what can you do
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- Drunk as a Skunk
- Posts: 764
- Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 10:27 pm
Re: what can you do
Well you can raise it with DME, lower it with water (liquor back) or - my usual preference - just not worry about it. I suppose it depends to some extent on how far you missed it by.
- Kev888
- So far gone I'm on the way back again!
- Posts: 7701
- Joined: Fri Mar 19, 2010 6:22 pm
- Location: Derbyshire, UK
Re: what can you do
Record it, in enough detail that you don't next time. Once you have amassed sufficient experience of how the particular system performs, then (barring mistakes) its rare to be much more than a couple of points out. People can get competitive about efficiency, but IMO unless efficiency is actually poor then consistency is a more useful goal in non-commercial brewing.
If you are over the expected OG you can liquor back, if you are slightly under it you can boil for longer to reduce (and concentrate) the wort a bit - delaying late hop additions accordingly. Both of those change the volume, in order to correct the OG. If you are under OG but don't want to reduce volume then add more fermentables (sugars, malt extract, syrup etc). Keep in mind that many fermentables (other than malt or malt extract) can also change the FG, since they may be more or less fermentable. They may also alter flavour, body and/or mouthfeel if in sufficient quantity.
If you are over the expected OG you can liquor back, if you are slightly under it you can boil for longer to reduce (and concentrate) the wort a bit - delaying late hop additions accordingly. Both of those change the volume, in order to correct the OG. If you are under OG but don't want to reduce volume then add more fermentables (sugars, malt extract, syrup etc). Keep in mind that many fermentables (other than malt or malt extract) can also change the FG, since they may be more or less fermentable. They may also alter flavour, body and/or mouthfeel if in sufficient quantity.
Kev
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- Hollow Legs
- Posts: 408
- Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2015 1:09 pm
- Location: Boogie Down Brim
Re: what can you do
Unless you're drastically out, I wouldn't worry about it. As Kev says, the important thing is learning how your system performs, so that you can get consistency (which in turn will help you hit your numbers).