Puzzling low OG

[davidgrace]

Last week I brewed a stout. The expected OG is 1.045, but for some reason, mine turned out at 1.033. This was a great puzzle as I had been extra careful with my water volume etc. I have just done a hydrometer test and the brew has hit the exact expected FG of 1.011. I am now unsure if I should bottle the brew or pour it down the drain as I huge puzzle.

 

[-Bezza-]

Don't throw. Worst case is it's just a big lower in alcohol and you can drink more of them!

Was this kit or all grain?

 

[davidgrace]

Don't throw. Worst case is it's just a big lower in alcohol and you can drink more of them!

Was this kit or all grain?

It was an all grain kit. I wonder if the supplier gave me the fine crush I asked for. I'm not really bothered about the ABV, but rather the taste and texture of the beer. Will it be watery?

 

[Sandimas]

Is this the first AG kit you've made from them?

The trouble with AG kits is that they are calculated for a specific mash efficiency, and all AG brewers use different equipment, different methods and different mash temps so often the OG will be different from the one suggested for the kit e.g. many AG kits I've seen use 70% efficiency in their calcs whereas I typically get 68% with my setup, so I'd need a bit more grain than is supplied with the kit to hit the target OG. That's why I don't do AG kits as I always need extra.

 

[prog99]

It was an all grain kit. I wonder if the supplier gave me the fine crush I asked for. I'm not really bothered about the ABV, but rather the taste and texture of the beer. Will it be watery?

Did you taste it when you measured the fg?
Also what temperature was the wort at when you measured the og.

 

[davidgrace]

Did you taste it when you measured the fg?
Also what temperature was the wort at when you measured the og.

I tasted it when testing and couldn't draw any conclusions, maybe because this is my first stout brew. The temperature may have been around 26C when testing for OG.

 

[Joetp]

I've ran into this issue as well from an AG kit, which is why I don't do them anymore! I thought I put it into Brewfather and scaled it correctly, but I don't think it worked and I got a 3.8 percent beer instead of a 5.8 percent beer! It'd be good if Brewfather allowed you to input the ingredients from a kit and then it tailored it perfectly to your system, but it doesn't work like that it seems!

 

[-Bezza-]

Have you made stouts before? I never seem to hit my target OG with dark beers and and often way off.

You have measured the OG at a different higher temperature so you've possibly got another point or two there but not much.

Will it taste thin and watery? I doubt it as you have a high FG and the dark malts have stronger flavours. It might not have the punch of a higher abv brew but if you're not doing a side by side comparison I wonder if you'll notice.

I guess one other point is that something could have just gone wrong with your reading.

Dunno but would seem a shame to throw a beer based purely on what it might taste like. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

 

[davidgrace]

Have you made stouts before? I never seem to hit my target OG with dark beers and and often way off.

You have measured the OG at a different higher temperature so you've possibly got another point or two there but not much.

Will it taste thin and watery? I doubt it as you have a high FG and the dark malts have stronger flavours. It might not have the punch of a higher abv brew but if you're not doing a side by side comparison I wonder if you'll notice.

I guess one other point is that something could have just gone wrong with your reading.

Dunno but would seem a shame to throw a beer based purely on what it might taste like. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Thanks for this helpful reply. I will bottle it and see what it turns out to be. This is my first stout. I am encouraged to hear that you are often low in your OG with stouts. I was considering throwing it because of the huge gap between 1.045 expected OG and the actual 1.033 that I got.