Efficiency or highest efficiency low efficiency - Page 2

**janivar123** · 08-31-2011, 05:13 PM

I calculated my efficiency once after the last time i adjusted my mash prosedure
Now i only know that 10kg malt will give an og in the low to 50s(i assume it still does sinse the hydrometer rarely get used anymore)

Guess i will loose some now that my new mashtun is big enough to do single sparge instead of my usual triple

cfonnes · 08-31-2011, 05:26 PM

Switching to Beersmith 2.0 has really jacked me up.

I was consistent at 70%, the last couple of brews have been much lower.

It is like breaking in a new brewery.

jfr1111 · 08-31-2011, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pm5k00

I agree with everyone that consistency is important, however I would be lieing if I said I was content with a low percentage. When I started is was hitting about 70, but with a few changes to my process and a tweak to my mash tun I'm proud to say I hit 78-80% efficiency everytime. If your content with a lower number then great, but constantly hitting a 60 something percentage means there's room for improvement somewhere.

I have no doubt that it's my LHBS crush that is causing such a low number because I BIAB and squeeze the bag, so there's not a lot of dead space/loss of volume, etc.. Plus I dunk sparge for 20 minutes. But I calculated that I need about 1 to 1 and a half pound of base malt more per batch to make up for my low numbers. A barley crusher is about 189$ around here shipped. I can brew A LOT of beer before I can justify spending the big bucks for a mill. I brew small beers though. If I were brewing big DIPA and RIS every week, it would add up fast.

Not that I won't buy one in the future

ChuckCollins · 08-31-2011, 07:14 PM

How do you measure efficiency?

Brewenstein · 08-31-2011, 08:09 PM

I also agree that consistency is king. Without it, it is hard to make up your own recipe because you won't be sure what your gravity will be and how you should hop for the beer you are brewing. Or tweak someone else's recipe for your system for that matter.

I consistently get right around 85% (+/- a couple of points), so when I use a recipe from the forum, I usually need to use a pound or two less base malt, even though I bump the volume up to 6 gallons at the end of the boil. Over time, all of those 1-2 pound "savings" adds up to "free" beer

.

**pm5k00** · 08-31-2011, 09:34 PM

@jfr1111. Ask you LHBS to run your grain through the mill twice (a double crush) I noticed a 5% increase when I started doing that.

JasonToews · 09-01-2011, 12:22 AM

honestly the best way for a constant high efficiency is get your own mill. I used to average 50-70%, now Im usually 80's plus.

**janivar123** · 09-01-2011, 12:33 AM

A corona mill and a drill should be enough to start grinding your own
Its not mash effichensy that makes the difference between a roller mill and a grinding one...

ChuckCollins · 09-01-2011, 02:24 AM

I just bought a barley crusher

**jtakacs** · 09-01-2011, 03:36 PM

i have consistent low efficiency - pretty sure it's grain crush and crushing my own is the next step... i'm always about 65%... i just want it higher so i can use less grain/money.

talked to a pro-brewer the other day (healdsburg BC) and they don't hit 80% - always about 78% he said... but that's with constant stirring in the MT and fly sparging. i don't do that...