Had to make some adjustments during boil + effeciency question = 2fer

Well tonight I brewed Ed Wort's Robust Porter. This was my first 90 minute boil. So what did I do? Right when I got my rolling boil under control I throw my 60 minute hops in. Doesn't hit me till a couple minutes later.

I was scared I wouldn't have enough bitterness from the hops to balance out the porter. So I added 1/4 oz of Cascade at 20 minutes into the boil and cut down the boil time by 15 minutes.

Was this a good adjustment?

Other than that the brew night went fine.

I mashed using Bobby M's techinique.

Mash
Vorlauf and Drain
Add half sparge amount @ 185 - stir, vorlauf, drain
Add second half sparge amount @ 185 - stir, vorlauf, drain

Click to expand...

Ended up with 6.5 gallons into the kettle with a Pre-Boil Gravity of 1.050

5 gallons went into the fermenter with an OG of 1.072. 1 point off from Beersmith's predicition. :rockin:

This was calculated at 75% Eff. Since I was only one point off, does that mean I have 75% or so effeciency?

You would have been fine adding the 60 min. hops at 90, to get the acids from the hops you have to boil them, most people will agree that 60 to 70 min. you will get all the bittering potential that the hops have, so you basically will have a very small percent increase in your ibu's, nothing to worry about at all, sounds like everything went well, Im sure the beer will be very good.

Nice big beer! My recipe is for 5.5 gallons with boil starting at 7 gallons.

It will make for a nice night cap.