Efficiency with honey

I'm having a hard time working out what my efficiency was because of the addition of honey. I did my first all grain and as far as I can tell I think I did well.

Here is the recipe(please note it was 4 gallons final volume as intended):
http://hopville.com/recipe/1442295/blonde-ale-recipes/sweet-honey-wheat---all-grain-4-gallons

I measured the OG pre boil and pre honey at 1.025

Then before pouring into the primary(after boil) I was at 1.050 with the addition of honey.

So when do I calculate efficiency without accounting for the honey addition?


I also learned that I should just pour the honey straight into the primary(instead of at flame out) because I did end up with what seemed like a bit of it mixed in with the trub when I cleaned my pot. It was a lot jumping into my first all grain with my own recipe and BIAB setup. Also lit my bag on fire a bit and broke a candy thermometer. Fun day.

You calculate it using that 1.025 reading for whatever volume you had pre-boil.

Knowing the amount is 1.6 gallons, what formula or online calculator do I use?

The March-April issue of BYO magazine covered this exact subject, including all the calcs and adding some maltodextrine as the honey tends to dry the beer out.

Could you link me or post an excerpt?

Can anyone help me with the initial question? I keep googling things and not getting a real answer. Thanks

Does that look like I used it correctly? I'd be amazed if I had an 88% efficiency on my first BIAB.

You boiled off 2.8 gallons? If 6.8 is actually the correct volume, then yes you're using the tool properly.

Well I lost 2.8 gallons to the grains, boil off, and trub. When is the correct time to measure the wort for efficiency? Before the boil or after?

You want the volume that you had in the pot after you removed the grains/squeezed the bag. You shouldn't include the volume lost to the grains during the mash.

Honey is generally 36-42 PPG, meaning one pound will raise the gravity in one gallon sort by 36-42 gravity points.

For your volume, multiply the volume of honey x36ish and divide by your post boil volume (before loses), to get how many gravity points the honey contributed.

In which pot, the initial mash or when I pull the grains from the sparge and then combine?

What I'm thinking you mean is I should get the volume of water after the grains are removed from the sparge water and the mash is poured into that. What ever that size is will be my volume which I can guesstimate from the level it fills in the pot and use that same moment to get the gravity from that now combined two pots which is my wort. Yea?

fauxtoe said:

In which pot, the initial mash or when I pull the grains from the sparge and then combine?

What I'm thinking you mean is I should get the volume of water after the grains are removed from the sparge water and the mash is poured into that. What ever that size is will be my volume which I can guesstimate from the level it fills in the pot and use that same moment to get the gravity from that now combined two pots which is my wort. Yea?

Click to expand...

Yes, you want the volume after you've removed the grains and before you start the boil.

fauxtoe said:

Well I lost 2.8 gallons to the grains, boil off, and trub. When is the correct time to measure the wort for efficiency? Before the boil or after?

Click to expand...

Typically you calculate your efficiency prior to the boil once your preboil volume is hit (your SG). Your preboil volume is important when calculating brewhouse efficiency as too little wort will typically make your efficiency go up (inaccurately).

On a side note in regards to the honey, I'd keep adding at flameout as most honey is not pasteurized.

*wipes sweat from brow*

Ok, so I'll lower the volume to my estimated volume at that point and measure the OG. Thank you so much afr0byte!