First AG brew, what have I done wrong?

[stee41]

Just sparged my boddingtons (orfys recipe) he reckons after 2 sparges I would be left with 30.5 litres of 1.030 pre boil, I am actually left with 1.020 at 30.5 litres what have I done wrong here, any ideas?..recipe below

Brew Type: All GrainStyle: English Ordinary Bitter
Brewer: OrfyBatch Size: 23.00 L
Boil Volume: 30.50 LBrewhouse Efficiency: 80.0 %
Prepare 40.21 L water for brewing
Prepare Ingredients for Mash
3.30 kg Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain
0.25 kg Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain
0.12 kg Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain
0.03 kg Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain
Single: Add 9.66 L of water at 75.0 C
60 min - Hold mash at 68.0 C for 60 min
Add first wort hops to boiler at start of sparge
Amount Item Type 25.00 gm Northern Brewer [8.50%] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops
-- Drain Mash Tun
-- Batch Sparge Round 1: Sparge with 17.78 L of 77.0 C water.
-- Batch Sparge Round 2: Sparge with 9.77 L of 77.0 C water.
-- Add water to achieve boil volume of 30.50 L
-- Estimated Pre-boil Gravity is: 1.030 SG

Boil for 60 min

 

[Brewmarc]

Just a thought but have you given the total runnings a gentle stir the higher gravity first runnings may be lying at the bottom of the secondary runnings giving a false reading

 

[craigite]

Did you temperature correct your hydrometer reading?

 

[markp]

Did you temperature correct your hydrometer reading?

Just what I was going to say :pray:

 

[Brewmarc]

Did you temperature correct your hydrometer reading?

I was just going to add a hydro reading of 1020 @ 50C would be a temp corected reading of 1030

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

You've got your efficiency expectations to high 80%??? as a learner you might only get 65% until you perfect your technique :thumb:

BB

 

[stee41]

thanks for the replies guys, I need a hydrometer conversion thing if there is one around ?, I took the reading at 77c and came out at 1.020, I've just transfered into my FV 23 Litres, looks and smells awesome

 

[tubby_shaw]

thanks for the replies guys, I need a hydrometer conversion thing if there is one around ?, I took the reading at 77c and came out at 1.020, I've just transfered into my FV 23 Litres, looks and smells awesome

Top left hand corner of every page there is a calculators button. Click it and you'll find a hydrometer temperature correction tool in there :thumb:

 

[graysalchemy]

thanks for the replies guys, I need a hydrometer conversion thing if there is one around ?, I took the reading at 77c and came out at 1.020, I've just transfered into my FV 23 Litres, looks and smells awesome

There is a calculator in the menu at the top of the page.

Assuming you hydrometer is calibrated to 20c then that would bring it out to 1040 which is not bad for boddingtons. Being from Manchester and drinking it back in the day (late 80,s) it was never a strong beer but tasted like necter if it was kept well. I would be interested how it turns out, I am now reminiscing again about Friday register in sixth form being taken by our form tutor in the pub :rofl: :rofl:

 

[stee41]

ok, I run my measurements through the calculator and adjusted everything so I know where I'm at, my hydrometer is calibrated to 20C, I took another reading at 30C which read 1.036, which converted to 1039, I'm well happy and its bubbling away nicely with a decent rocky head, all excited and planning a batch of Orfys Hobgoblin next week

Update... More possible problems... my mrs kindly moved my ale yesterday morning next to the boiler so she could have more bench space in the utility, I came in from work tonight and the brew was 26C and no airlock activity, I managed to get the temp down to 23C and took a hydrometer reading it was 1.010, the brew looks pretty lifeless now with no yeast activity that I can see, it looks fine, and really clear and tastes fine, will I have problems considering I brewed this beer on Friday, pithced the yeast and now it appears as though it has fermented out already ? I run these readings through the online hydrometer calculator and it should read 1.011..what do you think guys?

 

[BigYin]

the temp of 26c certainly won't have harmed the yeast :thumb:

Moving it may have stirred it up a bit, but that's no biggy if you aren't imminently about to bottle.

It's certainly not unusual for the initial surge of yeast activity to die down quite dramatically after the first 24 to 48 hours - just be patient :thumb:

 

[stee41]

oooh! I'm getting all excited now! hahaha...beer mmm