BeerBorg

BlackDuck wrote:As for the first question. If you are low on gravity, can't you just add some DME to the kettle, then proceed with the boil? I believe BeerSmith has a calculation to figure how much to add. I think it's called gravity correction, or something like that.

Yes, but I normally do that now when I'm pitching yeast so there is no real advantage for me in this situation to get a refractometer just to do the same thing, but earlier.

Inky - good call on just letting the beer sit. I'm not going out to buy a second regulator just for this beer - especially since I don't even know if this will be drinkable!

I guess I'll go do some research on adjusting gravity with the refractometer - using wort, not DME.

If my post boil readings are low after the mash I just add X amount of minutes to the boil and recheck using the refractometer.(X = not a known amount of time, more a seat of the pants kinda thing, but usually around 10 minutes before rechecking) When I'm where I want to be then I start my "60 minute" boil. Sometimes volume can be off just depends what end result I'm looking for.

Take the pipette that comes with the refractometer and well do what ever ya want to with it just don't use it for getting sample readings. I use my plastic mash/boil paddle to take refractometer samples with. Where most fail this way is they dunk their paddle/spoon in the wort, lift it out and drop some wort on the refractometer and look at the reading. Problem is there can be drying wort droplets on said utensil that are now dried and concentrated and can throw off readings. The brewer that taught me this actually showed me and readings were off by .010.
The trick is to take said utensil and STIR it in the boiling wort for a few moments before getting the sample drops. This dissolves any previous wort and gives you a truer reading.

And why don't you use the pipette that comes with it? If it's clean, how could it throw your readings off?


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BlackDuck wrote:And why don't you use the pipette that comes with it? If it's clean, how could it throw your readings off?

If the pipette is clean it will work just fine. I don't use it mainly because it's just a pain in the ass.
You have a spoon/paddle there anyway, it keeps your hand further away from boiling wort and it's easier to clean during and after use.

Cool. I guess even knowing earlier in the process would be better in terms of adding DME. I was just hoping that there was a way to re-use the wort to sparge again so it didn't increase volume and would then keep the proportions of the original grain bill instead of diluting other ingredients through the use of DME. But, I've never been off by much - until yesterday, that is.

I checked the blow off last night and things were calm so I swapped that out for an airlock and bumped the temp from 67 to 68.

Now, I shall channel the Beastie Boys:

I'm back from vacation and this has been in the fermenter for a little over 3 weeks so I started the cold crash this morning.
I'll keg this weekend, pull a sample and check FG.

A gravity pull today shows this as 1.020 and it has been crashing for 3 days now - odd, it's still black......

I plan on kegging tomorrow. This comes in just about 4% so it should be easy to drink (if I don't look at it) [GRINNING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]

Drink it from a coffee mug.