Post First AG Batch question and review request

Things went pretty well. I missed my target mash temp by 1 degree At mash out I dropped over 3 gallons of boiling water (I’m using the Gott cooler tun) and only got my temp up to 164. I held the temp for 10 mins and stared sparge. I got a stuck sparge and started over. I only used 12 quarts of sparge water since I had dropped so much liquid into the mash liquor to heat it up. I still had plenty of liquor in the mash tun by the time I had collected over 6.5 gallons. My final runnings gravity was 1.016. My target OG was 1.047 and I’m reading 1.044, and the fermentor is bubbling great.

Is this normal to have to use that much mash out water? Does this effect the beer in anyway? I think I left to much liquor in the mash tun. I’m definitely making a sparge arm.

You don't even really have to worry much about mash out water. A lot of guys don't even do a mash out. It's actually easier to just mash, drain and sparge. That way you don't have to worry about the extra infusion of water to mash out. You might lose a little efficiency, but I've never noticed a difference personally. If you really want to see gains in efficiency, then definitely build the sparge arm.

I had a bit of a problem following your procedure and math, but if you were shooting for 047 and hit 044 it looks to me like you had a resounding success.

There is a lot of a fudge factor in all of this, and getting within 3 points is nailing it on the head to me.

Kudos, great job.

My main concern was the amount of liquid I left in the mash tun. But from what I've read today your infusion water to get to mash out temp is viewed as the first batch of sparge water. I probably put to much sparge/mash out water into the tun while mashing out/sparging but I think I got low enough gravity in my runnings and I collected a full wort boil. My pre-boil gravity was 1.051.