Increase in gravity reading?

Alw94 · Oct 13, 2019

Hi all

Ever since going all-grain, I've had problem after problem with my brews. Some have come good, a couple great but if there is a brewing problem, I've probably had it.

Today, I bottled a hoppy pale ale that has been in the fermenter for two weeks. I dry-hopped 3 days ago. My gravity reading when going in the fermenter was 1.044. I've made the mistake of not checking the gravity before bottling and just remembered afterwards. From some of the leftover I've had in fermenter I'm getting a reading of 1.070!? Just can't be right, can it?

Now, the brew was bubbling away all nicely over the 1st week, so surely this reading is an anomaly? I'm ready to pour it down the drain.

Any ideas?

Alw94 · Oct 13, 2019

One thought...could the reading be so high due to it containing the priming sugar?

chrisb8 · Oct 13, 2019

Absolutely, I think you have just solved your own problem athumb..

If you added priming sugar prior to taking the hydrometer reading then this would definitely be the cause of the higher than expected gravity reading.

foxbat · Oct 13, 2019

chrisb8 said:
Absolutely, I think you have just solved your own problem If you added priming sugar prior to taking the hydrometer reading then this would definitely be the cause of the higher than expected gravity reading.

He says it's 1.070 - DIPA or RIS territory. Priming sugar cannot be responsible for that. The reading has to be erroneous. The question is whether it's user error, sample error, or measuring equipment error.

Alw94 · Oct 13, 2019

Ok. Thanks for replying.

So, I'm thinking I move them from house to garage in case things get messy and then leave to condition as normal. Expect it to taste bad then maybe I'll be surprised if it turns out ok.

chrisb8 · Oct 13, 2019

I was thinking that if the priming sugar has been added directly to the fermentation vessel then it will likely not have been vigorously stirred in for risk of disturbing the trub and so is likely to have settled towards the bottom. The last dregs are therefore likely to have a higher concentration of sugar, perhaps causing the misleading reading?

Alw94 · Oct 13, 2019

Yes, I'm hoping that's the case. It's odd and I think I'm misinterpreting the reading. What I do is drain the wort into another tub in which I've already put the priming sugar solution. I've been doubtful from previous efforts about how much it mixes, so it feasible that this has extra sugar. I then filled 10 bottles and the rest went in a barrel. What was left was the remaining beer which probably has extra sugary solution. The reading must be misleading, right?

chrisb8 · Oct 13, 2019

I have had a a taste of the dregs left in the bottling bucket before and found it alarmingly sweet which led me to worry about the batch being overprimed. But there was no issue and so I put it down to the priming sugar not being adequately mixed in and sinking to the bottom.

Alw94 · Oct 14, 2019

Yes, the initial panic is over and it'll be what it'll be. Hopefully, it'll taste ok. I am slightly annoyed at myself really, in part because of this but also because when I dry-hopped most hops were sitting on top and hadn't even got damp. Feels like a waste of hops.