Efficiency is my Daddy

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KozHops

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Brewed up a batch of Yooper's DFH 60 minute IPA last night. Was shooting for a SG of around 1.065 but ended up at the dreaded 1.046. After I threw a few chairs in the yard and screamed bloody murder ;) (this is the 5th batch in a row I've hit sub 60's eff), I was cleaning out my mash tun when I noticed about 30% of the grains were intact. I am going to go on a whim here and say this is the cause for my efficiency problems. I always have the guy at my LHBS crush the grains for me so either he doesn't know he has this problem or his crush is set for low efficiency.

I'd hate to question the guy about this because he's been really helpful to me but this is ridiculous.
 
i wouldn't get upset. but i would ask him politely to crush it better next time. if you don't let him know there's a problem then he might not find out. how can he fix something he doesnt know is broken?
 
I don't mind the low ABV's so much its more of the fact that the IBU's jump up now.
 
Crushing my own grain made huge difference in my all-grain brewing.

It adds a lot of flexibility too. I used to have a recipe and then get it crushed by the LHBS all in one bag and then brew within a few days. With my own mill, sacks of grain and some speciality grains on hand, I can brew anytime I want (at least anything without weirdo specialty grains, etc.)

My efficiency also went from 65% to around 75%.
 
My efficiencies always sucked. I would hit 64% to 68 or 70% on a good day and just chalked it up to my technique. Then I also paid more attention to the crush I was getting from the shop, so I bought a 15lb capacity Barley Crusher and my efficiencies went to 75% to 80+% without changing my technique. My gravity's and finished product are way more consistent from batch to batch now.
 
You hit sub 60's for 4 batches in a row buying from the same source and yet you still aimed for higher efficiency on the fifth one? Not trying to be a ******, but it sounds like you should have known what efficiency you were going to get and planned for it.

You got a couple choices, accept that you have a consistent efficiency (which is what you really want anyway) and plan for sub 60's. Or you could tell him about it and he can tighten the mill a bit to help you get a bit better efficiency. Or buy a mill and do it yourself.

High efficiency isn't as important as consistent efficiency. Getting your own mill will improve your consistency and efficiency greatly, it did for me and many of the above brewers. If you have the LHBS adjust their mill there is no way of saying it won't get adjusted again...so it's kind of a crapshoot every time.
 
You hit sub 60's for 4 batches in a row buying from the same source and yet you still aimed for higher efficiency on the fifth one? Not trying to be a ******, but it sounds like you should have known what efficiency you were going to get and planned for it.

You got a couple choices, accept that you have a consistent efficiency (which is what you really want anyway) and plan for sub 60's. Or you could tell him about it and he can tighten the mill a bit to help you get a bit better efficiency. Or buy a mill and do it yourself.

High efficiency isn't as important as consistent efficiency. Getting your own mill will improve your consistency and efficiency greatly, it did for me and many of the above brewers. If you have the LHBS adjust their mill there is no way of saying it won't get adjusted again...so it's kind of a crapshoot every time.
Good points. Initially thought it was problems with temps (bad thermometer) and mash/sparge ratios. So I did a bunch of SMaSH brews to try to pinpoint the problem.
 
My efficiencies always sucked. I would hit 64% to 68 or 70% on a good day and just chalked it up to my technique. Then I also paid more attention to the crush I was getting from the shop, so I bought a 15lb capacity Barley Crusher and my efficiencies went to 75% to 80+% without changing my technique. My gravity's and finished product are way more consistent from batch to batch now.
I'm thinking the barley crusher is my best bet so I can get the most control over the crush. Looks like it's worked great for you.
 
I'm thinking the barley crusher is my best bet so I can get the most control over the crush. Looks like it's worked great for you.

I have the BC too. It's the most complete unit out there. I'm not very handy, so I wanted as much "plug and play" as possible.
 
Regardless of which mill you get, it will help. You will have the same exact crush nearly every time, which is what is important. It's well worth it.
 
Are there different models? I guess the original. I have the 7lb hopper which is plenty, but you can get the 15lb if refilling the hopper upsets you.
 
I've used grains crushed by the LHBS, used a Corona mill, and a roller mill.
I never noticed any difference in efficiency.
I think I was lucky with the crush I got from the LHBS.
The Corona mill worked well for me, but it took forever to set up and grind enough grains for a batch.
Then I got a JSP malt mill (fixed gap), and I think this was the best brewing purchase I ever made. I've been using it for about 5 years with no problems.

-a.
 
Any of the mills with an adjustable gap are going to be a huge improvement over the LHBS crush. At best, they have a mediocre mill that does a crappy job. At worst they set it wide so you have to buy more grain to get your target gravities.

Get your own mill, condition your malt, and you will be set up for 80% +/- 5% efficiency in a very simple equipment upgrade.
 
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