First all grain.. Possible disaster

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franklinswheat

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So I completed my first all grain 10 gallon batch yesterday. I used 18 lbs of 2 row and 2 pounds of 40l crystal. My mash temp was higher than I wanted. I was shooting for 153ish and actually ended up at 158. I used 6.5 gallons . I left it for 60 mins then sparged with 10 gallons of water. I didn't measure the gravity until after boil pre-pitching. And my gravity was about 1.031. That seems extremely low to me. I pitched two separate starters into two different buckets each with about 5.5 gallons in each. I actually didnt have a target gravity which I understand is stupid. Just wondering did I use too much sparge water? Where did I go wrong?
 
beer smith came up with 1.054 for a target... but it won't be a disaster, just a little light
 
wow....that is wayyyyyy low. you really need to use brewing software freind. google brewtarget
 
no...even stirring wouldn't have gotten you 23 extra points...you obviously oversparged. for future reference, even if you take a post boil gravity reading and you are off like this...just keep boiling and concentrate your wort down to the appropriate OG.....yeah, you might lose a few quarts, maybe even a gallon. but if you really want that particular OG, then either you need to start being more efficient with your current grain bill....buy a larger grain bill for the same volume....or just boil off more.
 
or I guess a good number 4 would be to get brewing software so you know how much to sparge
 
What sparge method did you use? Batch or fly? Did you have a lot of extra wort after your sparge that you got rid of? If you did, then over sparging would be the culprit, if not, then it's most likely your sparging technique. Was your post boil volume right where you wanted it? More? Less? Need more info... Don't worry too much though, most folks don't get the best efficiency on their first run.
 
I ran a silicone hose over the top of the mash tun and let the water drain over the top leaving about 1/2 inch of water over the top of the grain at all times until I ran out of sparge water. I was shooting for 13.5 pre boil and around 11 to 11.5 post boil. I think I may have started with about 14 and got Down to about 12 total. I prob left maybe a gallon in the pot after I filled both buckets up.
 
I have one of those 12 inch bazooka screen type attachments in a 10 gal Rubbermaid cooler. 1/2 inch to 3/8 coupler and 3/8 ball lock valve on outside
 
why do you leave a gallon...thats a lot of wasted beer. dump that yummy stuff in there.
 
I know this may sound like a dumb question, but i just gotta ask....

What was the temperature of the samples that you were measuring with your hydrometer?

Here is a short table for hydrometer corrections for OG taken at a specific temperature

50°F -0.0013 (subtract)
55°F -0.0007 (subtract)
60°F needs no correction
65°F +0.0007 (add)
70°F +0.0016 (add)
75°F +0.0025 (add)
80°F +0.0034 (add)

Above 80°F and I usually use the following webste or my thermometer/hydrometer that has a built-in correction guide

Here's a link to a website I use that has several calculators

http://www.brewersfriend.com/hydrometer-temp/

I've found several of these calculators to be very useful.
 
I took the reading at about 80 deg. Don't think that tiny amount of difference could explain my disaster.
 
So after checking the temperature of my water bath with my digital thermometer today it read 77. My Johnson temp controller read 67. So I went upstairs and got a meat thermometer which read 68. Closer to 68 than 77. I use the digital thermometer for mashing and I thought I mashed high at about 158 159 but I'm beginning to think it was actually 149ish. Could that explain my low gravity?
 
There are plenty of beers that have an intended mash of 149, so I wouldn't say that's your reason. Just try using a software next time (I use BeerPal for the iPhone) so that you have more precise targets for your volumes. Rather than just sparging with as much water as possible, use only the amount that the software suggests, and don't collect too much wort unless you plan on boiling for a lot longer.

I've had a couple beers intended for 1.050 and ended up at 1.040 or lower, it's not the end of the world... perfect for drinking games maybe?

The combination of most of the things mentioned is probably your culprit, but I'd suggest getting a software. Another tip if you're fly sparging (especially for a 10G batch) is not to sparge/drain too quickly, it can really hurt your efficiency. You need the sparge water to slowly sink through the grain so that it heats up the grains/sugars and rinses well.
 

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