My last three batches have been way off and I have tried a few different methods of troubleshooting. For instance today I brewed a pale ale with an estimated starting gravity of 1.035 and I hit 1.033. I collected 8 gallons of wort fly sparging over the course of about and hour and fifteen minutes. After a 120 minute boil the gravity was 1.044. Final collection was around 5 1/4 gallons.
I have had similar issues over the past three. Sometimes the pro-boil gravity is low and the original is high. I do properly stir the wort and my hydrometer reads .999 with clean water... which isn't too bad. In the past I have been getting 75-80% efficiency now it is between 65-70%.
Things that have changed in my setup.
-Stopped measuring mash and sparge water with ale pale and started using a long dowel marked off in gallons that I am 90% sure is accurate.
-Purchased a Malt Mill and the crush appears seems to be nice and a bit finer than what I get at the brew shop.
-New triple scale hydrometer... didn't have any issues before this hydrometer and I think it is the issue even though it appears to read ok with pure water.
I am really frustrated and even more so since I am sitting on 100lbs of Breiss Malt. I don't want to waste any of that potential sugar.
If you need more info let me know and I can go step by step with my process and go into detail about my rig.
Matt
I have had similar issues over the past three. Sometimes the pro-boil gravity is low and the original is high. I do properly stir the wort and my hydrometer reads .999 with clean water... which isn't too bad. In the past I have been getting 75-80% efficiency now it is between 65-70%.
Things that have changed in my setup.
-Stopped measuring mash and sparge water with ale pale and started using a long dowel marked off in gallons that I am 90% sure is accurate.
-Purchased a Malt Mill and the crush appears seems to be nice and a bit finer than what I get at the brew shop.
-New triple scale hydrometer... didn't have any issues before this hydrometer and I think it is the issue even though it appears to read ok with pure water.
I am really frustrated and even more so since I am sitting on 100lbs of Breiss Malt. I don't want to waste any of that potential sugar.
If you need more info let me know and I can go step by step with my process and go into detail about my rig.
Matt