I'm new at all grain brewing, having only brewed 1 batch. Everybody talks about the efficiency of their brews. My question is what are they talking about and how do you calculate efficiency percentages.
Efficiency is the percentage of total sugars you got out of the grain. It isn't possible to get everything. Average is about 75%. Over 80% and you are doing great. If you can get a higher efficiency, you need less grain to get the same gravity of beer.