2nd AG batch - Missed target gravity ???

Bare with me. Sorry, as I'm sure this is a common question.

With my first all-grain a few weeks ago, I nailed my target starting gravity, and everything went great. (10 extract, and one all-grain batches under my belt before this batch.)

My next batch, I used 11.5lb 2-row + 1lb caravienne. I use a Victoria Grain Mill, and it's possible this may be the problem, as it pulverizes some grains, and doesn't crush others very well at all. BUT, one reason I doubt this is my problem, is i set it finer than I did on my last batch, and *I thought* I was getting a good crush.

I mashed with about 4.5 gallons of water, at about 153, and sparged with about 6 gallons. I let it mash for just over an hour. I wouldn't have minded this to turn out to a 5.5 or a 6 gallon batch, so I didn't mind if I got extra water. I ended up with about 6.5 gallons pre-boil (I really don't have any way to measure accurately). I stirred a lot to make sure I got everything mixed well.

Post boil I ended up with exactly 5 gal, and a gravity of 1.050. My target according to MW recipe was 1.060 to 1.064.

-- Thinking I had more sugars in my grains, I 'partigyled' about 5.5-6 gallons for about 2 hours at about 150 to 154. I boiled it down to 3.5 gallons, and it only came to 1.027!

Did I give enough info to determine what my problem was? Did I not get a good crush? The reason I get confused, is because my first AG turned out so well.

Also, I ended up throwing some cheap-o Cooper's yeast into the 3.5 gal of 1.027 beer. Is this even going to be drinkable? I didn't have any extract laying around - I guess maybe I could have thrown in some corn sugar, but by the time I got it boiled down, it was kinda a long day, so I was happy to be done. (Oh, wait, I found a can of LME that someone gave dated 1992, is this even worth waisting time on, or should I throw it?)

Victoria mills are perfectly fine. I use one all the time and always get over 80 percent efficiency. Assuming you sparged really well at 170F or so, and your mash temps were good, you may have had a problem with pH on this one. Those grains should make for a light beer (I get 6.7 SRM), so perhaps your pH ended up too high in the mash which may have caused low enzyme activity. pH 5.2 stabilizer or proper salt additions can fix this. There are far too many variables in mash efficiency though, so you just have to completely cover all your bases.

Don't use that LME. LME goes bad and stale quickly since browning reactions take place in the can, and it absorbs metallic flavors, and organisms slowly multiply in there, etc. Just let your small beer be what it is.

Thanks for the reply. Is adjusting the PH hard? Can I just buy a PH stabilizer and throw it in, or do I need to have my water's PH tested first to know how much to adjust it?

Is this all that's needed? http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=7378

BeerNewbie said:

Is this all that's needed? http://www.midwestsupplies.com/products/ProdByID.aspx?ProdID=7378

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Yeah, just toss it in at the recommended rate, and for most people's water, it will force the mash pH to be 5.2, and you won't have to worry about it. If you still get bad efficiency next time you brew this recipe, then at least you know it wasn't the pH and you can move on to testing another variable.

Does the mash pH stabilizer affect flavor at all? What sort of buffer is it?

DonutBrew said:

Does the mash pH stabilizer affect flavor at all? What sort of buffer is it?

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No, not at all. It's a bunch of phosphate buffers, so it doesn't add any of the salts or minerals we normally consider when brewing (Mg, NaCl, SO4, etc.). However, now might be a good time for you to get into water chemistry and figure out what's in your water since it IS by far the main ingredient in your beer.

Actually, if you hit 1.027 for your partigyle for 3.5 gallons on that small of a grain bill, there's more to it than meets the eye. It sounds like you converted well but may have mashed too thin? at any rate, the math suggests that you did get all the sugar anticipated.