Increasing the OG?

[ScarabMonkey]

Hi chaps, just got my second ever brew into the FV but the OG is reading lower than I was expecting at only 1.036 ...

I was expecting at least 1.040.

Could I just add another 500g of DME at this stage (the yeast is in)?
Or should I just be content with a low-alcohol brew?

 

[PD]

is it a kit or all grain type ?

 

[andyakameatloaf]

you should really take the OG reading before pitching yeast.

if its a kit I should imagine that adding it and stirring it in won't cause any problems at this stage if you have only recently pitched, just ensure everything that touches the wort is sanitised effectively. Leave the lid securely on the FV until adding the DME and try to minimise air contact time.

easiest way may be to boil the dme up in a small amount of water in order to dissolve it then sit the pan in an ice bath etc to cool it to 20*c ish, then add it to the other wort and give it a stir in with a sanitised paddle/spoon.

 

[andyakameatloaf]

should also probably point out that the longer you leave it between pitching and adding DME, the less accurate your OG reading will be anyway, as the yeast will already have started to metabolise the sugar.

 

[ScarabMonkey]

I started with a Brupaks Brewers choice kit, which is a dry kit with tea bags that involves steeping isomerised hops and some grain 3 times in 2L of water each time.

I boiled all the DME in a large pan until the hot break and then added some hops for 5 minutes more boil, then put this pan into a cold bath for 30 minutes - ended up with 10L of wort.

Mixed the three steeps and the cooled wort in the FV for a total of 15L... Added 8L of cold water. Then aerated with a paddle attached to a drill - made an inch of creamy head! And pitched the yeast at 22*C - stirred slowly until I couldn't see any yeast sitting on the foam.

Then remembered I hadn't checked the gravity, so took off some fluid using the tap in the FV. This was a couple of hours ago.

Edit--
I used 1.5Kg of Amber, 500g of Dark and 500g of Wheat DME