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adworld · 02-23-2012, 02:18 PM

good day folks. brewed my second batch of AG last evening (Waldo lake amber) and it says I shoulda hit 1.063 but I only managed 1.054. I brewed a brown ale and was also off on my OG by .010, where in the heck am I going wrong?

I nailed my rest temps, I started boil w 6.25 and wound up w 5.25gal in the carboy.

I am very comfortable with everything but sparging and mashout. I think I have read just enough about both to be confusing.

**NordeastBrewer77** · 02-23-2012, 02:25 PM

sounds like you're not getting the efficiency that the recipe expects. are you using software?

adworld · 02-23-2012, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NordeastBrewer77

sounds like you're not getting the efficiency that the recipe expects. are you using software?

I use brewersfriend.com for software as it is free (at the moment). it calculated my efficiency to be 54%, horrible. I know this sucks just don't know what I am doing wrong.

i tend to lean towards my mashout/sparging technique, or lack of, as the issue

**NordeastBrewer77** · 02-23-2012, 03:30 PM

can you post your mashing/sparging process? maybe i can help.

**TopherM** · 02-23-2012, 03:49 PM

Could be something as simple as the grain crush. Did you get your grains from your LHBS, or an online retailer? The online guys are typically pretty good with the crush, but I find my LHBS guys will just give me the setting the last guy had, unless I ask them to adjust it. I get them to do a quick sample crush and make sure there are no leftover whole grains, and if there are, ask them to adjust a little finer until it's right.

adworld · 02-23-2012, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TopherM

Could be something as simple as the grain crush. Did you get your grains from your LHBS, or an online retailer? The online guys are typically pretty good with the crush, but I find my LHBS guys will just give me the setting the last guy had, unless I ask them to adjust it. I get them to do a quick sample crush and make sure there are no leftover whole grains, and if there are, ask them to adjust a little finer until it's right.

I get my grains from NB. they look crushed to me but what do I know

how should properly crushed grain look?

**slarkin712** · 02-23-2012, 04:41 PM

Efficiency issues most often come from a poor grain crush. One thing to try is do a longer mash, like 90 minutes rather than 60.

adworld · 02-23-2012, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NordeastBrewer77

can you post your mashing/sparging process? maybe i can help.

just promise not to laugh

this batch says it required a 60min mash @ 153 and a 10min mash out @ 170

I preheated my mashtun added 4.5gal of h20 @ 164degs and doughed In my 14.5lbs of grain. I hit 153.8 degs at the start of my mash and ended at 153.3 degs.

here is where it gets tricky for me, mashout. I have yet to completely wrap my head around this process. I feel like I am over thinking it. so I attempted to mashout and raise my mashtun temp to 170 but only got it to 168. I didn't calculate how much water I dumped in to reach 168 I just dumped in till I hit it. I stirred a bit and closed it up for 10mins.

I then drained off about 2qts and added it back to the mash. I then proceeded to start draining the mashtun. so as I am draining I am also adding water to top off and stay an inch or 2 above the grain bed. now this is the part where I get confused, I don't know what temp water to be adding to the mash as I am draining, in this case it was 180ish, and exactly how much to add to achieve my 6.25gal boil volume.

so I stopped adding sparge water after a gallon or two. that being said my mashtun drained empty and I was a gallon short of my boil volume. so I dumped in about 2 more gals and it ran off into my pot to boil and once I hit my 6.25gal boil volume I turned the spigot off and started my boil.

I did take a preboil og and it was 1.046

**tre9er** · 02-23-2012, 06:26 PM

Sounds like you're doing a proper batch sparge for the most part. I'd tend to blame the crush at this point, but would you care to post your recipe?

adworld · 02-23-2012, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tre9er

Sounds like you're doing a proper batch sparge for the most part. I'd tend to blame the crush at this point, but would you care to post your recipe?

HOME BREW RECIPE:
Title: Waldo Lake Amber

Brew Method: All Grain
Style Name: American Amber Ale
Boil Time: 60 min
Batch Size: 5.5 gallons
Boil Size: 6.25 gallons
Efficiency: 70%

STATS:
Original Gravity: 1.066
Final Gravity: 1.017
ABV (standard): 6.53%
IBU (tinseth): 49.64
SRM (morey): 12.95

FERMENTABLES:
7.75 lb - Pale 2-Row (54.39%)
4 lb - Munich Dark (28.07%)
2 lb - CaraRed (14.04%)
0.5 lb - Melanoidin (3.51%)

HOPS:
1 oz - Cascade (AA 7) for 60 min, Type: Pellet, Use: First Wort
0.75 oz - Magnum (AA 15) for 60 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil
1 oz - Centennial (AA 7.8) for 0 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil

MASH STEPS:
1) Sparge, Temp: 153 F, Time: 60 min, Amount: 18.75 qt
2) Temp: 170 F, Time: 10 min, mashout

YEAST:
Wyeast - Denny's Favorite 50 1450
Starter: Yes
Form: Liquid
Attenuation (avg): 75%
Flocculation: Low
Optimum Temperature: 60 F - 70 F

WATER PROFILE:
Profile Name: Poland Sping