AG #01 - Watered Down

[Gricey]

Some kind of fermentation... though dunno if the airlock was on right, it bubbled like a beast when I tried to open the FV to look at it. Isn't it cute! I think I'll call it Steve.

[trucker5774]

From the pictures everything looks normal and the fermentation looks good. We all seem baffled as your figure seem to be about half what would be expected. The only logical progression is to do it all again with grain from another supplier (just in case) note all the temps, readings, weights etc being sure you are reading all the instruments correctly and I reckon all will be well and this one will remain a mystery.

[Gricey]

Thanks Trucker.

Should I leave this to ferment? (It smells like beer!) Or down the bog and do it again on Saturday?

The M/O and Crystal I got from a place up the road, I actually have enough M/O from another supplier to do the lot again on Sat, and half a bag of Crystal from the place up the road.

As long as I wasn't completely bonkers... Befuddler gave me pretty idiot-proof directions... but you know what they say, they just build a better idiot

[trucker5774]

Yes, absolutely! Let it ferment, bottle it and let it mature a little. It cost nothing to follow it to the end and you will gain experience. If it turns out as a good tasting but "weak" brew...............so what? I often fancy a drink with a meal but don't want the effects!

[Befuddler]

Should I leave this to ferment? (It smells like beer!) Or down the bog and do it again on Saturday?

Leave it going, you've got nothing to lose now.. it doesn't appear to be infected. Honestly, I think it's entirely possible that a bad hydro reading has caused a lot of kerfuffle over nothing.. Considering the reading of 1015 your wort doesn't look that pale in the pics.

Just out of interest.. can you take another reading now to see how it's getting along?

[trucker5774]

[quote="Befuddler"

Just out of interest.. can you take another reading now to see how it's getting along?[/quote][/quote]

Please don't tell us it's now 1020

[Gricey]

No...

It's 1.023 !!!




Could I have completely fudged the hydrometer reading at 2am when I took it?

Ok, I added 3l of crappy water, but Christ on a bike!!!

What do you all reckon?

Gricey

[Befuddler]

Yeah, you fudged the first reading.. There's no way it could possibly go up.

Look on the bright side.. If the dodgy hydro reading and the lack of a jubilee clip are the worst mistakes you made on your first brew, you're laughing.

[Gricey]

It smells really, really nice... I think I'm in love

[trucker5774]

It's looking more and more like you misread the hydrometer in the fist instance If it's anything like mine it will have other scales on it which indicate potential alcohol etc. It's possible you looked at one of those.......................or just misread it, easy done. But problem solved me finks

[Gricey]

It's pretty idiot proof, but it was 2am at the time I took the reading and I had had a couple beers waiting for the boil, the chill, etc ...

I'm assuming the sample is safe to drink?

Bad Gricey!

I take it if its just a dilute proportion of ABV, it was meant to be 3.9%, I get ((3.9/23)*20) = 3.4% abv + bottle conditioning, when its finished if it works?

[trucker5774]

Waste not want not...................it should taste a little sweet You could turn out with a good session beer. Fingers crossed that nothing nasty will develop from the water ingress.

[Gricey]

That is delicious. I am hooked!

Fingers crossed!

[Spud395]

Nice one gricey, been following this tale of woe from the start, bit like a soap opera really

Anyway looks like it's going to work out for you, I'm glad!

[Gricey]

Hehe, thanks. Maybe AG#02 will make it to 'brewdays' and not 'disasters'!

Gricey