I took a gravity measurement this evening as well as a sneak taste at the brew — and I’m mildly concerned that something went wrong somewhere along the way. For starters, I’m not sure whether or not the gravity level is supposed to go down. When I added the brew to the secondary fermenter, the reading was at 1.02 — tonight’s reading (a week and a half later) is at 1.018. I was reading the documentation for high gravity kits (which the winter warmer kit falls under), and the gravity level there suggests that the level be around 1.064 or higher.

I think I’m doing something wrong.

In addition to that, the brew tasted kinda watered down and I can’t imagine why. I followed the procedure by the book — er documentation — and can’t think of anything that’d cause this inconsistancy. The only thing I can think of is that the grains didn’t steep long enough in warm enough water. However the instructions explicitely state to steep the grain mixture for up to 15 minutes or until the water reaches 170 degrees. My water was slow going, so the grains steeped for 15 minutes in about 90 degree water I think.

I may call Northern Brewer tomorrow to see if something might have gone wrong.

January 20, 2006, 12:17 am

Filed under: Mmm...Beer

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