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Help with not hitting original gravity please?

shaunpycroft

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Hi all, my first post on here! ok, so ive been using beersmith for a year or so now but really trying to nail it now and have a slight problem. Im using a 3 keg electric herms set up for a 27litre batch size into the fermenter. Im hitting all my volume levels bang on, pre boil volume, volume into the fermenter etc. Im hitting my starting gravity to the point everytime but every single brew I do im 4 points low on my OG?? because its repeating itself every time at 4 points under im of the opinion ive got something set wrong on BS? Like I said all volumes are perfect and boil off is correct too at 5 litres. I know its not a huge problem but when I design a recipe for say a 5% beer I obviously land well under that. Any ideas where to look would be fantastic. Im not sure how to share my equipment profile on here but im sure its possible? Thanks in advance Shaun
 
Mash temp?? What is your water like?? What temperature range do you ferment at??
 
mash is light body 64 degrees, i have full control of my water profile, all ph levels and salts are perfect for style, ferment at 20 degrees. how could these affect my original gravity into fermenter?
 
shaunpycroft said:
mash is light body 64 degrees, i have full control of my water profile, all ph levels and salts are perfect for style, ferment at 20 degrees. how could these affect my original gravity into fermenter?

Well I missed it for one, sorry lol but water and mash temp can affect OG I thought your finally gravity was off that's why I said what I did sorry.

I used to put my grains in and beat water after because I was doing it wrong and would always get poor OG after I started heating water before adding grains I've gotten vastly superior beers.
 
Hey no problem cheers, it?s a strange one tbh. Every brew is 4 points low which led me to a possible setting in BeerSmith I?ve got out?
 
Since you are consistently lower than your calculated gravity readings, it would appear as though your brew house efficiency target is set too high.  As you have been hitting your volumes pretty close or right on, you have your system well defined for the water amounts at each step.  The difference will be in the amount of actual sugars extracted versus what has been set by your equipment profile.

If you have filled out the actual readings in your past brews, you will get a 'meas efficiency' calculation on the 'sessions' tab.  This will give you an actual brew house efficiency as compared to the efficiency in your equipment file.  Update your equipment file with this new efficiency and use this new equipment file for the next few brews.
 
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