Original gravity reading

dave althouse

dave althouse

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Ok, this is my 3rd all grain, last 2 tasted great. So, based on the recipe for chocolate wheat porter the O.G. was 1.034 the recipe indicates should be1.051. When I made my log entry it shows an efficiency of 58% not 75%. I mashed my grain at 150 for 60 minutes did the iodine test and that stayed black, so I would of thought that the mash was finished. Should I have mashed longer? Do I just go with it and drink what finishes?

thanks
 
Mind sharing your recipe and process?
 
What was the mash temperature? Also, what portion of the mash was 2-row or 6-row? On the other side, go ahead and ferment. It'll probably be fine.
 
I think you probably converted the starch to sugar but didn't rinse all the sugar out and that is why your efficiency was lower. I'd just make session beer with it. That way you can drink more of them before getting drunk. Should still taste good
Next time have a bit of malt extract on hand. If your gravity comes up low you can add in some extract and bump it up where you want it. If you take a gravity reading with about 10 minutes left you can compensate with extract to raise gravity or water to lower it and have enough time for it to mix in and sterilize.
 
dave althouse said:
Ok, this is my 3rd all grain, last 2 tasted great. So, based on the recipe for chocolate wheat porter the O.G. was 1.034 the recipe indicates should be1.051. When I made my log entry it shows an efficiency of 58% not 75%. I mashed my grain at 150 for 60 minutes did the iodine test and that stayed black, so I would of thought that the mash was finished. Should I have mashed longer? Do I just go with it and drink what finishes?

thanks
Click to expand...
If the iodine stayed black, doesn't that suggest the starches were not all converted yet?
 
I doubt you would have converted more. An hour is long enough for just about any conversion unless it's full of adjunct and that recipe doesn't have a lot. Variation that extreme is usually something besides just mash efficiency issue. The black iodine is an issue but it almost always stays black when it's in contact with bits of grain. You have to get some clear wort in a spoon and put a drop in. It starts brown and turns black if there's starch present in the liquid.
Some possibilities...
Did you substitute the Red Wheat with unmalted, flaked or torrified wheat? That high a percentage could have left plenty unconverted.
Did you add the lactose before you took the gravity reading? That would skew it quite a bit.
Are you sure of your volumes? Under-boiling or over-topping by a significant amount will really have an effect on the gravity.
Are you absolutely certain of your recipe measurements? I've missed the target because I weighed wrong.
Did you have any custom fermentables in the recipe when you calculated. Not clicking the "mashed" box will throw things off a lot.
Did you scale the recipe for a smaller batch? Sometimes things get thrown off in the conversion.
There'll be an explanation
 
Thanks for that link to the Iodine Test. Never tested for Complete Conversion before, will next time.
 
Would just like to put this out there that this stuff is found at your local drug store and being clear is much easier to detect color change.
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