Beer Recipe Calculation Questions

Hey Guys

Im trying to wrap my head around a few things. I want to put together a few 5 gallon recipes -

If I am making a 5 gallon finished boil volume recipe- how much grain should I be calculating on the short side- and the high side?

If 1# grain = 1 1/4 quarts of water

then 10# grain = 12 1/2 quarts or 3 1/2 gallon Mash Volume.. sparge the final 2 gallons..

Why would I use 11 # of grain in a 5 gallon recipe- or even 12 # grain? While I might need to use more mash in water volume to get the right mash thickness- I would have less hot water to lauter at the end... is that the main disadvantage?


Is there a standard # of grain per 5 gallon recipe thats used across the board for the most part?

I'm not sure I understand your questions, but I think you're asking about how to hit your volume, and your desired OG in brewing?

I wish I could explain better. But you know what- I kinda figured it out on my own... sort of.

I put a 5 gallon recipe in hopville. When tinkering with the pounds of grains- I noticed my profile changing on the side- the hoppy bitter started becoming sweet and malty. So I kinda see whats happening now- thus figuring it out.

My question is / was - is there a standard - how many pounds per grain needed to make a decent 5 gallon batch of beer- it looks like 9. something.. at least from all that I am seeing. With exceptions im sure.

mikemet said:

Hey Guys

Im trying to wrap my head around a few things. I want to put together a few 5 gallon recipes -

If I am making a 5 gallon finished boil volume recipe- how much grain should I be calculating on the short side- and the high side?

If 1# grain = 1 1/4 quarts of water

then 10# grain = 12 1/2 quarts or 3 1/2 gallon Mash Volume.. sparge the final 2 gallons..

Why would I use 11 # of grain in a 5 gallon recipe- or even 12 # grain? While I might need to use more mash in water volume to get the right mash thickness- I would have less hot water to lauter at the end... is that the main disadvantage?


Is there a standard # of grain per 5 gallon recipe thats used across the board for the most part?

Click to expand...

You seem to be asking two separate questions: The first being how to calculate a grain bill and the second being how to calculate volumes?

The grain bill is determined on the style of beer and desired gravity as well as the various grains to be used in the beer-this is really a matter of understanding recipe creation and formulation.

The second question will then be determined by your set up, grain bill, boil off, absorption, dead space, etc.

If you are just getting started in AG brewing I would suggest you look for a proven recipe or kit first to learn and understand the process of AG. If you post that recipe and your set up/equipment we can assist you in calculating volumes. Once you've gotten a few batches under your belt then you can start learning about creating recipes.

One place to look would be here:https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f82/

mikemet said:

My question is / was - is there a standard - how many pounds per grain needed to make a decent 5 gallon batch of beer- it looks like 9. something.. at least from all that I am seeing. With exceptions im sure.

Click to expand...

To add to what Yooper and duboman said, there's really no defined amount of grain per batch. I've made batches with 9 lbs of grain and I've made batches with 20 lbs of grain for a 5 gallon batch. For an average gravity beer, I'm usually sitting at about 12 to 13 pounds of grain.