Increasing efficiency of my lauter

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craigers77

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Made a brown ale yesterday and thought everything was ok, then checked my SG and calculated efficiency and it was at a bismal 48%. I was shooting for a target OG of 1.061 and ended up with 1.043 and right at 5 gals (wanted 6.5). My question, how can I increase efficiency during the mash? I mashed in about 1 qt/lb and did everthing else as I have before (this is the first time calc'd efficiency so it may always be this low?) Thought maybe the grain was not crushed enough. Any ideas?
 
Sorry for the number of questions in response to your questions but...
How long are you mashing for?
What are you using for your mash tun?
What method are you using for your sparge?
How fine was the malt crushed?
 
What methode are you using to calculate efficiency? Most OG targets are not specifac, but are in a range. Try going to tastybrew.com and scroll down the side to calculater. Enter in all the ingredients. Once you get your OG, you can increase or decrease your Efficiency % on screen for results.
 
For maximum extraction, mash at 145F with 1qt/lb, then at 30 minutes add another pint per pound at about 175F to bring the temp. up to 156F. Sparge at 170F.

Use pH 5.2 in the mash and sparge water. The mash water for maximum enzyme activity, in the sparge water to avoid tannins. I batch sparge and stir the grains after each addition. In theory, I should be getting hot side effects, but don't seem to.

I think 1.043 is fine for a brown. I consider browns LONG session ales.
 
david_42 said:
For maximum extraction, mash at 145F with 1qt/lb, then at 30 minutes add another pint per pound at about 175F to bring the temp. up to 156F. Sparge at 170F.

Use pH 5.2 in the mash and sparge water. The mash water for maximum enzyme activity, in the sparge water to avoid tannins. I batch sparge and stir the grains after each addition. In theory, I should be getting hot side effects, but don't seem to.

I think 1.043 is fine for a brown. I consider browns LONG session ales.

David is that 145f the temp of the water as you add it or the temp after it's mixed with the grain?
 
all good points to consider by Lupus. try a slow, steady sparge that should last about 90 minutes, or until you reach a SG of 1.008, or when you reach your kettle volume of 6.5-7 gallons. make sure your sparge water is around 170-175 degrees, and that you mash w/ 1.1-1.3 quarts of water per pound of grain. if your target gravity is higher than expected when you finish cooling and ready to pitch your yeast, add some water to the mix, swirl, and recheck your gravity. my last three batches have had low efficiency, and it's driving me crazy! i've been at 70-72%. i'm gonna do like Janx and stop taking readings!!!! makes me worry too much......
 
DeRoux's Broux said:
wow! we posted fast to that one :) i didn't read all those after mine :eek: sorry !
Yeah, I was about to say "that's one of the dangers of rapid posting". I was wondering the same thing until I noticed there were more posts up above :drunk:
 
Best way is to add more grain, but not factor that additional grain into your efficiency calculations. You can get 80%, 90%...whatever you're shooting for ;)

Cheers! :D
 
LupusUmbrus said:
Sorry for the number of questions in response to your questions but...
How long are you mashing for?
What are you using for your mash tun?
What method are you using for your sparge?
How fine was the malt crushed?

To answer your questions: Mash for an hour, good ole rubbermaid cooler, Phils sparge arm (about an hour long), looked medium (some busted up, some not).

Beermaker said:
What methode are you using to calculate efficiency?

I use the hbd.org Recipator, works great and is free.

Thanks for all the ideas.
 
Did you check the PH of your mash? It needs to be around 5.2 - 5.3.

The easiest way to ensure this is to use phosphates in your mash water. There is a product sold by most HBS called 5.2 stabilizer. Use it and it will help your mash.
 
Sounds like you could use a finer crush. If your having it done at a local hb store, try asking them to adjust the crush.

What kind of cooler are you using? Depending on the dimensions of the cooler and your manifold, it may be better suited for batch sparging.

And then there's the pH issue. If you are using water from your faucet, is the water softened?
 
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