What kind of efficiency do you average?

Just out of curiosity - based on your current setup and processes, what kind of efficiency do you average? What do you use as an assumption when formulating a recipe?

Just curious what other people average, and to get some input from others on what made the biggest improvement to their numbers.

I've averaged 75-78% until my last batch, which was 58%! That whole episode was screwed up, so thinking that was an aberration. When I plan my brew, I've been planning on 75% efficiency and it's worked so far. I'm pretty happy with it, really.

I know I get a good crush from my LHBS... I also fly sparge, hour runoffs... maybe that all helps. I average 79%

Pol

I use Promash for formulating recipes, and have 85% plugged in as the default efficiency.

-a.

I've always used 75% to calculate recipes. My efficiency varies from 70 to 85 percent mostly because I haven't been consistent with the volume of wort that ends up in the fermenter.

Crush your grains. Crush until you are scared.

My eff sucks and I'm determined to correct it. I came real close to buying a fly sparge set up. Still think I might.

For clarification, I'm referring here to a typical, 1050-1060 OG batch. Everyday brews.

What changes to their processes have people done to improve their efficiency? I've got a malt mill that's been 90% completed for two months, I'm hoping to improve my crush (pretty sure the HBS's crush isn't fine enough). I've been using the PH 5.2 buffer, although I'm not sure how much of an impact it has had on recent batches. If I ever get the ability to more-precisely measure PH, I'll prolly try fly sparging (I'm concerned about doing that now because of my inability to easily check PH).

What else am I not thinking about? I've only been getting ~65% lately, if I can get that up to 75%, I'll be happy.

And yes, I know I can just add more base malt - but there's pride at stake

I buy crushed grains from my LHBS and batch sparge. I consistantly get 72% and am happy with that. I will eventually buy a grain crusher but primarily so that I can buy bulk grains. Only then will I crush finer for better efficency.

I consistently get 5% more efficiency from fly sparging than batch (85% vs 80%), using a round cooler, false bottom, and sparge arm. (I don't use the sparge arm when batch sparging.)
For fly sparging, a slow sparge (about 90 minutes) is much more efficient than a faster sparge.
The one thing I did that improved my efficiency by about 10% was a mash out with 1g near boiling water that simultaneously reduced the mash viscosity, and raised the mash temp to 170. Prior to that, my sparge temp was only about 160. Of course, if you're batch sparging, heating the initial batch of sparge water to a higher temperature would have the same effect.
I don't know if it was the higher temperature, the reduced viscosity, or both that made the difference, but it worked.

-a.

almost always 70-74. batch sparging, rectangular cooler, copper manifold. I crush my own grains, and its a fine crush too. I don't worry about stuck sparges anymore, I've had a 70% wheat batch that ran smooth as butter.

I assume 70% when I formulat recipes. I have gotten as high as 73%, and and as low as ~ 67% since changing my mash and sparge technique, so I guess this is a decent assumption. I would still like to boost it to the 75 - 80% range.

- magno

I started at an abysmal 50%, but since I've improved my process I average about 75%. Lowest since I figured out what I was doing wrong was 74% and highest is 77%. The 77% was a decoction mash, batch sparged.

I used to get 80%+ on my old setup in 5g round cooler on barley mashing. On wheat it was around 70-75%. Now I have new keg based MLT and my first brew was wheat where I got 80%. I use false bottom and do batch sparging. Also I usually do multi step mashing including single or double decoction.

I use 85% in my Beertools formulator and hit the #'s dead on.I second what Catfish says,crush till you're scared. I crush super fine,flour and hulls(lots of dust too),and haven't had a stuck sparge yet.
BTW,i batch sparge. Cheers

Except for my last batch where I screwed up my mash temps, I usually get between 70 - 75%. I am using a 10 gal round cooler MLT with a SS braid and batch sparging. I crush my own grains with a Porkert (Corona-style) grain mill. I think I could do a bit better with a better mill, and more importantly, I would like to dial in my efficiency to a more consistent number with a better mill.

I get ~75% when I fly sparge. Have got 82% on the two batch sparges that I did. I use a SS false bottom in either a 7.5 gal SS pot, a 9-gal SS pot or a 10-gal round cooler. LHBS crushes my grains (no more, though...my Crankandstein shipped today!)

I think the variation I get comes more from the mash than the sparge...I've struggled with hitting/holding temps consistently, and conversion seems to take a long time sometimes. Might be a pH problem (I've only checked it on a couple batches, and it was 5.3 by the little paper strips)

I don't care so much about boosting the numbers from where they are, just want them to be consistent and repeatable. I'd take 60% every time over 75% +/- 10.

'course, 85 every time would be even better

Grind my own, use the 5.2 and doing a Mashout and fly sparging have me up to 85-87%. I base my recipes on 85% now. If I had a bigger kettle, I could probably get even better by continuing to collect runnings. My gravity of the runnings when the pot is full is still in the 1.015 range.

I sparged (batch) to the max last time and hit 90%
I'm happy with anything over 75% but am getting around 80% normaly.

What is a good brewing software to use?

bigjon88 said:

What is a good brewing software to use?

Click to expand...

I use Promash but have also tried Beersmith and Beer Tools Pro. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Both Promash and Beersmith offer free trials.

I got 65 with my first batch, but alot less on my last brew, Im blaming it on old grains/bad crush.

My efficiency has been eh.. I fly sparge. Here's the batches so far in 2007: 55, 73, 72, 69, 59, 67, 84. All were 45 minutes except the 84% batch this past weekend where I did a 60 minute sparge to see if that bumped up my eff.

I'm not convinced yet on the 60 got me 84. But I am going to continue to go with 60 to see if that is whats going on with my efficiency.

olllllo, and I brewed the same recipe together this past Sat and he batch sparged. I was kind of interested to see an efficiency compare but he got his grains elsewhere and different milling so don't think it's apples/apples compare. Don't remember if he documented eff.

I'm in the upper 70's% efficiency constantly. I adjust my promash recipies to reflect a 75% efficiency, but generally get more than that.
I batch sparge using a 5 gallon round cooler.

I have a phil mill, mash in a 10 gal cooler about 90 min, have false bottom, do not mash out, fly sparge about 1 hour or so, stop at 1.008. Eff usually 84-88% have hit in the 90-92% range a couple times. Like the set up I have for 5.5 gal, but could move to 10 and will most likely soon.