hydrometer readings any ideas

[lee1]

hi all brewed jw lees moonraker to 10l starting gravity should have been 1073 the final gravity should have been 1018 but the sg was 1060 after 7 days i have taken the first reading its at 1010 i have checked the hydrometer and it is ok how can this happen [not moaning just confused ]
cheers lee [sg temp was 20 degrees last reading was 20 degrees ] also brewed with 8g muntons gervin yeast

[smuggles]

Hi, I always get a drop in efficiency when I brew high strength beers, and I guess the same thing has happened with you, which is why the SG is lower than expected. I'm sure there's a technical explanation why, but I just go with planning for a lower efficiency with these beers.

For your FG, it looks like you've got an attenuation of 83% rather than the predicted 75%, which I would guess is due to using a high attenuating yeast (such as Nottingham), or mashing at a relatively low temperature, or both. (Edit: just noticed you said you used Muntons, which I think I read is the same as Nottingham, so that would explain that)

[jaberry]

My second biab was the Moonraker. Hopefully yours will be as nice as mine ended up. Not exactly a session beer lol

[lee1]

cheers smuggles my mash temp did drop quite a bit that sounds like it could be the fault cheers
yes lol jab its a 1 or 2 a night job

[CestrIan]

Moonraker is a cracking pint! Hope it turns out as well as the real thing. It used to be on draught at a bar in Chester in my youth and you used to get a Moonraker Tshirt if you drank 5 pints of the stuff. Those years are a bit hazy in my memory, but I still remember it as a lovely drop.

I brewed an IPA with windsor yeast recently that started at 1060 and finished at 1008. Sometimes these things happen. As they say low mash temp, high fermentation temp, good aeration. You can get the FG down low. It doesn't necessarily mean infection, but it can, so it's always best to test a couple of bottles after a week or two, to make sure they're not frothing explosions.