new2brew wrote:On my last batch, a copper ale, I steeped my grains in 155 degree water for 30 minutes. Thing is I do full wort boils instead of adding water to top up because I really don't usually have time to pre-boil water and have the space to store it. So on this batch I steeped the grains in the full 5 gallons (6.5 gallons actually). The recipe said to do it in two - three gallons. Is this going to cause a problem.

new2brew wrote:I ask because my beer has been in Primary fermentation for about seven days now and I took a hydrometer reading I obtained about 1.020. My original gravity was about 1.040. The first batch I brewed (a different type) was at about 1.000 by the fifth day. Is my fermentation just slow or did I blow it somewhere.

new2brew wrote:I also just noticed that the recipe instructions show a starting gravity of 1.052 ~ 1.056, mine was about 1.040 (I have trouble reading the hydrometer so I can't quite tell the thousandths digit for sure).