Help with starting SG

[hill1649]

Hi All,

I've just finished doing a mash for an old english strong ale. I was aiming for a starting SG of 1.080 but have only got 1.060. Not sure why, possibly a problem with maintaining correct Mash temperature. Is there a relatively easy way of raising the SG ie adding sugar? If so, any ideas of how much sugar I'll need? I want the beer to have a good amount of body to it - will adding sugar affect this? As 1.060 is a reasonable starting SG I'm happy to leave it at that if this is best. Any ideas suggestions gratefully received!

Lorna's Winter Brew:
Pale Malt 7294g
Crystal Malt 610g
Roasted Barley 413g

Mashed at 66 degrees for 2 hours

Challenger hops 90g start (boild for 2 hours)
Challenger hops 25g last 15 mins

Lorna

 

[31bb3]

you could add spray malt not sure how much though

 

[rabbie]

Hi Lorna,
You could add sugar but you will lose body, so I wouldn't recommend adding any.
Have you done the boil already? If not then you can boil longer (before adding hops) to get rid of some water and increase the gravity - you'll then have a lower brew length (amount of beer at the end).
You'll get to know your efficiency after a few brews, so you can adjust the amount of grain you use so that you hit your SG next time.
As you say, an SG of 1.06 will still give you a hefty brew so I'd leave it be this time. :thumb: