The Day I Got Carried Away

[dickTed]

My first all extract brew could be a little strong.

It had 4kg LME, 500g crystal, 500g dextrose & 250ml maple syrup.

The OG which I checked about 20 times was 1.098, and it was made a week ago and SG is now down to 1.018. I am going to rack & dry hop it tomorrow.

Perhaps I should quickly make another weaker brew, and blend them.

On the other hand, when I bottle it, I could leave it for a few months to mellow.

Any better ideas?

 

[Kai]

Where's the hops? Did you have a kit to go with that LME?

 

[Aaron]

That is a big beer. Hopefully you have some hops in there. I would let it go and see how it turns out. Experimentation is good.

 

[jgriffin]

I punched those figures into beersmith, and it gave me 1.064. You may have found that the syrup sat at the bottom of the fermenter and gave you too high a reading. It also gives an FG fo 1.017, which matches, i doubt you could get an extract 1.098 beer to finish anywhere near that low.

 

[dickTed]

40g Saaz (60min) 15g Cascade (30min), and the maple syrup went into boil for last 10 mins with the dextrose and half tab Irish moss.

I made a starter from 2 pkts dry yeast (Cooper ale yeast out of the Sparkling ale kits). The starter hadn't started by the time I pitched it, but 3 hours later it was going great guns.

Also put at least 5 lt water into the fermenter before I poured the cooled wort in, so I doubt that the syrup was concentrated at the bottom.

The sample sat in the jar for about 15 mins with the hydrometer in it before I took that reading. (gave it a spin)

Usually I tip the first sample jar-full down the sink, and take a second one, which I didn't do this time.

Anyway I took the sample just before I pitched, so it had just been given a good stir.

 

[Ross]

dickted,

What was the size of the batch? If a standard 23L brew, I don't see how those, ingredients gave you that gravity, that's without even calculating it...

 

[berto]

I agree. For a 2 can brew which is 3.4kg of extract you gfet nowhere near that. I had the same thing happen to me in a partial, after boiling for an hour the syrup hadnt mixed right through. Realised it was wrong at the start, gave it a huge stir and it dropped a good 30 points