Nostrildamus
Well-Known Member
Heating the mash before sparging and really making sure it was up near 170F before lautering really made a difference in my efficiency today.
I have been plagued with low efficiency (68%) in the past and have attributed it to the crush etc. I have a direct fire MLT so this time through I hit the MLT with some heat before sparging and gave the mash a good stir to make sure there was uniform temperature throughout. Nice hot sparge water (170F) and I kept the flame on super low to make sure the it stayed in the upper 160s for the entire sparge.
76% was the result. Considering it is the same crush and same mash schedule and technique as my past brews this represents a considerable jump.
I guess it makes sense considering sugar needs to be warm to stay liquidy.
I have been plagued with low efficiency (68%) in the past and have attributed it to the crush etc. I have a direct fire MLT so this time through I hit the MLT with some heat before sparging and gave the mash a good stir to make sure there was uniform temperature throughout. Nice hot sparge water (170F) and I kept the flame on super low to make sure the it stayed in the upper 160s for the entire sparge.
76% was the result. Considering it is the same crush and same mash schedule and technique as my past brews this represents a considerable jump.
I guess it makes sense considering sugar needs to be warm to stay liquidy.