CrystalShip

Recipes 

Brewed yesterday and did not hit my usual efficiency. I used 7lbs of wheat malt and 5 lbs of 2row. I noticed during the boil that my thermometer was way off... I know that varying mash temps affect the types of sugars created, but do they affect the amount as well?

Haputanlas

Recipes 

You are likely getting a lower efficiency than normal due to the Wheat malt you are using. This is the same for me. Whenever I make my hefs (7lbs wheat, 4lbs 2-row), my efficiency goes down as well.

Wheat malt is a little bit smaller than the 2-row and will likely not crush as finely as the 2-row. A couple of professional brewers I know crush the wheat malt separately (and more finely). This way they increase the efficiency without affecting the crush of the 2-row.

However, if you do this, you will likely have a different beer. I always just allow for the lower efficiency and purchase more grains to accommodate for the lower volume output.

__________________
"There is no strong beer, only weak men"
"Pretty women make us BUY beer, ugly women make us DRINK beer" - Al Bundy
"Give a man a beer, he'll drink for a day. Teach a man to brew, he'll be drunk for the rest of his life."

Primary: Hoppy Wheat, Porter
Kegged: Reaper's English Mild (OO), BBK Jr., Lagunitas IPA, Fireman's #4
Bottled: None
Notable Empties: Oaked Black IIPA, BBK I, Red IIPA, Burning Bush, Apophis "The Destroyer", Vanilla Porter
On-Deck: The Titan BW, Ale of Olympus

Haputanlas

Recipes 

Here is an article that discusses what I'm talking about:

http://www.brewersfriend.com/2011/10/16/wheat-malt-in-all-grain-brewing/

__________________
"There is no strong beer, only weak men"
"Pretty women make us BUY beer, ugly women make us DRINK beer" - Al Bundy
"Give a man a beer, he'll drink for a day. Teach a man to brew, he'll be drunk for the rest of his life."

Primary: Hoppy Wheat, Porter
Kegged: Reaper's English Mild (OO), BBK Jr., Lagunitas IPA, Fireman's #4
Bottled: None
Notable Empties: Oaked Black IIPA, BBK I, Red IIPA, Burning Bush, Apophis "The Destroyer", Vanilla Porter
On-Deck: The Titan BW, Ale of Olympus

tre9er

Recipes 

I've heard differing opinions on doing a separate rest on the wheat at lower temps, then doughing in with the rest of the mash water and barley. Anyone do this?

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Skal!
Den Faaborg Bryggeri

Rev2010

Recipes 

Haputanlas' suggestion is what I would've said as well. Actually, the reason I bought a grain mill was due to very low effeciency with my first AG hefeweizen that I had NorthernBrewer crush for me. I literally had 56% efficiency. Since getting my own Barley Crusher mill my hefe's and my other beers are all 79% efficiency.


Rev.

CrystalShip

Recipes 

Yea the wheat did cross my mind as the source of the problem I got 65% efficiency when I usually get 77-80. It does worry me that my thermometer may have been somewhere around 13-20 degrees off as well, I guess I'll see when the beer is done fermenting!