I've brewed about a dozen 5-gallon batches (always with Extract) over the last few years. That said, it's been a about three years since doing a homebrew. I just transferred a "pumped up" Session IPA from the primary to the secondary. Boil Day was uneventful, and visible fermentation started about 36 hours later in the primary -- which continued for about four days. I was surprised to see my hydrometer reading of 1.032 today (the OG was 1.064). Shouldn't have been less than 1.010? Help me troubleshoot please. Bad reading? I transferred the beer from the spigot at the bottom of the primary bucket to the secondary carboy using a tube (via gravity). I took my sample before hooking up my tubing, so it was from the very bottom of the bucket. Does the alcohol rise to the top during fermentation?
The fermentation activity would assure you that the density will be uniform throughout the wort. It sounds like you have a stuck fermentation. The arousal in the transfer to the secondary could have restarted it. You might taste the wort. A 1.032 density wort would be definitely sweet. Test the hydrometer in water and maybe a sugar/water solution? Maybe rouse the wort and repitch some yeast. .
As suggested by @moodenba, tasting and testing can’t hurt. I’m not convinced it’s odd that it would drop to only 1.032 from 1.064 in 5.5 days. With that OG, I (personally) might not have checked it for about 7, or maybe even 10, days. How fast it closes in on being finished is up to the yeast. What's the yeast and fermentation temp? Why transfer to secondary?
I was not clear on the duration of primary fermentation -- it was fourteen days. Fermentation temp was about 68 degrees. Why secondary, some experts say it "cleans" up the beer -- I was planning a couple more weeks in the secondary. I will definitely re-test the specific gravity. I did check with water, and it was 1.0000!
Taking two readings 2-3 days apart while still in the primary is the best way to go, and the comparison between those two numbers will determine your next step. If the two numbers are more that a couple points different, leave it alone for 2-3 more days and repeat the process again after that until you get two readings that are the same or only 1-2 points apart. Once you reach a stable level, you can proceed to your next step packaging, lagering or aging on wood, fruit, etc. in a secondary. Aging an IPA can be done in bottles or keg because 'conditioning' an IPA for a week or so does usually have a benefit. Just don't drink it until you think it's properly conditioned in the bottles or keg. Transferring to a secondary and then packaging only adds a step where you take a chance that bugs can enter into the process and leave you with an infected beer. Good luck.
OK. I pulled another sample and the SG dropped by almost a point (today 1.023 vs yesterday's 1.032). As far as the taste -- it's kinda like a flat, bitter beer. Not really sweet.
Okay, you're going to have to wait 2-3 days and take another reading, and then repeat it until the numbers stabilize. Is this the first time you've brewed this recipe? Also, does the recipe indicate what the final gravity should be or the expected abv? Taste-wise, it's probably too early to make any conclusions on the bitterness that you reported. But let me ask, is 'tart' a better description than 'bitter,' and was there a stinging sensation on your tongue? (The flatness is expected because there is no CO2 yet.)
Yes, first time I've made this recipe -- No FG found. It did state "1.050 Ready: 6 Weeks. 2 Weeks Primary, 2 Weeks Secondary, 2 Weeks Bottle Conditioning. And, For-What-It's-Worth (FWIW), I just witnessed a small burp from the Airlock -- 48 hours in the Secondary.
