headfullahops
Well-Known Member
I just finished up my second all-grain batch after brewing extract for a couple of years, moving to full-wort boils in there somewhere, and then mini-mashing for a year or so. The mini-mash procedures were great for getting my thought process and procedures ready for the move up to all-grain. I have used Beer Tools Pro software (thanks Bobby M. for the YouTube video tutorials!) since before I started mini-mashing and have all my equipment calibrated so I have been accurately hitting volumes and mash temps for a while now. I got myself a 10 gallon beverage cooler and fittings from Lowe's that I converted with a bazooka screen, an 11 gallon SS boil kettle to which I installed a weldless spigot, and a refractometer. I already had a 9 gallon SS kettle with weldless spigot that I now use as a strike water HLT, a 4 gallon kettle that I use as an HLT on my stovetop for sparge water, an SP-50 tall LP burner stand, a CF chiller, and the other usual accessories.
I have been disappointed by my mash efficiency since the move to all-grain, though and I'm wondering if the grain crush from my LHBS is the culprit. Like I said, I have done two all-grain batches; both single infusion (154˚ for approx 60 mins), double batch sparge with temps and volumes calculated by BTP, and iodine conversion tests. On the first batch, I didn't have my act together as well as I thought. I nailed my mash temp but, I ended up sparging with too much water and leaving the extra gallon or so of runoff out of the kettle. That batch ended up with 60% brewhouse efficiency (I didn't take a pre-boil gravity reading). The batch I did yesterday, I nailed my temps and volumes; mashed at 154˚, collected 7.25 gallons in the kettle, boiled for an hour, chilled, collected 5.5 gallons in the fermentor, pitched, yada yada. This batch ended up with a 65.25% brewhouse efficiency. Here's the stats:
Amber Ale
Target OG: 1.054 (13.3˚p) calculated at 70% mash efficiency
Actual OG: 1.050 (12.4˚p) post-chill/pre-pitch
Target Pre-Boil SG: 1.044 (11˚p) calculated at 7.25 gallons in kettle
Actual Pre-Boil SG: 1.039 (9.7˚p) collected 7.25 gallons in kettle
Sorry to go all War & Peace on this post but, I figured folks would be asking a bunch of questions about equipment and procedure. Let me know what you think or if there are any other questions about my calculations and procedures. Thanks in advance!
I have been disappointed by my mash efficiency since the move to all-grain, though and I'm wondering if the grain crush from my LHBS is the culprit. Like I said, I have done two all-grain batches; both single infusion (154˚ for approx 60 mins), double batch sparge with temps and volumes calculated by BTP, and iodine conversion tests. On the first batch, I didn't have my act together as well as I thought. I nailed my mash temp but, I ended up sparging with too much water and leaving the extra gallon or so of runoff out of the kettle. That batch ended up with 60% brewhouse efficiency (I didn't take a pre-boil gravity reading). The batch I did yesterday, I nailed my temps and volumes; mashed at 154˚, collected 7.25 gallons in the kettle, boiled for an hour, chilled, collected 5.5 gallons in the fermentor, pitched, yada yada. This batch ended up with a 65.25% brewhouse efficiency. Here's the stats:
Amber Ale
Target OG: 1.054 (13.3˚p) calculated at 70% mash efficiency
Actual OG: 1.050 (12.4˚p) post-chill/pre-pitch
Target Pre-Boil SG: 1.044 (11˚p) calculated at 7.25 gallons in kettle
Actual Pre-Boil SG: 1.039 (9.7˚p) collected 7.25 gallons in kettle
Sorry to go all War & Peace on this post but, I figured folks would be asking a bunch of questions about equipment and procedure. Let me know what you think or if there are any other questions about my calculations and procedures. Thanks in advance!