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Lager Conundrum

Sremed60

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I brewed my first lager 5 days ago. Preboil volume was 7 gallons, should have been slightly more. Preboil gravity was 1.044. Estimated was 1.043. My estimated preboil volume didn't calculate correctly and I didn't take the time to figure out why. So I was (guessing) that 1.044 (11 brix) was in the ballpark.

After a 60 minute fairly rigorous boil I ended up with just under 5.25 gallons. I took a refractometer reading and got 11 brix. I rinsed the refractometer in distilled water, checked that it was 0 brix, and took another sample - 11 brix. 1.044???

I threw it in the fermenter and pitched my yeast starter. It's been sitting at 50F degrees for 5 days, I just took a hydrometer reading and it's at 1.022, very, very slight diacetyl taste. I ramped the temp up to 60F

I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on the refractometer readings? 7 gallons preboil at 1.044 and then 5.25 gallons post boil at the same 1.044 gravity? I got the refractometer off ebay for $20 - not sure if that could have been the issue. I double checked the post boil reading and got 11 brix both times. I only checked the preboil sample once. I got 11 brix and moved on.

I'm baffled.
 
My guess is that one of your refractometer readings is off. 

I use a refractometer as well, but use a hydrometer for pre-boil gravity readings and original gravity readings.  I often find that I need to take several refractometer readings, after stirring well, to make sure that I don't get a fluke reading.  While it is handy for in-process work (1st runnings, second runnings, boil readings), you are measuring such a small sample with the refractometer that it is easy to get an error from wort which has been sitting for even a few minutes.

 
Makes sense. Estimated OG was supposed to be 1.052. Since all my other readings were fairly close I'm just going to assume this one should have been close too. I got started late that day so by the time I got to the end of the boil I was beat and just plain too lazy to go get the hydrometer.
 
Greetings Sremed60. My process sounds exactly like the one described by Oginme. I like the refractometer for quick process readings. But I rely on my hydrometer for the real critical stuff.
 
Remember to use your hydrometer for your final gravity as well because alcohol refracts differently then water and you will get incorrect measurements on your refractometer. For the weird pre boil and OG readings i would guess you got a fluke reading on the OG.
 
Beersmith includes a tool to correct for the presence of alcohol in fermenting or fermented beer. I'm assuming you got a refractometer reading of 5.7 for your fermenting wort, which equals 1.022 for unfermented wort. Correcting for the presence of alcohol and a starting gravity of 1.044, your fermented wort was actually at 1.009.

Getting 1.044 pre-and post- boil sounds like there's a problem in one of the readings. I've gotten strange refractometer readings when I used hot wort. My refractometer clearly stated it was "automatically temperature-correcting", so I assumed it was correcting for the temperature of the wort. On another forum I read that the ATC function corrects for the temperature of the refractometer. Yeah, I thought that was odd also. Since all the action is taking place between the sample, the prism and the cover plate, the three components should be at about the same temperature. Leaving the mystery of optical magic aside, I decided to cool my wort samples to room temperature before putting a few drops on the prism. It worked. My readings stabilized and agreed with my hydrometer. I scoop up a milliliter or two of wort in a small, thick-bottom glass, let it cool for a minute, then pour a few drops into a second similar glass. The samples appear to cool enough to give reliable readings within a couple of minutes.
 
I brewed on the 5th, chilled it to 50*F and pitched the yeast and left it at 50*F. There was never any airlock activity that I noticed but I wasn't worried about that. I took a hydrometer reading on the 10th and got 1.022 so I ramped the temp up to 60*F. I took another hydrometer reading today, (the 13th), and it's at 1.008. The "Estimated Final Gravity" according to beersmith was supposed to be 1.013. I probably should have waited and taken another reading tomorrow, but it's been sitting at 60*F for 3 days and since my FG is 5 points below the target I took a chance and racked it to secondary, threw in some gelatin and started ramping the temp back down. My plan is to bottle in 6 weeks, but I'll check it in 4.

The original color was (maybe) 2 SRM after the boil. I think it's probably between 3 and 4 now. The IBU's figured out to 48 with a bunch of late additions at 10 and 5 minutes, but there is almost no hop aroma. In fact there's not much aroma at all. I'm not that good at judging young non-carbonated beers but I'd say this one seems to lean to more malty than hoppy for taste, (at least at this point).

It'll be interesting. I have a feeling it's going to be pretty dry, very light, and minimal smell or taste. Not exactly what I was shooting for, but it's my first attempt at a lager. Maybe I'll bump the carbonation up a bit just to give it at least one interesting characteristic.
 
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