So quick question while I try to figure this out. I brought a Belgian Dark Strong ale recipe to the LHBS and went about gathering the other items that didn't require the own weighing out. He didn't have any D-180 candy syruo, so he dug out some hard dark candy sugar. Sold it to me at a reduced price but thought I would be good pound to pound wise. Well today I brewed up and ended up .02 over what brewcipher predicted. It was a partial mash as well. I can post the recipe if needed but I am pointing my money on the candy sugar difference. Anyone know if they are supposed to be interchangeable or should I have used less hard candy in place of the syrup?
Less. And at .02 over. Who actually cares? You can make an invert sugar yourself if you wish to spend the time making it.
If it's like maple syrup vs maple Suger than the Belgian hard candy has more Suger per lb. ya gotta boil maple syrup longer and to a higher temp befor e you process it into hard sugar.
I am not worried, just not it will pack a huge wallop. It was supposed to be 9%, so lets see where this takes me. I kind of figured it was the cause. a pound of hard sugar has less liquid so yea.... Anyways, looks like in 4 months I will have a one bottle a night night beer.
0.02 over, if that's what it was, is pretty big. I think you're reading/thinking of it as 0.002. Another LHBS fail. My recommendation would be to never trust what any LHBS guy says without confirming on the forum. What was the batch size and how much sugar did you add? ETA: I ask because subbing (say) 1 lb of solid sugar for 1 lb of D180 in 5 gallons is probably worth about an extra 0.002-0.003. That would have little impact on your ABV.
So the recipe was as follows: -1.5lb of 2 row -3.25lb of pilsen -3.3lb golden light LME -2lb pilsen DME -1lb c-45 candy syruo -1lb D180 candy syrup (this was changed to 1lb of hard candy sugar) 5.1 gal batch, if I remember right (at work right now) predicted OG was supposed to be 1.077 or so. Finished the boil and topped up the fermentor and gave it a stir. At first it was looking like 1.08 something but when the foam cleared, it was right around 1.096. Unless the paper in my hydrometer move I am not sure how that would happen.
There must have been a measurement error. 1.080 would be about right. To get 1.096 in 5.1 gallons of wort, with those ingredients, you'd need a mash efficiency on the partial mash of about 115%, which is (of course) impossible. I don't know if the paper scale moved, but it's not impossible. How thorough a stir did you give it?
Stirred it very well. put 1.5 gal in fermentor and filled with wort, then topped up with water. Stirring while filling and continued to stir for about 2 minutes. As I suspected the yeast I got was too old and didn't kick off today... Took a quick sample for another check on current SG, 1.092 at 62 degrees. Checked the hydrometer in my tap water 1.000 (yes my well is basically in a spring and my water profile has checked nearly identical for 3 water tests now). Not sure what happened. I can't figure it out but will tell you how it is in a few months.
