Candi Sugar failure?

[brgeren]

Hi! I've been brewing all grain for a few years now, only on my second brew with a new Spike 15gal system. I made my first Tripel today, just a 5 gallon batch. The Beersmith 3 software says my OG should be 1.083, but I only got to 1.070. Beersmith said my Pre-boil SG should be 1.062, I hit 1.065 and was right on my pre-boil volume with the end of running gravity at 1.012. I added 2lb of Candi Sugar (0L) into the boil for the last 10 minutes. I cannot find any reason for missing the target OG unless possibly its something to do with the Candi Sugar? So my questions are, why didnt I hit 1.083 and should I do anything about it, or just live with the lower OG?

Thanks!

Recipe:
12lb pale malt
1/2lb aromatic malt
2oz Goldings (60 minutes)
1oz Saaz (10 minutes)
2lb Candi Sugar 0L (10 minutes)
Trappist High Gravity Yeast

 

[bougie1st]

Are you sure you had fully mixed it before taking that sample? The more dense candi sugar would sink when it initially goes in. That said, if it was 10 mins to go, it should be mixed (assuming it is all dissolved as well)

Also, I find that if I take my sample from drippings off my wooden mash paddle (stirring the wort as it comes to boiling) to read with a refractometer, the reading is off. If I take a clean metal spoon, however, it works every time.

Simple things, but make sure that whatever you are using to measure (eg refractometer) is calibrated and/or at the correct temp. You might have done this, but haven't noted it in your question.

If you want to get your gravity up and are sure the measurement was correct at yeast pitch, you could add dissolved, boiled and cooled sugar to your fermenting wort in a stepwise fashion. Some think that this also helps the yeast to ensure they eat the maltose etc first, and have their 'dessert' of dextrose/sucrose later

 

[brgeren]

Sorry I should have added that info. I took the pre boil measurement, using a hydrometer, right when I started to sparge since I forgot to do it during my recirculating mash.

For the post boil measurements I took three different ones because I didn’t believe it was so low. I took it at the end of the boil (waited for it to cool to room temp), on the outlet of the wort chiller, and again about an hour after it was in the fermenter at 70F. They all were 1.070-1.072.

Is it worth adding sugar since I already added 2lb of candi sugar (assuming I wasn’t ripped off with bad candi sugar)?