and still claim high efficiency (~90%).
No sparge vs. equal runnings single batch sparge makes about an 8 percentage point difference in lauter efficiency. An equal runnings double batch sparge adds about another 3 percentage points to lauter efficiency. And, no one is getting 90% efficiency doing no sparge. The max possible (with fairly small grain bills) is about 88%. With typical grain bills 80 - 85% is achievable....
On the other hand, I don't think equal mash and sparge volumes is all that critical. Some people mash full volume and don't even sparge at all, or drizzle a few quarts of water over their BIAB bag...
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No sparge vs. equal runnings single batch sparge makes about an 8 percentage point difference in lauter efficiency. An equal runnings double batch sparge adds about another 3 percentage points to lauter efficiency. And, no one is getting 90% efficiency doing no sparge. The max possible (with fairly small grain bills) is about 88%. With typical grain bills 80 - 85% is achievable.
Hitting "equal" runnings volumes isn't really critical. It turns out that for runnings volume ratios of 60:40 (first runnings:sparge runnings) to 40:60 makes a minimal (i.e. undetectable in practice) difference in lauter efficiency. So, an easy way to make sure your volume ratios are in the "sweet spot," just use 60% of your total brewing water for strike, and the remaining 40% for sparge. The grain absorption will shift the runnings ratio towards 50:50, and it would take a very large grain bill (about 27 lb for a 5.5 gal batch) to shift the runnings ratio past 40:60.
Brew on
Hitting "equal" runnings volumes isn't really critical. It turns out that for runnings volume ratios of 60:40 (first runnings:sparge runnings) to 40:60 makes a minimal (i.e. undetectable in practice) difference in lauter efficiency. So, an easy way to make sure your volume ratios are in the "sweet spot," just use 60% of your total brewing water for strike, and the remaining 40% for sparge. The grain absorption will shift the runnings ratio towards 50:50, and it would take a very large grain bill (about 27 lb for a 5.5 gal batch) to shift the runnings ratio past 40:60.
Brew on
For a double batch sparge, you still want to target roughly equal runnings for all three run-offs. So the rule of thumb for double batch sparge becomes 50%/25%/25%.
A perfectly workable procedure. Optimization is not necessarily a desirable goal in your hobbies. You should approach your hobbies in whichever way gets you the most enjoyment out of them. But then, this is after all a thread about "Maximizing Efficiency" (i.e. optimization.)
For those who like to nerd out in their brewing, I'm more than willing to help them along, and offer what advice I can. But, that shouldn't be taken as hard advocacy for a particular way of doing things. Once an engineer, always an engineer. Sorry for the philosophical tangent.
Brew on
I crush at 0.035 twice, and I batch sparge (triple rinse),havent yet had to add any unsparged water to hit numbers. I just keep running sparge to hit preboil volume. I'll end up with a few hund/thou more abv. havent had a problem yet.
. The difference was the sparge. I mashed in at 3.9G for 9.75 lbs of grain (ratio:1.5). Sparge was 3.5G.
That is a pretty cool app. Maybe I'll check my efficiency for the first time in 5 years of brewing. I always figured malt, water, yeast makes beer. Some are better than others, but that is to be expected.
The difference between the 81% mash efficiency calculated by BeerSmith, and the 84% calculated by Braukaiser's spreadsheet, is probably because Bruakaiser reduces the grain potential by an assumed 4% moisture content, and BeerSmith doesn't. Getting the same amount of sugar in the BK from a lower starting potential requires that the mash efficiency be higher. Most grain potentials are reported on a dry basis, so to get the most accurate calculations, you need to adjust for the actual moisture content of the grain. You weigh out wet grain, so the dry weight of your dry grain is lower than what you measure.I've read most of this and am trying to get my efficiency up to a decent range. Beersmith has been reporting my efficiency in the low 60s for a couple years (per Beersmith. (I have my mill gap at minimum, Denny).
Today I tried using Braukaiser's efficiency worksheet and got some encouraging results, some confusing ones.
The spreadsheet reported my mash efficiency at 59% (first runnings only), but my efficiency into the kettle at 84%. I like the second number
BeerSmith v3 on the other hand reported 81% mash eff. and 58% measured BH eff.
A couple questions - why are the two BK numbers so far off? And of course, why are Braukaiser and BeerSmith so different?
For a typical beer (1.050 - 1.055 OG) lauter efficiency for different run-off ratios (initial runnings : sparge runnings) will be about:
I really don't mean to be contrary but . . . crush has a minor impact on mash efficiency unless you simply throw your malt in whole. Crushing malt to flour is not a good option either. I've known quite a few LHBS owners and none of them are so mercenary as to "rob" their customers by doing such an underhanded thing. Most customers might have a 60 to 70% extract efficiency but it isn't due to the crush. pH in the mash and sparge water is critical as is rinsing the sugars into the kettle. When you're done lautering, check the mash to see if you can find any sweetness remaining.
