High Hydrometer reading. Did I do the right thing?

[floydmeddler]

Hi. My Beertools program calculated that my O.G should be 1.048 for my 25L brew. It came out as 1.060! I added water to bring it down to 1.050 but had to add around 6 litres. Now I have around 30L fermenting.

Did I do the right thing or did I screw up? How did Beertools get it so wrong? I'm pretty sure the the hop flavour will suffer now.

Cheers

Floyd

[DarloDave]

Could possibly be due to you having a lower efficiency set on beersmith than you actually got. Did you make sure the reading was taken at the right temperature as that can affect things aswell.

[floydmeddler]

Hi. My efficiency was spot on.

[tomU]

Your efficiency wasn't spot on if you didn't hit your target gravity. Next time you'll need to adjust this and use less grain.
Personally, I would have just left it at 1060 and had strong beer - I'm not really a fan of watering beer down - as you say it dilutes the hop character. One way of restoring some hoppiness after primary fermentation that I've been hearing a lot about lately is to steep some hops in 80C water in a cafetiere and add this tea in the secondary. I've not tried it though, so I cant say how well it works.
I'm sure the beer will be fine anyway, don't worry about it and put it down to experience

[floydmeddler]

Hi,

Worked out my efficiency again and it comes to 80.6%. Thought it was 76% earlier but must have worked it out wrong.


I used 5kg of pale malt
255g of Chocolate malt

I collected 25L into the boiler. (made a mistake here should have been 27)

Hydro reading at 25c read 1.051. Put it through a Hydrometer Temperature Adjustment Calculator and it came back as 1.053. This means that I have an efficiency rate of 80.6... I think!

Cheers

[Chiltern Brewer]

Something's not right...

5.25 Kg malt, 30L, OG 1053 and assuming 300 degrees extract per Kg/L for everything (chocolate malt would be less):

(5.25 x 300)/30 = 52.5 => 101% efficiency!

I don't think so... either you used more malt/sugar or your volume and/or gravity readings are off.

[the red devil]

he's right!
my last brew came out 1052 for 23L and i calculated i got over 90% efficiency I put it down to a good mash PH, O, and a lot of luck.

[floydmeddler]

The reading was defs right. 1.051 at 25c - 25L.

I added 100g of Molasses sugar into the boil. Might this have been a factor?

Cheers

[floydmeddler]

I mashed for 1.5 hrs too.

[Chiltern Brewer]

he's right!
my last brew came out 1052 for 23L and i calculated i got over 90% efficiency I put it down to a good mash PH, O, and a lot of luck.

Hrrm, it's not impossible but I am always slightly dubious when someone claims such high efficiency that they have either got their sums or measurements wrong. I'm not jealous at all.

[Chiltern Brewer]

How did you end up with...

Hi. My Beertools program calculated that my O.G should be 1.048 for my 25L brew. It came out as 1.060! I added water to bring it down to 1.050 but had to add around 6 litres. Now I have around 30L fermenting.
Floyd

in your FV, if you had...

The reading was defs right. 1.051 at 25c - 25L.

at the end of the boil?

OK for OG 1053, 25L:

(5.25 x 300)/25 = 63 => ~84% efficiency

Allowing for the contribution of the mollasses would take it down at bit.

Are you sure about that volume/gravity measure in your FV?

[floydmeddler]

That was preboil. I stupidly only put 25L into the boiler. Force of habit as I usually brew 23L batches. Should have been 27L.