Missed my OG by 0.011

[JonGoku]

I brewed a Scotch Ale yesterday and my OG came out to 1.070. The kit said it should come out to 1.059 so not quite sure what went wrong, but perhaps I evaporated out too much water. I have two questions...

1) Could the OG be "fixed" by adding more water, and if so how can I calculate the correct amount to add?
2) Would it still be possible to add water when I got home today, approx 26hrs from when I pitched the yeast?

Cheers!

[brahn]

I'd probably just leave it alone. With extract the OG reading can be tough to get right. Usually it's because the boiled wort doesn't mix thoroughly enough with the top-up water. Did you top it off to the 5G mark or did you use a set amount of water to top up?

There is a dilution caclulator excel spreadsheet on the Maltose Falcon's site, but you'll have to dig a bit to find it.

[JonGoku]

I did a full boil and started with about 5.5 gallons. After using the siphon tap (thanks Kevin) to get the contents from the kettle to the fermenter I had about a 3/4 quart of wort and trub left in the kettle that the siphon didn't pick up and which I used to get my OG reading. As best as I could see through the white plastic of the fermenter it was close enough to the 5 gallon mark that I didn't top it off with extra water however it could have been a little under 5 gallon.

[BrewMasterBrad]

I would just leave it alone. You probably had some stratification of the wort, so what was left in the kettle does not necessarily represent the wort that made it into the fermenter. I have taken gravity readings like this before when I have forgotten to take a reading before I transfer into the fermenter. The readings have never been accurate. Just let it go.

Brad

[JonGoku]

I would just leave it alone. You probably had some stratification of the wort, so what was left in the kettle does not necessarily represent the wort that made it into the fermenter. I have taken gravity readings like this before when I have forgotten to take a reading before I transfer into the fermenter. The readings have never been accurate. Just let it go.

Brad

Oh good, that's reassuring. I'd accept being off a little, but being off 11 points on an extract kit seemed a little worrisome.

Thanks!

[brew captain]

Time to buy a refractometer...


You can dilute at anytime. Sample it when you go to package and if it is too burly you can add a gallon of bottled water to tame it down.




Cheers!

[JonGoku]

Time to buy a refractometer...


You can dilute at anytime. Sample it when you go to package and if it is too burly you can add a gallon of bottled water to tame it down.




Cheers!

I'm in the market if there's one for a decent deal. I looked at the ones b3 had as well as some on ebay and stopped once I had confused myself enough and gave up. Not quite sure what the big range in prices are. I like quality, but I don't want to buy unneeded bells and whistles like led lighting or "automatic temperature control" phsst. Also once an item gets near $100 I begin to think about other things which would be nicer to have. I'm open to suggestions.

Edit: I think Kevin said he bought his from Spkrtoy or someone else in the club who tended to buy things off ebay even if they didn't need it because the price was ridiculously nice. I think he said it was around $30ish.

[BrewMasterBrad]

Send a PM to spkrtoy. His name is Lyn if you haven't met him yet. He may have some refractometers for sale. The dude has everything for brewing.

[brew captain]

If you are considering going all grain a refractometer is almost a requirement. Just make sure that the refractometer that you ultimately get is meant to measure sugar concentration of wort. There are refractometers out there that are designed for measuring all different kinds of solutions...

Don't ask me how I know!


Cheers!

[JonGoku]

Don't ask me how I know!

Lol, I'm tempted...

As long as it is a brix refractometer i'm safe right?

[brahn]

I think there's a lot of better things you could spend your money on than a refractometer. I have one and almost never use it.

[JonGoku]

I think there's a lot of better things you could spend your money on than a refractometer. I have one and almost never use it.

How generous of you! When can I come by to pick it up?
Just kidding, I hear what your saying and am keeping my eyes open.

[backyard brewer]

I like mine and I'm glad I have it, but there are other things I'd buy first if I were starting over.

[BrewMasterBrad]

I think there's a lot of better things you could spend your money on than a refractometer. I have one and almost never use it.

That's because you don't know how to use it.

[kevinham]

I bought one off of ebay for under $30 IIRC, however the first one I received didn't work. Out of focus no matter how you adjusted it. I was able to get a refund, and bought one from a different seller that worked. They were both coming from China, and shipping was a little higher, and took forever. I use it pretty much every time I brew, but I always back up my OG with a hydrometer. I use the refractometer to check pre-boil and boil gravities, to make sure I am on track. If I had to do it all over again, I would probably still buy one, but not on ebay. If you are looking for one on ebay, or anywhere other than a homebrewing store, a 0-32° brix refractometer with ATC is what you want, it might also say that it is for sugar solutions.