How can OG be this low?

[BruinTuns]

Another day, another mystery..
I'm now on my fourth brew which has just been mixed in the fv.
It's a John Bull IPA kit to which I added the requisite 1kg brew enhancer. I then added an additional 750g dextrose plus 250 LME, making a total of 2kg.
However, despite all the added fermentables, the OG was a very disappointing 1040! I double checked with a second hydrometer and got the same reading.
In the IPA review thread (which hasn't been visited for a while or I'd post this there)
http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18570&highlight=John+Bull&page=3
forum member Lesinge (top of page) got 1042 with just 1kg brew enhancer, while Robert_, third post down, got 1062 with virtually the same additions as I used.
Can anyone shed some light on this? I wanted a strong Christmas ale and I cant see 1040 giving me that..
As always, grateful for any advice.

 

[BruinTuns]

Sorry lads, please disregard last post.
While I was typing I thought I'd better check again. This time the reading was 1060!
Before anyone shouts, I promise I really did take the first two readings carefully and correctly (and yes I was wearing my bins).
Could it be that the malt and dextrose hadn't fully disolved at that point? I used boiling water and gave a very thorough stir.
So can I change my question to
"How long after mixing everything up should we wait before taking the OG reading?"
And has anyone else experienced this?

 

[Smileyr8]

I have recently brewed this:-

John Bull IPA 1.8kg
Dried Pale Malt 500g
Granualted Sugar 500g

Brewed to 20ltr

Which gave me 1051, however it only got down to 1013.

It is a really nice drink.

 

[MyQul]

Sorry lads, please disregard last post.
While I was typing I thought I'd better check again. This time the reading was 1060!
Before anyone shouts, I promise I really did take the first two readings carefully and correctly (and yes I was wearing my bins).
Could it be that the malt and dextrose hadn't fully disolved at that point? I used boiling water and gave a very thorough stir.
So can I change my question to
"How long after mixing everything up should we wait before taking the OG reading?"
And has anyone else experienced this?

Your right, the malt and dextrose hadn't disolved/mixed to give you a correct reading.

I'd wait and leave to trial jar on the side for a while before taking your gravity reading as not only the fermentables need to be properly mixed and dissolved but also temperature affects gravity readings as well. There are calculators online or as part of brewing software that adjusts for temperature but I prefer to wait till the wort has cooled down rather than messing about with yet more calculations/calculators

 

[BruinTuns]

"It is a really nice drink"
Pleased to hear it Smiley, I look forward to agreeing with you :drunk:
Your brew would have been just under 5% ABV if I've got the caculation right (still learning) so with luck mine will be a bit stronger, which is what I was aiming for.
So you used ordinary table sugar? I must try that , if only to see if I can taste the difference between Tate & Lyle and dextrose..
MyQul, thanks again for taking the trouble to advise a floundering newbie

The funny thing is, I really DID do loads of reading before I started, including several well reviewed books. It's astonishing how much some wriiters leave out, e.g. I don't recall any mention in any of the books about brew kit enhancers. And certainly nothing about waiting a while to take the OG reading. Or about the need to avoid oxygenating you rbeer when bottling..
Guess that's what forums are for ..

 

[MyQul]

MyQul, thanks again for taking the trouble to advise a floundering newbie

The funny thing is, I really DID do loads of reading before I started, including several well reviewed books. It's astonishing how much some wriiters leave out, e.g. I don't recall any mention in any of the books about brew kit enhancers. And certainly nothing about waiting a while to take the OG reading. Or about the need to avoid oxygenating you rbeer when bottling..
Guess that's what forums are for ..

I reckon if anyone wrote a book with absolutely everything you need to take into account when brewing it'd be as thick a a bible. My personal bug bear is kits not even mentioning aeration when is SO important

 

[BruinTuns]

Good point about kit instructions. They also don't mention campden tablets or dextrose, instead just say 'sugar'.
Re aeration, a few members have warned me about that. I was expecting to bottle directly from fv tap but some people say that even this can mix too much air in with the beer.
Could I push-fit a simple length of wide bore syphon hose directly over the spigot to reach the bottom of the bottles to reduce oxygenation and control the flow with the tap?

EDIT
I posted this just before I saw your latest post in the '1st brew 1st mistake' thread.
Yes I've been reading about the Little Bottler but would the above suggestion not work as well? I know a Little Botttler is only about £12 delivered but I'm short of funds right now..

 

[gerbs]

"Yes I've been reading about the Little Bottler but would the above suggestion not work as well?" It certainly would work before i found the little bottler i used that method for 10 years without any problems.

 

[BruinTuns]

Thanks gerbs. Now all I have to do is find a shop that sells it. I'll need two different bores because my taps aren't all the same size. Lots of online sources but all these postage costs add up..
Does the Little Bottler accomodate slightly different sized spiogts/taps?

 

[gerbs]

I have 2 little bottlers and they are both the same size and my taps are the same size, i dont know if they make any different sizes but i am sure someone on the forum will?