BeerBorg

So, maybe you can help me out Borg. I went over to my friend's house yesterday to brew up a stout. We steeped .75 pound of grain (C120, Chocolate Malt, and Debittered Black). Now, the steep did go wrong. The thermometer we were using crapped out right after the steep began, so the temp went from 160ish to who knows. But, since it is a steep, I don't think that matters. We added some water after the steep to about 3 gallons. Added in 2 cans of Breiss dark LME. 3.3 pounds each, so 6.6 pounds. The anticipated OG was in the 1.048 range. Actual was closer to 1.035. We really missed the mark, but I don't know what went wrong.

6.6 lbs of dark LME in a 5 gallon batch would yield an OG of 1.048 without the steep, per QBrew. So, you had to have added too much water, or left a good amount of the LME in the cans. That's all I can think of.

RickBeer wrote:6.6 lbs of dark LME in a 5 gallon batch would yield an OG of 1.048 without the steep, per QBrew. So, you had to have added too much water, or left a good amount of the LME in the cans. That's all I can think of.

+1 Rick. There is no/little sugar to be gained from the grain. I would use some Dark DME to make up the difference.

We actually ended up closer to 4.5 gallons. As we checked the OG as we were topping off the fermenter. We also rinsed the cans with hot water and got just about all of it out (we added the LME pre boil). The only thing I can think of is the hydrometer somehow is not accurate, but I was over at his house last Tuesday when he bottled his previous batch and it worked fine.

As far as the DME, I was thinking of adding some after a couple days, after the primary fermentation calms down. Boiling it in a small amount of water then cooling and adding to it.

Easy to check in water.

Question: Since you obviously topped off with water, are you sure you got a good mix before pulling a gravity sample?
You wouldn't be the first person to pull a watered down sample because the wort and water weren't mixed well.

Kealia wrote:Question: Since you obviously topped off with water, are you sure you got a good mix before pulling a gravity sample?
You wouldn't be the first person to pull a watered down sample because the wort and water weren't mixed well.

I have NEVER done that. I will put that on the list of things that I'm sure I will do in the future though.

Kealia wrote:Question: Since you obviously topped off with water, are you sure you got a good mix before pulling a gravity sample?
You wouldn't be the first person to pull a watered down sample because the wort and water weren't mixed well.

Pretty sure, but not totally sure. We had what looked like a good mix going on while topping off, but I can't be 100%. That is something I have not thought of.

Have you considered checking your measuring tools? BBs and I have made mention before about how LBKs, among other vessels with marked graduations, aren't accurate on their measurements so the target volume line is actually lower (or higher) than the actual level. Otherwise, I can only think witchcraft is going on and the brew gremlins are stealing LME as you add it to the pot!

I am really stumped. It is an ale pail, so how accurate are those measurements?

Perhaps it wasn't mixed like Kealia suggested? That sounds like the best bet, because I don't know where else the sugar would have gone.

If you topped off but didn't really stir well afterwards it's very likely your beer was stratified and the wort was more concentrated near the bottom.
If you're sure that you got all the LME out of the cans and have the right volume that's what I would chalk it up to.

Will that significantly alter the final product?

It shouldn't. The yeast are going to find their food source, and sometimes active fermentation can get pretty violent, churning the wort like crazy, so it should sort of mix itself. But you will get an FG that's different from what you'd calculate going off your OG. Not a real big deal, since you should just wait until you get two consecutive gravity readings of the same number. But any calculations on ABV aren't going to be accurate, either, since it's likely you started from a wrong number in the first place.

Yep, what Dave said. The wort will mix itself and the yeast will take care of that for sure. Other than a mis-read OG everything else will be just fine.

Assuming the FG comes out where you expected, you can then use your expected OG to calculate ABV. While it may not be perfectly right, it will give you an idea.

Then again, if it tastes like watered down beer, everyone is wrong