what efficiency do you get and what do use to get it?

Just thought this could be a fun way to brag and teach newer brewers myself included how to get the most out of their grain. And to see the differences in different systems. I have a 10 gallon mash tun and use local homebrew shop grain crushed. I hybrid fly sparge and usually get around 55 to 65 % efficiency.

I use LHBS Crush batch sparging 5 gallon batches and usually hit around 85% mash efficiency.

Edit: oh and I use a 7.5gallon turkey fryer with bazooka screen and ball valve added.

Use a hydrometer for Testing and beer alchemy for recipe recording and data computations.

Very, very rarely deviate too much from around 70%. It's just basic batch sparging. I'm sure I could do stuff to get it higher, but I like the consistent results even if the efficiency isn't that high, not to mention, most published recipes seem calibrated to around 70-75% so it makes adjustments to any other person's recipe pretty easy most of the time.

I usually do batch sparge in a bucket in bucket mash tun, and get around 60 % mash efficiency. But the last brew day i tried a biab with a mash out and a small "sprinkle sparge" with 1 gallon of hot water to get the right preboil volume. Mash efficiency went up to 80%

75-80% depending on crush. Simple batch sparge in a 10 gal rubbermaid cooler w/ s/s braid.

i bought a cheap corona mill off amazon to control my crush, run it a little finer than the brew store and that seemed to help a good bit. i use a cooler mash lauter tun with SS braid and double batch sparge. i was hitting 75% for first 5-7 all grain brews, then as i dialed my process in to get correct volume post-boil, i added more water to double batch sparging and went up to 85% for standard gravity brews. on higher gravity brews, 1.065 and up, i add more water to the double batch sparge and boil longer- 115 mins my the longest so far. beers above 1.070 i hover right around 83% efficiency.
sometimes i cut the ratio of mash water to lbs of grain down to 1.1 qts per lb, as opposed to my standard 1.3 qts/lb so i dont have to jump up to a longer boil time. if i can boil for 70 as opposed to 90 mins by cutting the mash water a bit, I probably do. this allows for more sparge water to rinse the grain but allows me to stay at a lower boil time.

I batch sparge in a Coleman extreme cooler with a SS tube screen. The following I found help bump my efficiency from upper 68-70% up to 80-82%:
Mash thinner - after reading Kaiser's work I tried it and usually for lower OG beers I mash at 2.0 qt/lb. higher OG beer I mash at 1.75 qt/lb
Crush fine - my LHBS crush sucked. And I wasn't impressed with NB or AHS crushes either. So bought a corona mill and set the gap so tight I was scared (see corona mill threads).
Use Bru'n water - started out using the 5.2 mash stabilizer in my mash water. After much research it appears 5.2 is useless. Instead adjusting your mash water with some basic electrolytes and minerals has proven easier than I thought to do. Keeps my mash Ph in range every time. Google Bru'n water for the download.
Cheers!

LHBS double crush.

75% when I traditional BIAB.
80% when I BIAB-sparge.

This is all for mash efficiency. My volumes are fairly accurate.

I started out batch sparging and getting 65-75%. Had a stuck sparge which forced me to switch to fly-sparging and efficiency jumped into mid 80% side note both were dark ales. Low efficiency problem solved. Nope, I brewed a pale ale and got mid 60%s again. Gotta be the mash ph. I started adjusting my water and got mid 80%s with my most recent wheat. Hooray problem solved again. Nope, brewed an IPA and got low 60%s. All crush was LHBS. Current, thinking is I need my own mill. Waiting until after the holiday season when some cash will free up and pick myself up a mill.

tl;dr Poor LHBS crush giving me inconsistent efficiency ranging from low 60s% to high 80%s.

My LHBS crushes too coarse so I like to pulse my grains a few times in an old food processor I have. Amps up my efficiency from 60% to just short of 80%. Fly sparge from HLT (bottling bucket with a hose run to a colander resting on the mash tun) at about 170*f. I use about 1.5 qt. hot water per lb..

0.035" crush

Mash pH control

Simple cooler with cpvc manifold, batch sparge

< 1.050 80-82%
1.050 - 1.070 77-80%
> 1.070 70-77%

I tend to get on the upper side of 75% efficiency, and just fly sparge my stuff, but tend to go for longer infusion and sparge times and large sparge volumes.

Full volume BIAB with corona mill ~75% efficiency pretty consistenly with no sparge.

BIAB with dunk sparge gets me about 75% every time.

I crush my own grain, batch sparge in a cooler with a braid and average right around 85%.

Fly sparge with a kegle mashtun and i sit at 70% pretty cosistently. Standard false bottom, dip tube, and ball valve. I've only donrle about 10 ag batches so Ive been just getting comfortable with my equipment. Perhaps I shpuld start toying with my water.... well at least its consistent for now and the brew is always good

75%-83%, Coleman Xtreme cooler, batch sparge with SS braid...

I brew 10g batches with a RIMS system and fly sparge. I hit 75%, but go over 80% when I slow the sparge down.

I too crush my own. Cooler with manifold and HERMS in my HLT. Now that I have several batches with it I've gone from 70% to 78-80%. Finally figuring losses through all the processes. Efficiency really isn't an issue with me. For me it is getting the same number consistently. Crush has made the most difference for me.

I tend to get impatient when fly sparging. Getting a pump soon so I dont have to pour from my hlt to my sparge arm and get impatient... thinking that will increase my efficiency too just by going a bit slower.

I use LHBS crush, batch sparge in a 10gal igloo cooler.

I usually hit no less than 72% and usually keep it right around 75% as a good rule of thumb. I've gotten higher, but I'm not going to change anything or slow it down. Wide open sparge, 2 stirrings during a 60-70 min mash and I'm done.

I'm happy with it, and have no need or want to try to change it or get higher. Higher doesn't mean better beer.

I mill with barley crusher, mash in 10 gallon orange cooler with DIY SS braid and batch sparge and get 80%

LHBS crush, 10 gal rubbermaid cooler with a false bottom, and fly-sparging.

I usually get about 75-80% efficiency.

10gal round cooler with false bottom. Batch sparging with either Midwest or NB crush (lower efficiency from NB). I get 72% efficiency almost every time I brew. It is rare when I don't hit my OG.

0.033" gap on Barley Crusher, single pass
mash pH/water adjusted
CPVC manifold in 10 gallon Igloo
Single batch sparge

76-77% efficiency

I am usually 85% to 93% using an EHERMS, Barley Crusher, and a 10 gal cooler with an octogon copper manifold. I take 30-45 minutes to fly sparge and always mash out.

Begin2Brew said:

I am usually 85% to 93% using an EHERMS, Barley Crusher, and a 10 gal cooler with an octogon copper manifold. I take 30-45 minutes to fly sparge and always mash out.

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Superwoah efficiency aside, it seems it would be hard to predict OG for a batch with a 8% range in efficiency. I'd rather be at 76-77% and consistent.

pabloj13 said:

Superwoah efficiency aside, it seems it would be hard to predict OG for a batch with a 8% range in efficiency. I'd rather be at 76-77% and consistent.

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I depends on the gravity, my Imperial Stout was 1.119OG and they are around 85%. My average beers in the 1.050 range are always 93%. The biggest reason I built the EHERMS and bought a mill was to be more consistant and it is.

Begin2Brew said:

I depends on the gravity, my Imperial Stout was 1.119OG and they are around 85%. My average beers in the 1.050 range are always 93%. The biggest reason I built the EHERMS and bought a mill was to be more consistant and it is.

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Gotcha. I mean I wouldn't NOT drink your beers. ;-)