Question about adjusting recipes to match your efficiency...

I have a question about adjusting grain bills. Most of the recipes you see out there are assuming either a 75 or 70% mash efficiency.

I batch sparge and usually get 64% efficiency. How do I adjust the grain amounts to get the same target gravity as some of these recipes. Just add to the base malts, or up the amount of some of the specialty malts too?

I just go by percentages for all the grains. 20% is 20% regardless of the weight...

I normally just bump the base malt to get where I want to be, but I watch the percentages of the specialty malts to make sure they don't get too out of whack from the original recipe. Unless your efficiency is drastically different from the efficiency the recipe was written for, the percentages of the specialty malts won't change that much. Its an art, really. You have to use your beer-sense when adapting recipes to your system.

I scale the recipes using beer smith. that will adjust all of the malts, not just the base.

However, don't walk into LHBS and ask for 1.28 pounds of crystal 60. You may have to round a bit.

Here's what i do. I scale up using Promash first. This obviously does the specialty grains too. It works for many beers but not for all. If you are using grains like black patent, roasted barley or similar, you should back them off and add base. This is an area I have some experience in since I frequently make beers with intentionally low efficiency.

korndog said:

Here's what i do. I scale up using Promash first. This obviously does the specialty grains too. It works for many beers but not for all. If you are using grains like black patent, roasted barley or similar, you should back them off and add base. This is an area I have some experience in since I frequently make beers with intentionally low efficiency.

Click to expand...

Why intentionally shoot for a lower efficiency? What is the advantage there? Just curious.

evandam said:

Why intentionally shoot for a lower efficiency? What is the advantage there? Just curious.

Click to expand...

It's not that I WANT lower efficiency, but many of my sessions are no-sparge mashes. I plug in about 58% efficiency typically for a no-sparge.

KD