getting discouraged!!! please help!!!

so the past few batches i've made have all turned out under on the OG.for the most part not way under but under.i've made most of these multiple time and i know what i should be getting for an OG.but last night really discouraged me.i made this recipie and ended up with a measly .032.i'm really starting to get frustrated and don't know what the problem is.the differences from the recipie below are my mash temp was prob 159-160 and my sparge water i brought up to about 185 which i typically do so i really don't think that is the problem.any suggestion on what i'm doing wrong would be greatly apreciated!!!!!!!


Type: All Grain
Date: 6/17/2011
Batch Size: 5.25 gal
Brewer:
Boil Size: 7.11 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Brew Pot (15 Gal) and Igloo/Gott Cooler (10 Gal)
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
0.25 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 2.22 %
0.25 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 2.22 %
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 2.22 %
0.50 lb Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 4.44 %
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (5 min) Hops 3.6 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (60 min) Hops 18.2 IBU
1 Pkgs Safbrew Wheat (DCL Yeast #WB-06) Yeast-Wheat
5.00 lb Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 44.44 %
5.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 44.44 %



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.056 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.017 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.05 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.65 %
Bitterness: 21.8 IBU Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 24.6 SRM Color: Color


Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge Total Grain Weight: 11.25 lb
Sparge Water: 5.74 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: TRUE Mash PH: 5.4 PH

Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge Step Time Name Description Step Temp
45 min Mash In Add 14.06 qt of water at 174.9 F 158.0 F



Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).

Do you crush your own grain or buy it crushed? My first few AG batches had very low efficiencies (50-60%), untill I bought my own mill. Now I consistantly get 75-80%.

My bet is that it is the crush.

I can't seeing that low of an OG being the crush unless the grain wasn't crushed at all.

Also check out flyguy's efficiency/batch sparging tips. Great advice in there that really helped me.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/maximizing-efficiency-when-batch-sparging-77125/

Don't be dischouraged!!

Using Beersmith it shows you have 43% eff. That is really low, I mean based on that to hit the OG estimated you need 9# of each of the base malts, which at that level will lower your eff even more. Something is really off. Either the crush of the grains, your MLT, the sparge temp, volumes, or water PH.

Do you have any tools to try to double and triple check any of these? Mutliple thermometers, graduated cylinder, a grain mill, PH meter. I would see about getting those and finding out where the problem is.

Also do you stir your mash after dough in?

Your Mash time of 45 minutes seems a little short. You may want to increase that to 60 at least. Also when you sparge how long do you let it rest. I always rest 30 minutes after adding the sparge water?

Is this your first wheat beer? I always have issues with wheat.
I even did three, one gallon test batches with wheat where I used my coffee grinder to make the grain look like flour. I still had low numbers.....

you may want to check the accuracy of your hydrometer if it suddenly showed up without any changes.

ok i'm gonna try yo ansewr everyone's questions
1)i had my lhbs crush the grains for me and they seemed to look good.
2)i double check my thermometers every time b4 i brew(learned that the hard way)i do not have a ph meter.it's never been a problem in the past but that is definitly the next thing i'm gonna check
3)i always mash for 60 min.i've just never changed it in my beersmith.when i sparge i just add my water and stir for a few minutes.i thought it was bad to let it sit in the hotter water?
4)already double checked the hydrometer too.

Have you done wheat beers in the past?

not many but it's not my first and certainly not this bad of an effiency on them

The mash temp sounds a little high to me. I usually try to not go over 156F for beers that I'm looking to get full body from. You might be having issues with B-amylase denaturing too quickly. I would try to keep the temp around 154F and maybe even give it more than 60 min. Possibly 75 or so. Also, someone mentioned it earlier, but you should let the sparge sit for a little longer as well.

Also, if you don't do it already, you might consider testing your mash with iodine to see if the starches have converted to sugar. I usually do it after 60 min, and if I get positive results for starch, then I let the mash sit longer.

how do you do the iodine test?i've never done it befor.

I use iodophor, which you should be able to get at your LHBS. You put a small amount of wort from your mash on a white dish(a small saucer with a few drops of wort works good), then put about a drop of iodophor into the wort on the dish. If it turns purple, then you still have starch that needs converting. If it turns a brownish/yellowish iodine color, then you have acheived good conversion.

DregAddict said:

I use iodophor, which you should be able to get at your LHBS. You put a small amount of wort from your mash on a white dish(a small saucer with a few drops of wort works good), then put about a drop of iodophor into the wort on the dish. If it turns purple, then you still have starch that needs converting. If it turns a brownish/yellowish iodine color, then you have acheived good conversion.

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At what point do you sample? From the runnings from the end of the sparge?

post boil after it has been cooled down

Rondacker said:

At what point do you sample? From the runnings from the end of the sparge?

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if you're talking about the iodine test, pre-mash out.

Yeah, sample pre mash out. It is a way to gauge if your mash is doing it's job. Test while you are mashing the grains(around 60 minutes) and based on the results you'll know if you need a longer mash.

Is it possible you are sparging too fast? I realize stuck mash is the most common problem associated with it but depending on how much you stir you might have a channeling problem?

Doing a continuous sparge might help as well. Your temps do sound high, I have had problems with efficiency in the past and personally feel my temps were at least partially to blame.

Another thing you might consider checking is the age of the grain and storage conditions. Hopefully you can rely on your LHBS but I've seen places I avoid because of how they handle their inventory.

If you are doing a single batch sparge I advise that you bring the grainbed up to 168 and let it sit for 10 minutes. Stir the crap out of it, let it sit for another ten minutes and proceed. Also, I have found if you double batch sparge you will likely increase your efficiency as well. Also, 160 is quite high.....154 is fairly standard and for a nice dry wheat beer, i would shoot for 152 or so.

double batch sparge??? could you explain this to me.

lokiua4 said:

double batch sparge??? could you explain this to me.

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Split the water you where gonna use for a single sparge and use half for the first batch sparge and the second half for the second batch sparge.

I noticed in general, with wheat, efficiency is harder to come by. Two thing s I do that I never have to do with a typical non-wheat mash (but they help):

1. Double crush your grains (send them through the mill twice - or at least do this for the wheat only)
2. mash for 90 minutes (stir as needed and check your temp in the mash and make sure you aren't loosing your heat)

Your mash temp does seem way high though. I have never mashed that high for a wheat. 152F is what I have done for hefes and american wheats.

I do a single batch sparge (add water stir for a minute and let it rest 2-10 mins tops and batch sparge) and I typically hit ~75% efficiency with my wheat brews doing the above.