Original Gravity Seems Too Low...

[Poodz]

Ok im quite new so any help will be much appreciated.

I brewed a coopers pale ale kit adding an enhancer with a small pack of hops which was bolied all together for 7-10 before adding to the kit in the fermentor.

My original gravity was 1.032 which seems too low, considering i added a whole pack of enhancer.

Finishing gravity was 1.011.

I put in everything and the total volume was smack on 23 litres.

Can someone suggest to me the reason why i may have a much lighter beer?

Could the boiling process have something to do with it as ive never done this before?

 

[Jethro]

Hey Poodz dont know about enhancer I guess its a combination of dried malt extract and corn sugar but I thought most kits are designed for 22 litres and what temperature did you take the reading (the warmer the wort the lower the reading most hydrometers are calibrated to 20 deg C) My guess is you have done little wrong if youi followed the directions. Hey talk to some of the Beer gods on htis site and discover extract Brewing (It really is worth the leap) :blink:
Cheers Jethro

 

[Poodz]

Yeah you're right about the enhancer. ok i see the temp would have been higher. I remember now i got a little carried away with the hot water and watched the temp rise and rise. So when i took the reading it was prob still up around 26 or 27.

I guess ill wait till i drink it to see if its got any kick...

 

[Jethro]

Hey Poodz those kits are pretty consistant itl work out no worries Cheers Jethro

 

[Gulf Brewery]

Poodz

At 26/27 you can add two points to your SG, at 30, add 3

Cheers
Pedro

 

[GMK]

The enhance is just Dextrose and some corn syrup..

 

[Poodz]

hope so jethro...

Pedro, when u say 2 points, you mean 1032 will become what exactly?

 

[pint of lager]

Poodz, I suspect that there was still some undissolved extract or brew sugar sitting on the bottom of your fermenter, so your sg sample was not truly representative. This happens a lot with new brewers. Hopefully, the yeast will work on the extract.

Or, your hydrometer is wrong. Sometimes, the paper slips in the glasss stem. Measure a sample of plain tap water, it should read 1.000.

Or, there was something wrong with the kit and the extract was watery.

Next time, dissolve everything really well in a few litres of boiling water. Stir lots. Then top up with tap water, stir again, then take an sg reading.

 

[Gulf Brewery]

Poodz

Sorry I didn't explain it clearly. I knew what I was talking about.....

A wort that measures 1.032 at 30C is really 1.037
A wort that measures 1.032 at 26C is really 1.034

Cheers
Pedro

 

[THE DRUNK ARAB]

Poodz, here is a handy conversion table for gravity readings at different temps.

C&B
TDA

 

[joecast]

was there any wort left in the brewpot? that could account for some lost gravity. when i boil in the keg i leave about two to three L in the bottom with lots of hop residue, so my batch ends up about 20L for the correct gravity.
joe