brewing tonight!!!

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tdavisii

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Hey all... thought i would let every one know im brewin it up tonight.

10lb 2 row
1lb victory
1lb 60l
1lb vienna
1.5 oz cascade at 60min
1.5 oz cascade at 10min
1 oz cascade (aroma)

How much water has everyone been using to mash? I keep getting really poor efficiency.
 
I wish I was brewing tonight. At least I'll have a brew with my dinner.

I keep getting really poor efficiency.
Tell us about your pH, temps, times and sparge practice. Good efficiency is easy when you get these right.
 
as far as PH i have no clue i am still relatively new at this whole thing so im probably screwing stuff up left and right. For every other 5 gallon batch i use 5 water to mash. Mash in at 170F and and temp hangs in the low 150s. Mash for an hour or so then sparge with a gallon and a half using a pyrex measuring cup.
 
as far as PH i have no clue

I need to acidify my water to get the pH in the 5s to get good conversion. I add half a tsp of gypsum to 3 gallons of sparge water.

For every other 5 gallon batch i use 5 water to mash.

That sounds like a pretty thin mash. Try using 1.25 quarts per pound of grain.

Mash in at 170F and and temp hangs in the low 150s. Mash for an hour or so then sparge with a gallon and a half using a pyrex measuring cup.

Try extending your mash a bit, in case the it isn't getting to completion. 1.5 or 2 hours. Be sure to stir to eliminate hot spots.

I'd sparge with 5 gallons of (acidified) sparge water, after using 1.25 quarts per pound in the mash.

Be sure to sparge very slowly. I recommend fly sparging.
 
I highly recommend getting a copy of some sort of brewing software. I use ProMash. It has calculators for determining how much water to mash and sparge with and takes into account various areas that losses will occur (absorbed by the grain, lost in tun deadspace, etc.). It also has a calculator for figuring out your strike temp. Put a pocket therm into your bag of grains and leave it there for 5 minutes. That will tell you your grain temp. Plug in the amount of grains and the qts/lb. ratio into the program and it tells you how hot your water needs to be. Works like a charm.

Next get a water analysis report from your water department and find out what kind of water you have. Get some pH test strips and test the pH of your Mash. You want 5.2-5.8. Trial and error will get you to adjusting your water to match your brews. But a few simple tests will make for less error. Have fun!
 
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