Recommended OG reading lead to only 4 gallons in primary fermenter

[jroe7313]

This is my second home brew. I just did my boil and my OG reading was 1.055. The recommended OG was 1.061-1.065. Not only did my OG not reach the recommended value, my final volume of wort into my primary was only ~4 gallons ( from a 5 gallon kit). I believe my loss of wort was from the boil and the straining while transferring into the primary. My question and concern is about the OG and the final volume. Will the loss of the one gallon just cause me to come out with less beer in the end? Will it cause a change in flavor? Change in alcohol Level? Is it a problem that the 5 gallon recipe turned out only 4? I would appreciate help with this so next time I can make a proper brew! Thanks!

 

[adamdillabo]

Extract needs to get mixed really well to give a good OG reading. You can add top off water to get to 5 gallons. Did you account for boil off/trub with your water?

 

[jroe7313]

I added my wort to the fermenter and added 2.5 gal of water so it reached about 4 gal. I stopped adding water after I took the reading at 1.055 because I did not want to dilute the wort even more. (I am right in that if I added more water approaching 5 gallons the OG would drop even more?) I did not know what to do so I closed the fermenter and ended my brew.

 

[adamdillabo]

What was your process to get the wort from pot to bucket. How much water did you start with ?

Adding more water will continue to dilute it more. But the problem still may be that the wort at the bottom of the bucket is 1.070 and what on top where the reading is taking place is 1.050. After well mixed it should be around 1.060. The only way to see is to shake it up a bunch then try to check again.

Also hydrometers work at 60f. If your wort is 75f it will sink lower giving off readings. They have apps and websites that will do the math.

 

[adamdillabo]

Oh. I had a stout that I really messed up. And the LME didn't get fully mixed and clogged my siphon. I just called it quits at. 3.5 gallons. Really wish I checked my OG but It turned out fantastic. Things happen. Try to have fun, learn from mistakes and hope for the best.

It does worry me you had to add 2.5 gallons water to get that far. I like to have 2.5 -3.5 gallons before I top off to 5 gallons.

 

[jroe7313]

@adamdillabo- I took my boil and cooled it it ~ 75 degrees and poured it through a strainer into the primary. It took about 5 minutes to do so. But you make a great point that I didn't think about. The temperature of my wort was most likely ~70 deg when I took my reading. Something I didn't account for. Regarding the rest of my situation, will any problems arise from having a lower volume not advised by the recipe?

 

[adamdillabo]

Higher IBU's and the worse part less beer.

 

[InLimbo]

@adamdillabo- I took my boil and cooled it it ~ 75 degrees and poured it through a strainer into the primary. It took about 5 minutes to do so. But you make a great point that I didn't think about. The temperature of my wort was most likely ~70 deg when I took my reading. Something I didn't account for. Regarding the rest of my situation, will any problems arise from having a lower volume not advised by the recipe?

Only problem is that you'll have less delicious beer to drink : )

You're going through the growing pains all homebrewers go through, which is dealing with efficiency. I start with ~6 gallon recipes because I know through all the liquid transfering, and fermentation, that I want to have as close to 5 gallons going into my keg at the end. You can estimate (or even measure) how much you lose to transferring and fermentation, and then calculate what your post boil volume should be, and just keep working backwards from there to make sure you end up with 5 gallons, or however much you want to have in the end.

 

[thadius856]

This is my second home brew. I just did my boil and my OG reading was 1.055. The recommended OG was 1.061-1.065. Not only did my OG not reach the recommended value, my final volume of wort into my primary was only ~4 gallons ( from a 5 gallon kit).

Odd. If you're supposed to have 5 gallons of 1.061-1.065, you should have 4 gallons of 1.076-1.081.

I think your reading is bad, especially since this is an extract brew. I agree that you probably did not stir thoroughly before sampling.

I believe my loss of wort was from the boil and the straining while transferring into the primary.

How could straining cause a loss of wort?

I would seriously not even bother straining wort going into the primary. Most of the particulates are protein break material, which is yeast food anyway.

My question and concern is about the OG and the final volume. Will the loss of the one gallon just cause me to come out with less beer in the end?

Yes.

Will it cause a change in flavor?

Assuming just boiled off too much and didn't lose gravity points, yes. It will be more intense flavored and may have stronger alcohol presence in the taste.

Change in alcohol Level?

Yes.

Is it a problem that the 5 gallon recipe turned out only 4?

Do you dislike strong beer? If yes, then it's a problem. If not, then it's not a problem.

I would appreciate help with this so next time I can make a proper brew! Thanks!

You're overthinking it, man. RDWHAHB.

 

[thadius856]

Only problem is that you'll have less delicious beer to drink : )

You're going through the growing pains all homebrewers go through, which is dealing with efficiency. I start with ~6 gallon recipes because I know through all the liquid transfering, and fermentation, that I want to have as close to 5 gallons going into my keg at the end. You can estimate (or even measure) how much you lose to transferring and fermentation, and then calculate what your post boil volume should be, and just keep working backwards from there to make sure you end up with 5 gallons, or however much you want to have in the end.

How are you losing a full gallon at that scale?

I come out of the brew kettle with 10.5 gallons and almost overflow my kegs every time. Always more than 5 gal in each. Sure, you lose a little to yeast and CO2 conversion, but nowhere near a 1/6th.

 

[flars]

This is my second home brew. I just did my boil and my OG reading was 1.055. The recommended OG was 1.061-1.065. Not only did my OG not reach the recommended value, my final volume of wort into my primary was only ~4 gallons ( from a 5 gallon kit). I believe my loss of wort was from the boil and the straining while transferring into the primary. My question and concern is about the OG and the final volume. Will the loss of the one gallon just cause me to come out with less beer in the end? Will it cause a change in flavor? Change in alcohol Level? Is it a problem that the 5 gallon recipe turned out only 4? I would appreciate help with this so next time I can make a proper brew! Thanks!

The way it sounds you brewed up a kit which recommends a partial boil. I do these also. The kits are designed to meet the recipe OG if you have the correct volume of wort in the fermentor. Your kit recipe has a range for OG, but the range will not affect ABV by much.

It isn't necessary to take a kit OG because the OG will be in the range specified by the recipe if your volumes are correct. Use the recipe OG for your notes.

Volume in your fermentor is the larger problem. Are you using a carboy or bucket to ferment in? Did you add a measured 5 gallons of water to your fermentor and mark this level before your first fill with wort? Without having the 5 gallon level measured and marked you really don't know how much wort you have. This may affect FG, but will affect calculations like ABV greatly.
Buckets with gallon/liter markings are notorious for being incorrectly marked.

As an example this is what I do with an extract kit. Partial mash is slightly different.
I start with a measured 2.5 gallons of water in a 5.5 gallon kettle. I do my boil and chill the wort in the sink with ice and water. The wort gets chilled to about 68°. I don't measure the temp. The lid just feels barely warm.

Second step is to add 2.5 gallons of chilled water to the carboy fermentor. The wort is then added to the fermentor. I pour through a bag to take out most of the hop material.

I then add water to bring it up to the 5 gallon mark which accounts for the boil off and the half cup liquid left in the bag strainer. I don't try to calculate boil off and add that volume ahead of time. I usually add just under a half gallon to top off to the five gallon mark. Full volume of wort in the fermentor is typically 58° to 60°.

Shake and swirl until aerated froth is evident all the way to the bottom of the carboy. Pitch yeast.