Hydrometer knackered?

[MickDundee]

I’ve just taken a hydrometer reading for today’s brew and it’s telling me it’s 1.030 which gives me 43% efficiency. I usually get 65% and was aiming for 1.047. The only difference with today’s brewday was that I used my new grain bag which is a finer mesh so I should get less post mash gunk in the boiler.

Could the paper in my hydrometer have slipped? It looks a lot further down than I remember. The hydrometer itself also has a tendency to tip itself to the side slightly. I guess I’ll know when I take my FG if it’s super low. :

 

[Brew_DD2]

Tested it in water?

 

[MickDundee]

Tested it in water?

Never thought of that. It’s showing 1.000 so basically I’ve managed to **** up my brewday somehow!

 

[Brew_DD2]

Bang some malt extract in, or do a mini-mash if you have some base malt left over? Failing that, some sugar to bump things up a touch.

 

[MickDundee]

Bang some malt extract in, or do a mini-mash if you have some base malt left over? Failing that, some sugar to bump things up a touch.

Yeah I’ve bunged some sugar in to bring the final ABV up to 4%. I already had 500g of flaked corn (could it have caused a stuck mash?) so I’m worried about the amount of sugar in it now.

 

[Sadfield]

500g of flaked corn already in the grain bill? Any other unmalted grains?

 

[The Baron]

You'll be alright with that amount of sugar some of the older bitters did have sugar in them if you read the recipes in GW's old british beers book (not sure of exact name) but 500g is ok to get you out of a pickle. More important Mick is you need to find out the reason why?. It could be the bag maybe you need to change your sparge when using this bag if you do sparge maybe you mis-weighed the grains its easy I've done that before and used sugar to rectify. It'll be ok mate

 

[MickDundee]

500g of flaked corn already in the grain bill? Any other unmalted grains?

Nope, just Pilsner malt and a touch of carapils

 

[foxbat]

While researching a recipe for a Peroni-alike that never got made I did see others including Brulosophy report a drop in expected OG when brewing with corn so you're not alone.

I suspect for some reason the corn didn't convert. When the mash was done did you see all the grain mixed in like normal or was the corn floating on top or bunched up anywhere?

If you used Beersmith or equivalent and you delete the corn does the OG change to what you actually got?

 

[MickDundee]

While researching a recipe for a Peroni-alike that never got made I did see others including Brulosophy report a drop in expected OG when brewing with corn so you're not alone.

I suspect for some reason the corn didn't convert. When the mash was done did you see all the grain mixed in like normal or was the corn floating on top or bunched up anywhere?

If you used Beersmith or equivalent and you delete the corn does the OG change to what you actually got?

Grain was pretty well mixed. Taking out the corn only drops from 1.047 to 1.042 so there’s pretty much a full 0.01 unaccounted for.

It’s possibly the new grain bag, but I made sure I stirred the mash and that everything was wet (aware that it’s smaller than my normal bag)

 

[stz]

Just throwing it out there that they are calibrated for a certain temperature, typically 20C and if your sample is warmer they'll read low (and consequently higher if cooler).

 

[Leon103]

Didn't you use 2 bags? Could this be the issue?

 

[The Baron]

you said the new bag was smaller do ytou think it restricted the mash by compacting the grain more than usual? just a thought if so it may have made the sparge not as efficient as well if you do one

 

[MickDundee]

you said the new bag was smaller do ytou think it restricted the mash by compacting the grain more than usual? just a thought if so it may have made the sparge not as efficient as well if you do one

Didn't you use 2 bags? Could this be the issue?

That’s certainly where my train of thought is going. When my original bag died, I bought a Richie’s one from Homebrewonline and it was crap - any flour came rightbthrough and burnt to the element - so I ordered the new one from eBay (from China). It’s come and it would have been perfect other than the size. Looks like I need to order yet another grain bag. I’ve just told SWMBO that in my quest to find a grain bag as good as my original one I’d may as well just buy an all in one system - she wasn’t impressed.

 

[Leon103]

A lot of bags don't fit over the boilers. You can attach with a bulldog clip

 

[The Baron]

Nice try Mick may be at christmas. I know you can buy large bags made to fit can not remember who or which company but I am sure somebody will pipe up. I think somebody on ebay used to make custom made

 

[MickDundee]

Nice try Mick may be at christmas. I know you can buy large bags made to fit can not remember who or which company but I am sure somebody will pipe up. I think somebody on ebay used to make custom made

I’ve just ordered one on eBay tonight, 24”x24” and specifically mentions that it’s big enough to fit over a 33L fermenting bucket, as well as it being very fine nylon mesh. Based in the UK too (seller by the name of Larsen homebrew) so I should have it in time for the weekend.

 

[The Baron]

When I had the Peco I had to order one from Ebay as the Ritchie one was not big enough mind you it did not cause me too much problem as I did not do grain bills much bigger than 4Kg so the grain had plenty of room but I suppose larger grain bills will be more compacted in a smaller bag and may not mash as efficiently. Good luck and let us know on the next brew Mick if it cures it. Maybe a stir in the mash might help as well