High Og

[cdavros]

So, last night I whipped up another brew:
1.7kg Coopers Draught Extract
1.5kg light liquid malt extract
20g Cascade pellets
(will add 10-15g Chinook a couple of days in)

Made up to 22 litres.

Added safale yeast once it had cooled down and took an SG reading of... 1.078.
That seemed a bit crazy so I waited for a bit for the sample to settle down. No change in SG.
I took another reading (from a new sample) this morning (~12 hours after previous reading) and got 1.056.
Beer Smith estimated an OG of around 1.050 (assuming I entered it all right).
Would the high reading from last night just be due to the beer having not settled down when I took the sample? And would you say 1.056 would be a fair measurement for the OG (I'd like to have a reasonable idea of the %abv)?
Cheers

 

[Adamt]

Use the Beersmith estimation. You must not have mixed the malt in well enough (it takes a while) and probably wasn't quite right this morning either. It will over-estimate as you are taking your sample from the bottom. There aren't any real problems with not mixing completely (apart from measuring OG).

 

[bullya]

air bubbles on the hydro can also give you a high reading i've had issues with that one before just give it a spin to get rid of them

 

[cdavros]

Yeah I was spinning the hydrometer, it's probably just as you say Adam - I'm not sure if the hopped extract was fully mixed in. Is it OK to chuck liquid extract in when boiling hops up, to make sure it mixes in well?

 

[raven19]

It is ok to add in the boil, will help mixing thoroughly and thin the mixture (as it heats).

I added the liquid extract in my last beer with no ill effects (as yet!)

Cheers.

 

[buttersd70]

If you're talking about the hopped extract, yes you can add it to the boil, but do so right at the very end, just to thin it and mix it in. Extended heat will drive off aroma and flavour from the tin. (although, some do boil it to deliberately drive off the aroma and flavour from the kit.)