4th Attempt at Pale Ale

[Mike at Bay]

Hi all......this was my 4th attempt at a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Clone (in a row)........Attempted 4 times to get try and get the process "right". Had some bumps in the road....previous brew had some odd PH readings. blah blah blah.

FInal attempt was solid. PH at 20 mins in BIAB mash was good. Final PH almost right on after some adjustments for a pre boil PH of 5.5.

Fast forward to the original gravity which is a little low.....at 1.046 vs 1.051 expected. prevail gravity was actually a tad high at 1.040.

So the question....given all of the measurements/adjusts for temps, etc. on hydrometers.....do you all get concerned about a .005 variance from the expected gravity?

 

[Dave Y]

If I end up short on the pre-boil gravity, but I have made my volume, I will boil an extra 10-15m, reassessing along the way. I brew 6.25 gallons for this and to accommodate for the kettle & t/f losses. Often times the answer is yes because I've planned it out and I don't like missing a target if I can avoid it. I already mash 80-90 minutes, so it is what it is sometimes.

If it's a total catastrophe brew day, I'd think twice about doubling down ;-)

If I miss post boil, no, it is what it is but I don't recall seeing that big a variance low post boil.

It's beer. Just keep eliminating variables, perfecting your process and do what you can to minimize mistakes. You'll still have some misses, but they will become fewer, less severe, and you'll make better beer for it.

 

[Mike at Bay]

If I end up short on the pre-boil gravity, but I have made my volume, I will boil an extra 10-15m, reassessing along the way. I brew 6.25 gallons for this and to accommodate for the kettle & t/f losses. Often times the answer is yes because I've planned it out and I don't like missing a target if I can avoid it. I already mash 80-90 minutes, so it is what it is sometimes.

If it's a total catastrophe brew day, I'd think twice about doubling down ;-)

If I miss post boil, no, it is what it is but I don't recall seeing that big a variance low post boil.

It's beer. Just keep eliminating variables, perfecting your process and do what you can to minimize mistakes. You'll still have some misses, but they will become fewer, less severe, and you'll make better beer for it.

Thanks. yes to be clearer.....my pre boil was expected to be 1.036 and was closer to 1.040. Original (post boil) was expected to be 1.051 and is closer to 1.046. my volumes were close and as said PH felt good.

Appreciate the "it's beer" encouragement.....just trying to figure out what I may have done wrong. I actually went in a little lite on the starting water volume as determined by the software hoping to avoid this issue.

Software said 8.6 gals to start and I went in at 8.3 gals. I think having adjusted my aggressive propane boil that my boil off may now be too high thus diluting the final product...however, didn't seem dramatically different.

my pre boil volume was to be 7.5 ish......I was very close to that. Dummy forgot to take a measure at post boil which would be very helpful in this conversation.

 

[Mike at Bay]

one additional questions for the experts......I never trust my tilts. However, I have two floating hydros. One is calibrated to 60 and the other to 68. With temp correction calc here on the site the 60 is giving me 1.052. The 68 is giving me 1.046. I would take the 1.052 everyday but this seems weird that they would be off by .006 points. Thoughts?

 

[Bigbre04]

To adjust up i add dextrose.

Down i add some water, obviously being conscious of IBU and SRM.

Hit my OG with my Preboil. added 2 gals of water to the boil before hops. added an extra ounce of loral cryo at 15 mins and hit my grav spot on.

 

[Bigbre04]

one additional questions for the experts......I never trust my tilts. However, I have two floating hydros. One is calibrated to 60 and the other to 68. With temp correction calc here on the site the 60 is giving me 1.052. The 68 is giving me 1.046. I would take the 1.052 everyday but this seems weird that they would be off by .006 points. Thoughts?

honestly dont sweat it. the difference is very small. less then 1 percent abv

I am different, i am repeating the same recipes so i worry about being accurate.

 

[Donoroto]

do you all get concerned about a .005 variance from the expected gravity?

Nope, not ever.

 

[Mike at Bay]

honestly dont sweat it. the difference is very small. less then 1 percent abv

I am different, i am repeating the same recipes so i worry about being accurate.

Thanks. I am obsessed. . Actually the clearest beer I have ever brewed before crashing and kegging. Take the great with the good I guess. LOL

 

[Mike at Bay]

Nope, not ever.

so glad to hear that.

 

[Bigbre04]

Thanks. I am obsessed. . Actually the clearest beer I have ever brewed before crashing and kegging. Take the great with the good I guess. LOL

hell ya man! I love hitting my projected numbers. i frequently double brew batches so i am able to adjust my second batches. especially when i am trying new grain or ingredients etc.

 

[Megary]

Thanks. yes to be clearer.....my pre boil was expected to be 1.036 and was closer to 1.040. Original (post boil) was expected to be 1.051 and is closer to 1.046. my volumes were close and as said PH felt good.

Appreciate the "it's beer" encouragement.....just trying to figure out what I may have done wrong. I actually went in a little lite on the starting water volume as determined by the software hoping to avoid this issue.

Software said 8.6 gals to start and I went in at 8.3 gals. I think having adjusted my aggressive propane boil that my boil off may now be too high thus diluting the final product...however, didn't seem dramatically different.

my pre boil volume was to be 7.5 ish......I was very close to that. Dummy forgot to take a measure at post boil which would be very helpful in this conversation.

Pre Boil Gravity(points) x Pre Boil Volume = Post Boil Gravity(points) x Post Boil Volume
40 x 7.5 = 46 x Post Boil Volume
Post Boil Volume = 6.5

Thats a boil off of 1 gallon. I’ll assume you boiled for an hour. Not sure why your calculator assumes you would go from a pre boil gravity of 1.036 to a post boil gravity of 1.051. That’s quite the jump.

 

[Zambi]

Frankkly I would use my numbers to update the "assumptions" in the calculator, like boil off, water absorption of grains, efficiency etc
Those are different for everyone and every set up

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

Fast forward to the original gravity which is a little low.....at 1.046 vs 1.051 expected. prevail gravity was actually a tad high at 1.040.

Pre boil gravity is nice, I adjust the boil to hit the desired gravity. I don't like missing numbers, so I try to hit within 1.001-1.002 or less of the intended gravity. So I never worry about volume, only gravity. I often will miss my expected preboil volume and gravity slightly, so I either extend the boil or add water to get the OG right.

Nailing the numbers can be frustrating and it may seem trivial, but it helps with consistency. It affects bitterness, mouth feel, flavor and the overall quality of the beer. Practice makes perfect, if you are willing to brew a beer 4 times in a row, I would assume you are willing to go the extra mile to nail that beer. I'll bet Sierra Nevada hit their numbers.

 

[Mike at Bay]

Pre boil gravity is nice, I adjust the boil to hit the desired gravity. I don't like missing numbers, so I try to hit within 1.001-1.002 or less of the intended gravity. So I never worry about volume, only gravity. I often will miss my expected preboil volume and gravity slightly, so I either extend the boil or add water to get the OG right.

Nailing the numbers can be frustrating and it may seem trivial, but it helps with consistency. It affects bitterness, mouth feel, flavor and the overall quality of the beer. Practice makes perfect, if you are willing to brew a beer 4 times in a row, I would assume you are willing to go the extra mile to nail that beer. I'll bet Sierra Nevada hit their numbers.

Thanks. Yep I would like to be on target. Missing makes me think I made a mistake somewhere. I also think the software/calculators, my equipment and me aren't quite in sync yet which leads to missed numbers.

I did check my hydrometers all against each other today in distilled water and one is off slightly which probably accounts for the discrepancy in OG readings after the brew. However, the "right" hydrometer did confirm I came out a low.

My gut says my volumes in the software need refinement.

 

[Brew Cat]

well there are so many variables to really guess
just try to hone your process for consistency
then like mentioned above adjust your profile in the calculator

 

[Megary]

Thanks. Yep I would like to be on target. Missing makes me think I made a mistake somewhere. I also think the software/calculators, my equipment and me aren't quite in sync yet which leads to missed numbers.

I did check my hydrometers all against each other today in distilled water and one is off slightly which probably accounts for the discrepancy in OG readings after the brew. However, the "right" hydrometer did confirm I came out a low.

My gut says my volumes in the software need refinement.

In my opinion, you didn't come out low at all. If anything, since your pre-boil gravity was greater than expected and your pre-boil volume was correct, you actually ended "high". Once you end the mash by removing the grain, your sugars are "locked in". You can't boil away sugars or boil in more sugars. All you are doing is boiling away the water and concentrating the sugars that are already there, thus the increase in gravity from pre and post boil.

Your calculator is suggesting an unreasonable gravity jump that simply can't happen in a one-hour boil. Something in the calculator settings is wonky.

 

[Bigbre04]

Frankkly I would use my numbers to update the "assumptions" in the calculator, like boil off, water absorption of grains, efficiency etc
Those are different for everyone and every set up

this is very important. you need to tailor the software settings to your actual results vs expected results.

I need to dig in and figure out how to adjust my boil off numbers. I know from doing it that my preboil will be .4P lower then my OG(unless my sample gets fucked up).

 

[Bigbre04]

Thanks. Yep I would like to be on target. Missing makes me think I made a mistake somewhere. I also think the software/calculators, my equipment and me aren't quite in sync yet which leads to missed numbers.

I did check my hydrometers all against each other today in distilled water and one is off slightly which probably accounts for the discrepancy in OG readings after the brew. However, the "right" hydrometer did confirm I came out a low.

My gut says my volumes in the software need refinement.

if you feel like throwing money at the problem look up "safety Blue hydrometers" on amazon. they are temp corrected and are very accurate. industry standard for commercial brewing. they also allow for much more accuracy by having limited ranges. mine go 0-8, 8-16, 16-24p but the full set runs about >$150. I also keep a second full set on hand and have some shitty plastic ones as well as refracts.

 

[Mike at Bay]

if you feel like throwing money at the problem look up "safety Blue hydrometers" on amazon. they are temp corrected and are very accurate. industry standard for commercial brewing. they also allow for much more accuracy by having limited ranges. mine go 0-8, 8-16, 16-24p but the full set runs about >$150. I also keep a second full set on hand and have some shitty plastic ones as well as refracts.

So safety Blue refers to a type of thermo hydrometer made by several different manufacturers? SO I would change over to Plato if I went this route? Not sure if I am asking the right questions.... LOL

 

[Mike at Bay]

So safety Blue refers to a type of thermo hydrometer made by several different manufacturers? SO I would change over to Plato if I went this route? Not sure if I am asking the right questions.... LOL

...and I throw money at lots of problems....boats, Jeeps, fishing equipment.....this should be no different.