guinsu
Well-Known Member
I've posted about this before, but haven't been able to nail down the problem yet. My first few AG batches had efficiencies in the 70s, now I am hovering around 55-65% at best. I've rechecked all my liquid measurements and even got new thermometers (including a thermapen). Here's my process for my last batch:
5lb US Pale Ale Mat
1.75lb Maris Otter
.5lb Caramel 60L
I heated 2.25 gallons of water to 174, added it to my MLT with the grain. Temp came out to 153. At the end of the hour it had gone down to 148. I'm using the home depot 10 gallon cooler btw.
Next I heated 5.5 gallons of sparge water to boiling, put it in the HLT. After collecting the first runnings I poured the water in and stirred it. Temp was 182, after 15 mins it was around 179. I know temps that high aren't the best for bitterness reasons but shouldn't be affecting efficiency.
After collecting all of the wort I took a measurement with the refractrometer, 6.8 or 1.027 after I converted it. Beer Alchemy said I should have 1.031, my old recipe from Austin Home Brew said 1.036. Software said I had an efficiency of 64%. That was actually the best I had done in about 8 batches.
Is there anything obvious I am missing here? My thermometers are accurate, I am measuring the volumes of water correctly as far as I can tell. When I have compared my refractometer to a hydrometer they look to be within .002 of each other.
5lb US Pale Ale Mat
1.75lb Maris Otter
.5lb Caramel 60L
I heated 2.25 gallons of water to 174, added it to my MLT with the grain. Temp came out to 153. At the end of the hour it had gone down to 148. I'm using the home depot 10 gallon cooler btw.
Next I heated 5.5 gallons of sparge water to boiling, put it in the HLT. After collecting the first runnings I poured the water in and stirred it. Temp was 182, after 15 mins it was around 179. I know temps that high aren't the best for bitterness reasons but shouldn't be affecting efficiency.
After collecting all of the wort I took a measurement with the refractrometer, 6.8 or 1.027 after I converted it. Beer Alchemy said I should have 1.031, my old recipe from Austin Home Brew said 1.036. Software said I had an efficiency of 64%. That was actually the best I had done in about 8 batches.
Is there anything obvious I am missing here? My thermometers are accurate, I am measuring the volumes of water correctly as far as I can tell. When I have compared my refractometer to a hydrometer they look to be within .002 of each other.