one of your failures but it will not be a "complete waste" and you will be by no means gutted.

Meanwhile *small* errors...

Sorry... rant over. (The rant was meant to make you feel better.)

Ha!! You're beginning to fit right in here, Wooz.

OP, your beer's fine. Like others have said, it's quite common with extract batches, or any partial boil batches for that matter. And it's also common for AG brewers to miss their targeted OG by that many points. No worries at all.

 

[woozy]

Actually what I no-one has brought this up on this thread yet but worth knowing is:

The amount of fermentable sugars is a fixed quantity in extract with steeping grains brewing. That means for any give volume size the o.g. will be a specific unvariable amount. (This is because o.g. measures the density of sugar in liquid. Since the quantity of sugar is fixed the only variable is volume size. Thus if you get the volume size right then you *have* to get the right o.g.)

Thus whenever someone posts "I failed to reach my O.G. on my extract batch" there will almost always be a response "You probably didn't mix your wort thouroughly and took a watery sample; Mix properly and take a sample again" and that response will almost always be correct.

We have to give the OP credit (and I mean that) for actually missing his o.g. in the only way possible with extract-- by not topping off too high.

End PSA. Thank you for you patience as I repeated something you probably all know and, for once, isn't actually a concern to the original post.

As NordEastBrewer77 pointed out, with all grain (and partial mash) it is possible to miss target gravity and often by more than 6 points. It's a blow to the ego and you may be disappointed by the miniscule drop in alcohol volume, but it's not a serious problem.

And as I said in my previous post, even serious problems aren't serious problems. They're just problem beers and problem beers are no problem. Just drink them and learn.

 

[HappyC73]

Thanks again!

My brew was a partial mash recipe. Being new, I did not have a clue about how much a deviation from the cited OG constitutes being 'way off' (6 points? 20 points? What is a concern causing deviation? Is a deviation really a concern? etc.). Hence, the seemingly simple yet apparently somewhat annoying questions posted in the Beginner Brewers section. I assumed that it was quite easy to screw up a home brew! By nature, I was prepared for the worst (hence, gutted - ie: very disappointed. I have lived in the UK for a very long time...and this term is used fairly frequently to express strong disappointment).
Thanks everyone for helping me to have a better understanding of what is common and constitutes cause for any concern. I will probably be back asking basic questions again though. :cross:

Now, if the cat urinated in my fermentor, I wouldn't be gutted. With cat pee, I'd be devastated. LOL!
A section devoted to 'basic and common non-ruinous errors and occurrences while brewing' is a good idea for helping educate over-conscientious new brewers like myself.

Thanks again everyone! I appreciate the help and feedback.

 

[grem135]

A section devoted to 'basic and common non-ruinous errors and occurrences while brewing' is a good idea for helping educate over-conscientious new brewers like myself.

Try this tread

My non-ruinous errors on my first 2 batches were fermenting way to warm .... in about 74F ambient room temp.
I drank them all!!n