Mash Problems

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Cellarbrau

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Hi, First post here. I've done lot's of reading already but i just can't figure out why my mash efficiency/brew efficiency is so damn low.

I just did my 4th all grain brew yesterday. I was going for 1.052 OG for a 6 gallon batch of wheat beer. At the end of the day I read 1.032 OG on my hydrometer and there was under 6 gallons due to boiling and other losses.

Grain:
6.5 lbs Wheat Malt
4 lbs 2-Row
1 lb Flaked Wheat
0.5 lbs rice hulls
=12 lbs

In a 6 gallon plastic bucket the grain bed is about 16 inches deep with rice hulls integrated throughout.

I add 12 liters of 130*F water and rest for 20 minutes at 122*F
I add boiling water to bring temp up to 155* for 60 mins
Temperature is down to 150* so I add a liter or so of boiling water and
recirculate for 45 minutes.
I drain wort at 1 liter per minute and collect 7 gallons.

Everything went very smoothly. I only tested the OG at the end of the boil so sorry I don't have more information there. Grains were milled at the LHBS here in Vancouver which has a good reputation.

I've not been happy with my efficiency in the previous batches hitting between 50-55% even with some late addition malt extract.

1.032 is like 40% efficiency. Am I missing some important aspect of mashing grains?
 
Crush would be #1, make sure your adjusting your OG for whatever temp your sample is at, but it's best to let it cool then take a reading. Calibrate your Hydrometer in Distilled Water, should read 1.000. +1 for calibrating your Thermometer, an inaccurate one can screw everything up.

What percent efficiency do you plan your recipes for?

16 inches is a pretty deep grain bed IMO, any chance you can upgrade to a converted cooler for an MLT w/ SS braid or a manifold? Then you could fly sparge or double batch sparge, you would also be able to use a thinner mash which will also improve efficiency, and I think a thinner grain bed will help as well.

Hope that helps:mug:
 
Not familiar with your method, I am sure it has some fancy name. But I don't see a high temperature sparge that we use for batch sparging. 180-190F water to get all the residual sugars out, is that missing ?

Try batch sparging - look up Bobby M's method as it is very simple to follow and yields great results.
 
The crush could be a culprit.

Thermometers and hydrometers are calibrated. The reason I only have one reading is because I only test once, for OG, once the wort is cooled.

The sparge water was only around 150* F. I will try 185* next time. Also I am going to buy a barley crusher asap. Also I will be looking into making one of those converted cooler MLTs I see around everywhere on this site.

I am aiming for 75% when I plan my recipe. 50% is just not good enough. First, it is more expensive to brew with grains at that rate than extracts. Secondly, I am already very frustrated with missing my targets. Not only that I am getting worse. So, looks like its time for some better gear.

Thanks to everyone who made suggestions they were all considered and followed up on.
 
Check your crush, water chem. and your temps.

Next brew, take a sample of the first wort, get that gravity reading and compare it to Kias chart here for conversion eff.

Then take a reading of all of the wort in the kettle prior to boiling, this will give you mash/lauter eff.

Then take gravity and volume reading when the wort goes into the fermentor, this will give you brewhouse eff.

Then you can look at all of these and see where the bottleneck is.
 
I forgot to mention, twice, that I do use the "Ph 5.2" powder. And I will take a pre boil gravity sample next time.
 
adamjab19 said:
check therometers as well.
Click to expand...

+1 to thermometer. I just found one of mine that was reading 10 degree's low. If you're mashing at 145 instead of 155 it could be your problem.

Do you always use the same double infusion mash schedule? Have you tried a single mash at 155 and mash out at 175-180 batch sparge?
 
Usually I only do a single infusion. I've read that wheat malt needs a protein rest so that's why I did the double infusion this time.

I slowly add sparge water at the same rate that I collect wort, maintaining an inch of water above the grain bed, which is called continuous sparging.
 
John Palmer:

In the English method of sparging, the wort is completely drained from the grain bed before more water is added for a second mash and drained again. These worts are then combined. Alternatively, the first and second runnings are often used to make separate beers. The second running is lighter in gravity and was traditionally used for making a Small Beer, a lighter bodied, low alcohol beer suitable for high volume quaffing at mealtimes.

Batch Sparging is a U.S. homebrewing practice where the full volume of sparge water is mixed into the mash. The grain bed is allowed to settle, and then the wort is drained off. The re-circulation step in this process takes place in the first minutes of the sparge. You can use more than one batch of water if you need to. This method differs from the English method in that the mash is not held for any significant time at the saccharification temperature before draining.


Continuous Sparging usually results in better extractions. The wort is re-circulated and drained until about an inch of wort remains above the grain bed. The sparge water is gently added, as necessary, to keep the fluid at least at that level. The goal is to gradually replace the wort with the water, stopping the sparge when the gravity is 1.008 or when enough wort has been collected, whichever comes first. This method demands more attention by the brewer, but can produce a higher yield.
Click to expand...
 
Cellarbrau, you're fly sparging. Here is another thing for you to check on top of thermometer and hydrometer calibrations. Remember, just because the thermometer is accurate at 0C/32F and 100C/212F doesn't mean it's accurate at mash temperatures.

You might have channeling issues in your mash tun since you fly sparge. Channeling is where the wort goes in a channel to the drainage and not pull the sugar from other parts of the mash. Do you use a manifold, SS braid, or false bottom to do the lauter? Anyways, try batch sparging next. It is does not care about mash tun geometry.
 
My mash tun is a 6 gal. plastic bucket with a false bottom. I never tried batch sparging because there is just not much space left once you have 12 lbs of grain and 20 quarts of water in there.

When I have some time I will make a 40-50qt. cooler MLT with a slotted manifold.
 

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