# Specific gravity not changing



## Hurlux (28/5/18)

G'day guys, 

I'm brewing my first ever batch which is still bubbling away after 10 days but the specific gravity hasn't changed in the past 5 days (sitting at 1020). 

I made a few basic errors during the initial stages and have resigned myself to the fact ivI' basically brewed a light beer but happy to bottle it as long as I don't get bottle bombs going off in the garage... 

If the specific gravity isn't changing, is it safe to bottle or do I need to wait for it to stop bubbling? It's cold in the garage but I've used a heat pas which has kept the wort at a consistent 22°-24°

Using a basic extract kit with just the run of the mill extract can. I think I added too much boiling water at the start and the wort was too hot when I added the yeast is my guess as to the issue. Just confused that it's still bubbling but specific gravity isn't changing... 

What do I do??? Any help would be greatly appreciated cheers.


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## JayP (3/6/18)

I’m a noob with only a handful of brews under my belt so I am not really one to listen too...

I have a clear fermenter and notice fermentation has some obvious physical changes you can see over time. Airlocks on the other hand can deceive as changes in air pressure will cause them to bubble irrespective of any actual fermentation activity. .

It sounds like it’s done - what yeast did you use ? The manufactures publish spec sheets for guidance (ie Nottingham 4 days @20C) - did you get an obvious Krausen and then did it subside ? I notice in my fermentasaurus that by the time I reach FG ( I give it 7 -10 days to be safe) the Krausen has usually totally disappeared by FG.

How does it taste ?

If you were worried about bombs you could use the home brew pet bottles that should be safer than glass.

Congrats on the first brew - I had 3 dodgy outcomes before setting up a temp controlled fridge and it’s been smooth sailing since then.


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## damo83 (4/6/18)

What are you using to measure the FG? If you're using a refractometer the reading needs to be corrected for fermented wort, which will result in a lower SG value.


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## Let's Brew Beer (4/6/18)

Did you add any unfermentables? perhaps thats the reason for the high FG?


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## wide eyed and legless (4/6/18)

Hurlux said:


> G'day guys,
> 
> I'm brewing my first ever batch which is still bubbling away after 10 days but the specific gravity hasn't changed in the past 5 days (sitting at 1020).
> 
> ...


Not much you can do if you added yeast in to hot wort, yeast is a single cell organism which has survived for billions of years, it has to be respected for its survival instinct, but heat I'm afraid is its downfall. Freeze it OK heat is a no no.


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## koshari (4/6/18)

what was your starting gravity?


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## hoppy2B (4/6/18)

Hurlux said:


> G'day guys,
> 
> I'm brewing my first ever batch which is still bubbling away after 10 days but the specific gravity hasn't changed in the past 5 days (sitting at 1020).
> 
> ...



Which can did you use? Did you add any brewing sugars to the mix? How many litres did you make the batch up to? Did you steep any spec malts like crystal etc.? Did you add any hops? What was the starting gravity? Which yeast did you use to ferment it with?

1020 seems a bit high.


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## Hurlux (4/6/18)

Thanks for all the replies, people.

Just using the hydrometer that came with the kit... Narrow tube with the floating stem. Didn't take a reading until about 5 days in and that was 1020... Ended up bottling on the 13th day and it was still 1020. Tasted pretty good despite my best efforts to ruin it. There was a decent krausen above the wort if that's a good sign?

Just used the Morgan's Stockman's Draught that came with the kit. Was in a hurry to get to work so I didn't have time to let the wort cool before I added the yeast from the sachet that came in the can... Don't worry, I've learnt a lesson there. Didn't add any Hopps or anything else. 

I was more concerned about the bottles exploding but so far so good... Used the carbonation drops so one less thing to worry about.

I'm hoping it tastes alright based on the test I gave it before bottling. If it's low strength, so be it. 

Thanks again everyone for your help. My second batch is on, I think I've done a better job this yime around! Cheers.


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## Hurlux (4/6/18)

hoppy2B said:


> Which can did you use? Did you add any brewing sugars to the mix? How many litres did you make the batch up to? Did you steep any spec malts like crystal etc.? Did you add any hops? What was the starting gravity? Which yeast did you use to ferment it with?
> 
> 1020 seems a bit high.



Forgot to mention, just used 1kg of dextrose (again, came in the kit)...


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## hoppy2B (5/6/18)

1020 seems a bit high. Could be the yeast you are using. You can check if the hydrometer is accurate by placing it in clean water.


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## Plyplema (5/6/18)

Hurlux said:


> Was in a hurry to get to work so I didn't have time to let the wort cool before I added the yeast from the sachet that came in the can... Don't worry, I've learnt a lesson there.



What was the pitch temperature because this will likely be your issue? You're best to wait, even if that means not pitching until you get home from work.


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## mongey (5/6/18)

are they in glass bottles ? 

1020 for can and kilo Id def be careful around them


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## Hurlux (5/6/18)

This is where I'm confused .... All the instructions I read tell me that it should start around 1010 and finish at 1040 so I thought 1020 was low!


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## Uyllii (5/6/18)

Hurlux said:


> This is where I'm confused .... All the instructions I read tell me that it should start around 1010 and finish at 1040 so I thought 1020 was low!



That is backwards, SG goes down as fermentation progresses.


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## Hurlux (5/6/18)

F$#@sake... Thanks for the heads up... I thought that made more sense sinve wort definitely appears more dense than beer!


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## Rocker1986 (5/6/18)

1.020 is way high for a kit and kilo of dextrose. It should be about 1.005 give or take. If you test the hydrometer in water, just make sure the water is at the right temp otherwise you'll get an incorrect calibration. They're usually calibrated to 20C. It's unlikely that the hydrometer would be out by 10-15 points but I guess it's possible.

Probably more likely that pitching the yeast too warm killed a percentage of it and what was left was in less than great health and just gave up.


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## Hurlux (5/6/18)

Rocker1986 said:


> 1.020 is way high for a kit and kilo of dextrose. It should be about 1.005 give or take. If you test the hydrometer in water, just make sure the water is at the right temp otherwise you'll get an incorrect calibration. They're usually calibrated to 20C. It's unlikely that the hydrometer would be out by 10-15 points but I guess it's possible.
> 
> Probably more likely that pitching the yeast too warm killed a percentage of it and what was left was in less than great health and just gave up.



Yeah I've pretty much written this one off! 2nd brew is on and I think is much healthier


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## koshari (5/6/18)

I did a nz golden kit thet flattened out at around 1020. Its sg was about 1050.

Unfermentables.


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## Hurlux (5/6/18)

koshari said:


> I did a nz golden kit thet flattened out at around 1020. Its sg was about 1050.
> 
> Unfermentables.


How was it?


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## Rocker1986 (6/6/18)

There won't be many unfermentables in a kit and kilo of dextrose. Certainly nowhere near enough to have it finishing at 1.020. Dextrose leaves nothing behind but alcohol, and a lack of flavor. You'll get better results by adding light dry malt instead of dextrose, or at least a majority of malt.

Anyway, everything is a learning experience, hopefully the next brew fares better!


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## koshari (6/6/18)

Hurlux said:


> How was it?


tasted allright, i was hesitant to keg it as it was the highest FG i had ever done but with kegs you have the safety valve so not a big issue, but it stayed on 1020 for about 7 days before i kegged it.

just pulled the entry from my log, 

it was this one, 
19/07/2017 black rock golden 2 cans black rock golden, 2kg lme, .5kg wheat extract 40L 20DEG SG1055 04/08/17 FG1020 primed 100gm per keg


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## brewgasm (6/6/18)

I wonder if the dextrose was mislabelled maltodextrin.


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## Hurlux (6/6/18)

koshari said:


> tasted allright, i was hesitant to keg it as it was the highest FG i had ever done but with kegs you have the safety valve so not a big issue, but it stayed on 1020 for about 7 days before i kegged it.
> 
> just pulled the entry from my log,
> 
> ...


Thanks mat


koshari said:


> tasted allright, i was hesitant to keg it as it was the highest FG i had ever done but with kegs you have the safety valve so not a big issue, but it stayed on 1020 for about 7 days before i kegged it.
> 
> just pulled the entry from my log,
> 
> ...


Was it a normal strength alcohol-wise? Sorry to be a pain!


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## hoppy2B (7/6/18)

If OG: 1055 and FG: 1010 it should be about 6% abv.


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## Rocker1986 (7/6/18)

It says FG 1.020 not 1.010. I'd say it's more around 4.5%.


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## koshari (7/6/18)

Hurlux said:


> Thanks mat
> 
> Was it a normal strength alcohol-wise? Sorry to be a pain!


nah your right,

i recall it was prolly somewhere in the 4.x range, doesnt stand out from memory, it was one of those batches that tasted better after longer racking. so rockers calc would be close to the mark.


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## hoppy2B (7/6/18)

Rocker1986 said:


> It says FG 1.020 not 1.010. I'd say it's more around 4.5%.


Yeah, I misread the question, late at night. I gave the content of what an OG: 1055 would normally be around.


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## Tricky Dicky (9/6/18)

I have fermenting a Muntons Yorkshire Bitter (yes I'm a Yorkie!) with 1kg LDME from LHBS. This my first HB attempt in over 30 years and I'm excited by the progress in HB techniques and tools in particular temp controllers, spray sanitisers and kegging abilities. Anyway I pitched at 20 c, yeast range is 18 to 21 c, temp controlled in a fridge at 19.5c and after 3 and half days the airlock has stopped bubbling but gravity reading has been 1020 for 2 days now. OG was 1059. In your experiences could the FG still drop down another 11 or 12 points down to 1008 like the kit states ?( BTW the kit asked for 1kg brewing sugar not LDME.)


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## Hurlux (10/6/18)

Tricky Dicky said:


> I have fermenting a Muntons Yorkshire Bitter (yes I'm a Yorkie!) with 1kg LDME from LHBS. This my first HB attempt in over 30 years and I'm excited by the progress in HB techniques and tools in particular temp controllers, spray sanitisers and kegging abilities. Anyway I pitched at 20 c, yeast range is 18 to 21 c, temp controlled in a fridge at 19.5c and after 3 and half days the airlock has stopped bubbling but gravity reading has been 1020 for 2 days now. OG was 1059. In your experiences could the FG still drop down another 11 or 12 points down to 1008 like the kit states ?( BTW the kit asked for 1kg brewing sugar not LDME.)


Sorry I can't add any advice mate but interested to know how it turns out. My mrs is from Middlesbrough so I should probably make one too


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## Rocker1986 (11/6/18)

Assuming the Muntons kits are about the same size as Coopers, how did you manage an OG of 1.059 with a kit and kilo? What volume did you make the brew to? If you made it to 23 litres then your OG would be about 1.040. I wouldn't take any notice of what the kits say the FG should be, they're obviously based on a particular fermentable make up and you aren't likely to get to 1.008 with 1kg of LDM. However, the beer will taste a lot better than using brewing sugar. 

Check your hydrometer in 20C water and see what it reads; it should be 1.000, anything above or below that and you'll have to either subtract or add the difference to each reading.


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## Tricky Dicky (11/6/18)

Seems fine measuring water at zero I wonder if I misread the OG as it was late at night as I waited for the wort to cool before pitching. The LDME was named a "#20 booster" suitable for strong ales so not sure if that could explain the high OG. I have emailed the HB supplier asking what's the difference between the 1kg LDME boosters they sell i.e #10 & #15 boosters, unless anyone on here knows?


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## MHB (11/6/18)

To calculate Alcohol By Volume (ABV) its just the change in gravity/7.5
so from 1.050 to 1.020 you have a change of 30 (points) / 7.5 = 4%
For 1.050 to 1.010 you have a change of 40 so 40/7.5 = 5.3333%
Simple little equation that is well worth every brewer remembering - or tattooing on the inside of your eyelids...
The "Points" way of expressing gravity is just a handy way to play with the numbers, and the 7.5 is an approximation
7.53 is closer and the standard form of the equation is (OG-FG)/0.00753 = ABV%
or as above (1.050-1.020)/0.00753 = 3.98%
Which ever way you do it well worth being familiar with it.
Mark


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## Rocker1986 (11/6/18)

Tricky Dicky said:


> Seems fine measuring water at zero I wonder if I misread the OG as it was late at night as I waited for the wort to cool before pitching. The LDME was named a "#20 booster" suitable for strong ales so not sure if that could explain the high OG. I have emailed the HB supplier asking what's the difference between the 1kg LDME boosters they sell i.e #10 & #15 boosters, unless anyone on here knows?



1kg is 1kg, all of them pretty much provide the same gravity in a given amount of water. 1kg of one of them added to a kit isn't gonna make the batch 1.040 while replacing it with 1kg of a different one makes it 19 points higher. They'll all be around the same. The only way to increase the gravity is to add more fermentables, or reduce the volume of the batch. The difference in the "boosters" is just the makeup of the different things they use in them, i.e. dry malt extract, maltodextrin and dextrose. Some may also contain wheat malt. They all contain different percentages of these ingredients.

How many litres was the batch volume?


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## hoppy2B (11/6/18)

According to the instructions that used to come with the Coopers kits, the number to divide by is 7.46. So the equation is (O.G.-F.G.)/7.46
There is actually a noticeable difference between LDME and dextrose. I think LDME will give a similar gravity to sugar, whereas dextrose will give a lower gravity. I have the numbers written down somewhere. Looking for them at the moment. I typically bulk prime with 5 grams of sugar per litre. If I try and bulk prime with 5 grams of dextrose a litre my carbonation is practically non existent.


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## hoppy2B (11/6/18)

I found an online calculator that says you multiply the number by 131.25.

So 1.050-1.020 = 0.03 x 131.25 = 3.9375.


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## MHB (11/6/18)

The "on-line" calculator is in effect using 7.62, coopers kit say 7.46, most people use 7.5 (because its easy to remember?) one of my brewing textbook says 7.53.
In any case the results (say 4%) are probably well inside the measurement error of a home hydrometer.

Glucose Mono-Hydrate (Dextrose) comes in at ~91% solids, so yes it will give a lower OG than most other common dry adjuncts. Mind you it isn't going to make all that much difference, in a 23L brew a 1.7kg kit will give 1.36kg of solids (~80%), add 1kg of DME and you have 2.36kg's or 2.27Kg's in solution for adding Dextrose, roughly a 4% lower OG.

5g/l Sucrose and 5g/l Dextrose same thing ~4% less fizz from the dextrose, not really a matter of concern.
1g of fermentable gives 0.468g of CO2, 5g/l gives 2.34g/l, bit low even for UK Pale Ale (typically 3-4g/l) so if you drop off the fizz a titch its likely to be pretty obvious.
Mark


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## Tricky Dicky (11/6/18)

Rocker1986 said:


> 1kg is 1kg, all of them pretty much provide the same gravity in a given amount of water. 1kg of one of them added to a kit isn't gonna make the batch 1.040 while replacing it with 1kg of a different one makes it 19 points higher. They'll all be around the same. The only way to increase the gravity is to add more fermentables, or reduce the volume of the batch. The difference in the "boosters" is just the makeup of the different things they use in them, i.e. dry malt extract, maltodextrin and dextrose. Some may also contain wheat malt. They all contain different percentages of these ingredients.
> 
> How many litres was the batch volume?


I made 23 litres.


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## hoppy2B (11/6/18)

Here is a calculator for adding priming sugar. I had it bookmarked on my computer:

https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/


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## Tricky Dicky (11/6/18)

hoppy2B said:


> Here is a calculator for adding priming sugar. I had it bookmarked on my computer:
> 
> https://www.brewersfriend.com/beer-priming-calculator/


I will be kegging this brew so not sure if it applies?


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## Rocker1986 (12/6/18)

Yeah, no way you'd get 1.059 OG from a kit and kilo in 23 litres. You're looking more around 1.038-39, maybe 1.040-41 depending on the size of the Muntons kit.

Also, if kegging don't worry about priming sugar if you're carbonating from a gas cylinder. Don't need it. Actually one of my favorite things about kegging, not stressing about whether the bloody things are warm enough for carbonation to occur.


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## Ben Davies (12/6/18)

Stuck fermentation it sounds like to me. Warm it up give fermentor a swirl ti resuspend yeast this should help for them last few gravity points.


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