So over my PM

I am not a happy brewer right now. I have tried to get my OG up for the last 4 brews that I have done and nothing seems to work. The last brew an expected OG of 1.087 came out 1.070. This is without a grain bag and sparging at 170 on the dot with more water than usuall. I am ready to get out of PM and buy everything necessary for a precise AG set up. My pot is only a 7 gal so will I need to upgrade this as well? Can you give me a list of equipment for this type of setup?. No more sticky LME for me please. Some how my efficiency is like 40 %. I think I am going to break my Hydrometer so I can't use it! It only makes me feel like seconed place. HELP

gabe said:

...I think I am going to break my Hydrometer so I can't use it!...

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DO IT!:rockin:



I just want my beer to taste good..and it does! No hydrometer for me!

Since AG is just mini-mashes grown large, I'm not convinced buying a lot of AG equipment is the solution. I've typically done better with partials than AG.

Yes, you would need a larger brew pot for AG.

A typical pre-boil volume is 6.5-7 gallons (I usually colllect 7 gallons), so I think that would make 8 or 8.5 gallons just about the absolute minimum for a brew pot.

I use a 15.5 gal keggle and have actually boiled over a 7 gal boil once or twice.

well you need a mash/lauter tun and a 10 gallon polarware pot with a spigot would be really nice. a chiller is pretty much required, too, and a sparge arm makes things really nice.

But maybe we could help you with your partial mash efficiency?

And you think going AG is going to help your efficiency?

Exactly the opposite. You are in for a rude awakening the first time you get 70% and the next time you get 86% and you have no idea why. And thier are 100 variables as to what you did or didn't do differently from one time to the next.

Extract has a certain percentage OG dialed in. If you use the same (or similar) extract every time you should be able to dial in your OG perfectly almost every time.

I'd check other facets of your procedures before you make life more difficult by going AG. Are you positive your hydrometer is calibrated? Are you positive you are correcting for temperature when you take a reading?

Yeah, efficiency is one of the big all-grain headaches. Just add some extra DME.

cweston said:

Yes, you would need a larger brew pot for AG.

A typical pre-boil volume is 6.5-7 gallons (I usually colllect 7 gallons), so I think that would make 8 or 8.5 gallons just about the absolute minimum for a brew pot.

I use a 15.5 gal keggle and have actually boiled over a 7 gal boil once or twice.

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See, I'm a *******, if that wasn't immediately obvious. I was stoked to find a 28-qt turkey fryer at a good price, but realized after I bought it (manager's special, don't think they'll take it back) that seven gallons is NOT enough to do a full boil. So, I'm going in one of two directions:

4 gallon AG batches (it's just SWMBO and I drinking, but I hate doing the same work for 20% less output), or

Doing 4 gallon partial-but-almost-full boils, doing extract-and-partial mashes, topping off with a gallon of water in the fermenter.

In any case, now I feel like even more of an idiot...

the_bird said:

...but realized after I bought it (manager's special, don't think they'll take it back) that seven gallons is NOT enough to do a full boil.

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Well, you could collect 6 gallons and boil very carefully...then top off with water to make 5.25 (or whatever) in the fermenter.

You'd probably acheive fairly low efficiency with this scheme (6 gallons is probably not enough sparge water to get all the sugary goodness). But grain is relatively cheap, so it would be a surmountable issue once you got your efficiency dialed in, I'd think.

It would also be possible, albeit a PITA, to start you boil in 2 pots (maybe 5 gals in your big pot, 2 more gallons on the stove) until you get through the hot break and boil some volume off, and then combine wort in one pot.

How would I calibrate my hdrometer Dude?

I've heard of people using 25% extra grain and skipping the sparging step altogether. I'd never do it (i'm cheap) but it's something to consider.

gabe said:

How would I calibrate my hdrometer Dude?

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Take a reading in plain water at 60 deg F. It should read 1.000

Are you doing a full 5 or 5.5 gal boil or are you topping off after you are done? I know for my last batch, I missed my OG but I checked the level of the water and it was a good half gallon over the 5 gal line.

HurricaneFloyd said:

Are you doing a full 5 or 5.5 gal boil or are you topping off after you are done? I know for my last batch, I missed my OG but I checked the level of the water and it was a good half gallon over the 5 gal line.

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Yep, that will definitely mess with a planned OG. You'd be surprised how much a few pints of water will skew an OG.

That is why I'm thinking something else in his procedures need re-evaluating.

cweston said:

Well, you could collect 6 gallons and boil very carefully...then top off with water to make 5.25 (or whatever) in the fermenter.

You'd probably acheive fairly low efficiency with this scheme (6 gallons is probably not enough sparge water to get all the sugary goodness). But grain is relatively cheap, so it would be a surmountable issue once you got your efficiency dialed in, I'd think.

It would also be possible, albeit a PITA, to start you boil in 2 pots (maybe 5 gals in your big pot, 2 more gallons on the stove) until you get through the hot break and boil some volume off, and then combine wort in one pot.

Click to expand...

I've considered the latter approach, but I'm not sure how I'd handle it logistically. I'm thinking that I may be a "partial extract" brewer rather than "partial mash"; I'll use enough grain in a 4 gallon boil to pull out probably 75% - 80% of my fermentables, starting with 5 gallons in the pot to boil down to 4. I'll add some DME for gravity near the end of the boil, then add a gallon or so of water to the fermenter. It'll take some tweaking, but that should work. I'll just have to get good at being able to convert recipes from grain to extract and vice-versa.

In any case, I'm stoked to just be able to GET a full, roiling ("rolling" or "roiling," I can never remember...) boil, which is very tough to do on the electric stove.

Sorry been at Stone for 3 days and had no computer time. Dude, let me know how much gravity I should add to my reading! I boiled a total volume of 6 gal for 60 min. Whats evap take ? half gal? I also took the reading at 75 deg. So if I read 1.070 and was shooting for 1.087 where would it realy be?

What was your masah schedule? Times and temps will help get this figured out for you. i recently did my first partial mash and it was a phenominal success. I know that does not help you out but i think it was my mash schedule that made all the difference, cuz it certainly was not the strainer i used as a lauter tun that did it.

Mash Schedule was 4# of grain at 155 deg for 50 min. sparge with 170 deg, about 2 gal, for ? time. I know my reading needs altering so I will start a new thread. Cheers

gabe said:

Sorry been at Stone for 3 days and had no computer time. Dude, let me know how much gravity I should add to my reading! I boiled a total volume of 6 gal for 60 min. Whats evap take ? half gal? I also took the reading at 75 deg. So if I read 1.070 and was shooting for 1.087 where would it realy be?

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At 75 deg F you need to add 2 points to your reading, so: 1.072.

Hydrometer correction calculator

Well, you'll need 2 hyrometers. Tap one of them on a table (like a pencil) until the paper with the scales on it moves all the way to the fat end. Use that one to measure OG. Take another hydrometer and tap it on the table until the paper moves up to the end of the skinny side. Use that one to measure you're final gravity.

I predict an immense increase in your brewing satisfaction, as long as you don't get the OG and FG instruments mixed up.