Breaking th laws of chemistry?

I've sucessfully brewed a partial mash IPA with, according to beersmith, a -16% "brewhouse efficiency." I had an OG of 1.046, and even at 50% efficiency, I should have had 1.064. I've tested my hydrometer in 60 F water, and it was dead on. Any thoughts?

Thanks

DRINK IT!!!!!
or send it to me and I will
JJ

First off, how well did you stir your wort before measuring the gravity. It needs a pretty good stir to get all of the extract dissolved. You may have been measuring diluted wort at the top of the fermenter.
Second, Are you sure you got the volume correct. Going over 5 gallons or what ever your planned volume was will effect the gravity.

There's all kinds of numbers that go into calculating the brewouse efficiency. What was the recipe? If you were doing a partial mash there was extract in there.

Negative efficiency is not a physical possibility. You cannot remove sugars from water

If 50% would have got you 1.064, then 1.046 is 36% efficiency.

I suspect you're doing something wrong in Beersmith. If you post your recipe , process, and gravity/volume readings, we can help.

If you have a negative effieciency it means you've distilled your mash.

Tell me how, I wanna know.

Yes, I did stir thewort well, and yes, I am a wee bit over 5 gal, but could it make that much of a difference? -an entire half gal extra h20 should only change SG a couple of points here I think.

Th Recipe:
4 Lbs pale LME
3 Lbs Amber LME
2 Lbs Crystal 10
1 Lb Victory
1 Lb Flaked Barley

Mashed Grains for 1 hr in 1.25qt/lb @ 154 F, Batch Sparge with same volume @ 170 F. Add extract & a little h20 for 3 gal boil -60 min

Thanks for you input.

Did you mill the grains before mashing? If not, your gravity came out just about where it should be with 7 lbs LME in 5g wort.
Also, you need base malt to mash. Crystal and Victory don't contain any enzymes to convert the starch in the flaked barley into sugar.

-a.

Thanks for pointing the enzyme issue out, I stupidly overlooked that!

You'd still get a gravity change even without enzymes because the dissolved stach will change the gravity in a similar way as dissovled sugar would. But you won't get alcohol from dissolved starch!!
I suspect as above that you're efficiency was REALLY low due to something like a poor crush.

If you do brew this again, I would cut down on the crystal and victory. Maybe up to a pound of the crystal, 0.5 lb victory, 0.5 lb flaked barley and 2 lbs of base malt.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I'm bound to figure some of this out through trail-&-error someday!