# Final Gravity too high?



## Louie (11/2/13)

Hi Guys,

I was recently given a brewcraft beginners kit, and used it to brew my first batch. It came with a Cascade Imperial Voyage Pale Ale kit can. I forgot to take an original gravity reading, but after a week in the fermenter, after the airlock had stopped bubbling, I measured it at 1015. A few days later, it hasn't changed at all. The brew is still very cloudy.

Does this seem too high? I'm not overly worried about it being too sweet or whatever, but I am worried about bottles exploding. My wife will never let me brew another batch if I detonate beer in our kitchen.

thanks!


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## carniebrew (11/2/13)

Hi Louie, what were the exact ingredients, including the number of litres you filled the fermenter up to, which yeast did you use, and at what temperature did you ferment?

Often those kits come with a 'brew enhancer' pack which includes maltodextrin...this sugar adds 'thickness' to your end beer, for added mouthfeel as they say in the business. It results in higher final gravities because it's unfermentable. 1015 does sound a bit high, but it's very hard to tell without your exact ingredients...so post 'em back if you could?


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## Econwatson (11/2/13)

Hydrometers are designed to work at specific temperatures,and if the temperature of your wort isn't at this specific temperature, your gravity reading will be off. Your hydrometer might have come with a correction table which you can use to adjust your reading. 

That could explain your gravity being a little higher than you wanted.


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## Louie (11/2/13)

Unfortunately I'm not sure of the exact ingredients of the Cascade extract can. I know the yeast was listed as Cascade Yeast. It did include a brew enchancer containing 500g dextrose, 250g light malt extract, 250 g corn syrup. I used 22 liters of water, the initial temp was 27, and it's been fermenting at between 20 and 24 degrees.

According to cascade brew guide, this stuff should be at about 1006, so I'm obviously a fair way off!


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## carniebrew (11/2/13)

That's ok, I didn't mean the ingredients inside the kit can, just whatever you mixed with it.

With those ingredients I'd be expecting more like a 1011 final gravity in 22 litres. Can you test your hydrometer by putting it in water straight out of the cold tap, and seeing if it reads 1000, or close enough to it? At those sort of fermenting temps it would normally be finished fermenting by now, so I'm a bit suss on your hydrometer. If the hydro is ok, it would be worth giving your fermenter a gentle swirl to see if that gets things going again. Just be careful not to splash the beer around at all.


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## Louie (11/2/13)

Cheers, I checked the hydrometer and it's almost dead on 1000. I'll give it a bit of a swirl and see if that gets things moving. If there's no change, do you think it's safe to just bottle it anyway?


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## manticle (11/2/13)

No.

Take a hydrometer sample's worth in a clean, sanitised stubby, Shake the crap out of it, cover with glad wrap and a rubber band and leave in a warm place (mid- high 20s or just ambien this time of year in Melb).

Shake it whenever you walk past.

After 3-4 days, pour that into your hydrometer tube and remeasure.

Don't put this sample back in your fermenter.


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## pcmfisher (12/2/13)

The yeast in those Cascade cans is a shocker.
Slow to start, slow to ferment and slow to finish.
Give it a swirl and leave it for another couple of weeks.


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