Looks like I am pushing my luck with the beer gods again! I had slowed down on my beermaking recently. I had planned on making Yooper's Marzen/ Octoberfest umm.....last year some time. I had 2 bags of the grain bill for the recipe pre-ground at Austin Homebrew Supply. Well, a mouse found them and ate into the bag. I lost a fair amount of grain, and since it was ground and bagged all together, who knows how much of what grain was lost, and it is no longer airtight. At least he didn't die in the bag. Um, and I'm pretty sure that was all 90L crystal malt and not poop. 
I had been struggling to get my efficiency up over 60 percent. I had gotten it up into the high 60's and low 70's, and figured this was the best I could do without milling my own grain. So, with x lbs of grain lost and who knows what efficiency capable from year-old milled grain, I combined both bags and mashed like it was the full weight- expecting 40% or so efficiency.
Well, I hit 56% not accounting for the actual lost grain, so it still had to be up around 60- I lost at least 2-3 lbs. Oh- and the yeast- I had stepped up this WL 820 for this brew several times, last year. I pulled it out and added some wort last night, and it was going like crazy this morning.
So now into the lagerator, with a hope and a prayer. With any luck, I will have a tasty octoberfest around % 7.5 abv. Or, maybe I will have some horrid, stale, rat poop flavored with dead yeast swill that stops fermenting about halfway down. Guess we'll see!
I had been struggling to get my efficiency up over 60 percent. I had gotten it up into the high 60's and low 70's, and figured this was the best I could do without milling my own grain. So, with x lbs of grain lost and who knows what efficiency capable from year-old milled grain, I combined both bags and mashed like it was the full weight- expecting 40% or so efficiency.
Well, I hit 56% not accounting for the actual lost grain, so it still had to be up around 60- I lost at least 2-3 lbs. Oh- and the yeast- I had stepped up this WL 820 for this brew several times, last year. I pulled it out and added some wort last night, and it was going like crazy this morning.
So now into the lagerator, with a hope and a prayer. With any luck, I will have a tasty octoberfest around % 7.5 abv. Or, maybe I will have some horrid, stale, rat poop flavored with dead yeast swill that stops fermenting about halfway down. Guess we'll see!
