WOW, this is fun! The UPS man paid me a visit today. He brought me a Barley Crusher, a refractometer, and 10lbs of pale 2-row. I also just got my "acquired" keg back from my friend the welder, and i have a fresh tank of propane. Hmmm, what should I do today!?! My free reading time lately has been dedicated to improving my efficiency so I decided to spend my afternoon doing a test mash. That's right, I sacrificed 5 lbs of grain to science.
After my reading I dedicated myself to a life of mash outs and double batch sparges (thanks, Bobby_M, for this post). I've also decided to start doing 3 gallon batches with "test" recipes so i don't end up with 5-6 gallons of beer that's only kinda good. So my day was set, I would mash 5 lbs of pale AND boil to reach a post-boil volume of 3.25 gallons.
I setup my Barley Crusher and attached my hand drill. I went full speed with the drill at first but for some reason that spooked me so i backed it off and went about half speed the rest of the way. still took less than a minute to crush 5 lbs, and it looked beautiful, just like the pictures you pros post.
I mashed-in with 5 quarts of water @ 178F to reach 156F. I stirred in and hit it at first, then it went down to 152F, stirred some more, spiked to 160F, stirred some more, 158F, forgot about the 5.2 buffer, stirred that in, now 152F (oh crap), put the top on the cooler and set the timer for 40min. the mash settled at 151, which is disappointing, but it didn't budge from there. With 10mins left in the mash I fired up the HLT and got the water to 184F right when the timer beeped. Mash-out was 5 quarts @ 184F to reach 168F. Didn't measure the mash temp here, just stirred and started vorlaufing immediately, which took quite a long time to run clear. First runnings into the kettle were just over 5 quarts with a SG of 1.060. first batch sparge was 6.25 quarts @ 170F. Stir, 5 min rest, vorlauf (long again
), and drain. This sparge yielded 8 quarts (who knows!) with a SG of 1.027. Second sparge same as the first, yield was just a little more than 6 quarts @ 1.013.
Summary:
Total preboil volume was 4.8 gallons (my goal was 4.75) and the gravity came in at 1.035. I boiled for 90 minutes and yielded 3.55 gallons @ 1.046.
According to Beersmith, my "Actual Efficiency" is 89.87%, with an "Efficiency Into Boiler" of 92.65%. I am amazed! This is probably my 4th all grain mash, and definitely the smoothest so far. I nailed my volumes for the first time, and the efficiencies are amazing. The two variables that changed efficiency-wise are the crush, and the pH 5.2 buffer I used for the first time.
And now for the questions:
1. My Barley Crusher is the coolest thing I have bought in a LONG time: should I be concerned with the drill speed while crushing, or can I let 'er rip?
2. What do you guys have to say about hitting my mash temp? I feel like I stirred too long. Would anyone who consistently hits their mash-in temps care to give an overview of their procedure?
3. Any tips on using the 5.2 buffer? Is it as easy as a scoop per the directions right into the mash? Does anyone who uses this stuff ever measure there mash pH? Mine came in at 5.85. Just wondering.
Thanks for sticking it out to the end! Can't wait for the comments!!
After my reading I dedicated myself to a life of mash outs and double batch sparges (thanks, Bobby_M, for this post). I've also decided to start doing 3 gallon batches with "test" recipes so i don't end up with 5-6 gallons of beer that's only kinda good. So my day was set, I would mash 5 lbs of pale AND boil to reach a post-boil volume of 3.25 gallons.
I setup my Barley Crusher and attached my hand drill. I went full speed with the drill at first but for some reason that spooked me so i backed it off and went about half speed the rest of the way. still took less than a minute to crush 5 lbs, and it looked beautiful, just like the pictures you pros post.
I mashed-in with 5 quarts of water @ 178F to reach 156F. I stirred in and hit it at first, then it went down to 152F, stirred some more, spiked to 160F, stirred some more, 158F, forgot about the 5.2 buffer, stirred that in, now 152F (oh crap), put the top on the cooler and set the timer for 40min. the mash settled at 151, which is disappointing, but it didn't budge from there. With 10mins left in the mash I fired up the HLT and got the water to 184F right when the timer beeped. Mash-out was 5 quarts @ 184F to reach 168F. Didn't measure the mash temp here, just stirred and started vorlaufing immediately, which took quite a long time to run clear. First runnings into the kettle were just over 5 quarts with a SG of 1.060. first batch sparge was 6.25 quarts @ 170F. Stir, 5 min rest, vorlauf (long again
), and drain. This sparge yielded 8 quarts (who knows!) with a SG of 1.027. Second sparge same as the first, yield was just a little more than 6 quarts @ 1.013. Summary:
Total preboil volume was 4.8 gallons (my goal was 4.75) and the gravity came in at 1.035. I boiled for 90 minutes and yielded 3.55 gallons @ 1.046.
According to Beersmith, my "Actual Efficiency" is 89.87%, with an "Efficiency Into Boiler" of 92.65%. I am amazed! This is probably my 4th all grain mash, and definitely the smoothest so far. I nailed my volumes for the first time, and the efficiencies are amazing. The two variables that changed efficiency-wise are the crush, and the pH 5.2 buffer I used for the first time.
And now for the questions:
1. My Barley Crusher is the coolest thing I have bought in a LONG time: should I be concerned with the drill speed while crushing, or can I let 'er rip?
2. What do you guys have to say about hitting my mash temp? I feel like I stirred too long. Would anyone who consistently hits their mash-in temps care to give an overview of their procedure?
3. Any tips on using the 5.2 buffer? Is it as easy as a scoop per the directions right into the mash? Does anyone who uses this stuff ever measure there mash pH? Mine came in at 5.85. Just wondering.
Thanks for sticking it out to the end! Can't wait for the comments!!
