How many gallons can I make?

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BobbiLynn

BobbiLynn

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I don't know much of the technical stuff about making beer, trying to learn. I have 5 pounds of 2-row, was going to roast half of that, 2.5 pounds lightly roasted, and 2.5 gallons just straight up. About how many gallons should that make for a beer around 3.5 to 4% ABV? My grain efficiency is averaging around 65-70%(according to a friend and his fancy equipment/testing process).

3 gallons?

Not even sure how to go about doing the actual math. It'll be just the 2-row and some hops.
 
Efficiency is how much sugar per volume that you extract from the grain right? I think I am making myself confused now.
 
Look at some of the recipes.. Too many variables to give a straight answer. Obviously a lot also depends on the equipment you have to brew in.
 
Once you toast the two-row, you destroy the enzymes. If you want some toasted, that's fine, but I'd suggest toasting only about .5 pound of it, for flavor.

5 pounds of two row would give me (with my system at an efficiency of 75%) an OG of 1.045 in a 3 gallon batch, or about 4.6% ABV.

If your system gets a higher or lower efficiency, of course it would be different for you.
 
A 3 gal batch would get you about 3.9% ABV, and yes your efficiency is pretty much how you think it is. Oh, that's at 65% efficiency btw.
 
Yooper said:
Once you toast the two-row, you destroy the enzymes. If you want some toasted, that's fine, but I'd suggest toasting only about .5 pound of it, for flavor.

5 pounds of two row would give me (with my system at an efficiency of 75%) an OG of 1.045 in a 3 gallon batch, or about 4.6% ABV.

If your system gets a higher or lower efficiency, of course it would be different for you.
Click to expand...

Good point about destroying enzymes! I didn't think of that.
 
I'll help you with the math part of your question. For simplicity, I won't account for the effect of toasting the grains.

I think about these things in terms of gravity points. Two-row has about 36 potential gravity points per pound per gallon. Since your efficieny is 70% that's 27 gravity points contributed per pound of two-row per gallon of water. So with 5 pounds that's 27 * 5 = 135 total gravity points.

OG of a three and half gallon batch would be: 135/3.5 ~ 1.039.

To determine ABV, you'll need to estimate FG since ABV = (OG -FG) * 131. Most ale yeast attentuate (consume) about 75% of the OG. At 75% attentuation, you'd have a FG of about 1.010. ABV = (1.039 - 1.010) * 131 = 3.8%.

It's kind of a round about way of approaching the a recipe design, but you get the point. I'd recommend reading Ray Daniels' book Design Great Beers, it's a wealth of information. I'm not sure about the affect toasting the two-row would have on gravity contribution. My guess is that depends on how long and how hot you toast them at. I wouldn't think a mild toast would kill all the enzymes, but I could be wrong, I haven't researched home toasted grains much.
 
wickman6 said:
Good point about destroying enzymes! I didn't think of that.
Click to expand...

Neither did I! Thanks! Will stick to roasting just a little of it for flavor. So my guesstimation is close enough? About 3 gallons is what I'll do at 65-70 efficiency and the ABV I want, no higher than 4%(or I'd be so limited on the amount I could drink). All the math makes my head spin sometimes.
 
Pie_Man said:
I'll help you with the math part of your question. For simplicity, I won't account for the effect of toasting the grains.

I think about these things in terms of gravity points. Two-row has about 36 potential gravity points per pound per gallon. Since your efficieny is 70% that's 27 gravity points contributed per pound of two-row per gallon of water. So with 5 pounds that's 27 * 5 = 135 total gravity points.

OG of a three and half gallon batch would be: 135/3.5 ~ 1.039.

To determine ABV, you'll need to estimate FG since ABV = (OG -FG) * 131. Most ale yeast attentuate (consume) about 75% of the OG. At 75% attentuation, you'd have a FG of about 1.010. ABV = (1.039 - 1.010) * 131 = 3.8%.

It's kind of a round about way of approaching the a recipe design, but you get the point. I'd recommend reading Ray Daniels' book Design Great Beers, it's a wealth of information. I'm not sure about the affect toasting the two-row would have on gravity contribution. My guess is that depends on how long and how hot you toast them at. I wouldn't think a mild toast would kill all the enzymes, but I could be wrong, I haven't researched home toasted grains much.
Click to expand...

Wow, thank you! This is the part I was struggling with the most. I know basically how it works, but the exact math behind it has had me so confused. Your concise explanation will be a great help as I decipher the intake of massive amounts of information. :mug:
 

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