AG Question on Starting Gravity - Page 2

**douggefreshvt** · 10-13-2011, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MalFet

Even the worksheet? It's pretty much just measure and drop in the numbers.

The text is complicated, but — frankly — so is efficiency. But, if you use the worksheet, you'll have a sense of where your efficiency is going. That's the very first step to understanding your system.

Not the worksheet...I was talking about the text. Some of it was a little over my head. However it is all stuff that I want to learn about so it will be a good exercise for me to go through. The worksheet is very straightforward and will give me a great starting point.

**JuanMoore** · 10-13-2011, 05:21 PM

It sounds like you chose a mash profile from the beersmith menu that was beyond your equipment capabilities and then tried to convert it to a different method yourself. I agree with Yoopers suggestions to use a simple single infusion mash at ~1.25 qts/lb and do a simple batch sparge. The more complex mashing and sparging techniques are rarely neccessary, and until you have the basics down will only complicate things for you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by douggefreshvt

As far as sparging goes, I poured in the recommended water, let it sit for 10 minutes, then drained. I only did this once.

Did you stir everything thoroughly after adding the sparge water? This is a critical step when batch sparging, as it's how the sugars are brought into solution so that they can be collected. If you don't stir, the sugars all get left behind.

asterix404 · 10-13-2011, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Amt Name Type # %/IBU
7.3 oz Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 1 3.3 %
4 lbs 9.4 oz Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 32.7 %
4 lbs 9.4 oz Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 32.7 %
14.7 oz Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 4 6.5 %
7.3 oz Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 5 3.3 %

Total Grain Weight: 14 lbs 0.2 oz Total Hops: 0.92 oz oz.
---MASH PROCESS------MASH PH:5.40 ------
>>>>>>>>>>-ADD WATER CHEMICALS BEFORE GRAINS!!<<<<<<<
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 5.51 qt of water at 186.6 F 156.0 F 45 min
Mash Out Add 4.41 qt of water at 193.9 F 170.0 F 10 min

So I don't mean to be problematic but there is no way that 1+5+5+1+1 = 14... and that is a huge over estimation. If you used those numbers you used about 11.5LB of grain. Assume you did 4G of strike and sparge water for a single infusion there is no way you would hit 76GP with that. You would have to do a double decoction mash and even then I would think you can hit at most 70 and that is with about 95% efficiency. Assuming normal (70-75%) you should have about 55-60 or something in that range.

You have WAY too little water going into your strike and sparge, it also doesn't say how much water you used in the mash in but it sounds like, unless you added like 3G of water into your MLT at mash in, you really didn't have enough strike water.

Also, if you didn't pre-soak your rice hulls you will loose efficiency there. Rice hulls absorb so much water it's crazy and with the water, it also gets sugar.

I would seriously go back to basics and just do a 10lb single infusion porter, ipa, apa, something like that. use about 3.5G of water for strike and sparge, come out with about 6.5 to boil and boil off 1G. Try to get as close to 54 as you can.