Help with figuring out my efficiency

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seven9st_surfer

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I just recently (past 3 brews) started taking copious notes and trying to dial in my procedures for consistency. My first brew, I calculated an 85% efficiency on a cream ale, then a 70% on a bourbon barrel porter. I assumed the dip in efficiency was due to the larger grain bill. Both of those were Norther Brewer all-grain kits with the standard crush (NB responded to an email of mine and told me they can only do a normal crush, no fine or double).

I just today finished a Belgian La Petite Orange Blanche based on the NB recipe, but got the grains from my LHBS and had them double crushed. The grains (all Dingemans) are:

7# Pils
0.5# 20L
0.5# 8L
0.25 Aromatic
0.25 Biscuit

Mashed at 149 for 70 minutes.

Then, at the beginning of a 60 min boil was 1# Brewer's Best Brun Fonce Soft Candi Sugar (36 SRM)

My numbers today (corrected for 60F) were:
Pre-mash volume - 7.5 gallons
Post-mash, pre-boil - 1.040, 7.25 gallons
Post-boil, in fermenter - 1.052, 5.75 gallons

I'm having a hard time accounting for the pound of sugar to determine my efficiency. When I input everything into the Brewersfriend.com calculator, it comes out to 97%. That can't be right. Can anyone help? Thanks.
 
Subtract the the points-per-pound-per-gallon of candi sugar divided by the total post-boil volume to get what your post-boil gravity would've been without the sugar, and calculate efficiency accordingly. Total post-boil rather than volume into the fermentor because, if you had left over kettle trub, some of the sugar would've been left behind in that, although maybe not enough to matter depending on how much wort and trub you left behind.
 
I just recently (past 3 brews) started taking copious notes and trying to dial in my procedures for consistency. My first brew, I calculated an 85% efficiency on a cream ale, then a 70% on a bourbon barrel porter. I assumed the dip in efficiency was due to the larger grain bill. Both of those were Norther Brewer all-grain kits with the standard crush (NB responded to an email of mine and told me they can only do a normal crush, no fine or double).

I just today finished a Belgian La Petite Orange Blanche based on the NB recipe, but got the grains from my LHBS and had them double crushed. The grains (all Dingemans) are:

7# Pils
0.5# 20L
0.5# 8L
0.25 Aromatic
0.25 Biscuit

Mashed at 149 for 70 minutes.

Then, at the beginning of a 60 min boil was 1# Brewer's Best Brun Fonce Soft Candi Sugar (36 SRM)

My numbers today (corrected for 60F) were:
Pre-mash volume - 7.5 gallons
Post-mash, pre-boil - 1.040, 7.25 gallons Is this before or after sugar addition?
Post-boil, in fermenter - 1.052, 5.75 gallons

I'm having a hard time accounting for the pound of sugar to determine my efficiency. When I input everything into the Brewersfriend.com calculator, it comes out to 97%. That can't be right. Can anyone help? Thanks.

Need to know the answer to the question in red above in order to calculate a mash efficiency. The OG and fermenter volumes can give a brewhouse efficiency because the kettle to fermenter losses are included.

Assuming the the answer above is after, then the calculations go like this for mash efficiency:
Potential points from grain = 303.25 (based on Brewsmith data)
Points in kettle = 40 * 7.25 = 290
Points from sugar = 42 (from Northern Brewer site)
Points from grain = 290 - 42 = 248
Mash efficiency = 248/303.25 = 81.8%​

For brewhouse efficiency we get:
Total potential points = 303.25 + 42 = 345.25
Points in fermenter = 52 * 5.75 = 299
Brewhouse effeciency = 299/345.25 = 86.6%​

Of course all of the above assumes all measurements are accurate, and your grain potentials match those in BrewSmith.

Brew on :mug:
 
Need to know the answer to the question in red above in order to calculate a mash efficiency. The OG and fermenter volumes can give a brewhouse efficiency because the kettle to fermenter losses are included.

Assuming the the answer above is after, then the calculations go like this for mash efficiency:
Potential points from grain = 303.25 (based on Brewsmith data)
Points in kettle = 40 * 7.25 = 290
Points from sugar = 42 (from Northern Brewer site)
Points from grain = 290 - 42 = 248
Mash efficiency = 248/303.25 = 81.8%​

For brewhouse efficiency we get:
Total potential points = 303.25 + 42 = 345.25
Points in fermenter = 52 * 5.75 = 299
Brewhouse effeciency = 299/345.25 = 86.6%​

Of course all of the above assumes all measurements are accurate, and your grain potentials match those in BrewSmith.

Brew on :mug:

The answer to the question in red is before. I took the measurement at 144F (1.024), and corrected for 60F, and got 1.040. Then, I brought it to a boil, and added the sugar and started the 60 minute timer.

Thanks for the help!
 
The answer to the question in red is before. I took the measurement at 144F (1.024), and corrected for 60F, and got 1.040. Then, I brought it to a boil, and added the sugar and started the 60 minute timer.

Thanks for the help!

You can't get a good gravity correction if you measure at 144, but I'm not sure which why the correction error goes.

Taking your 1.040 number at face value, the mash efficiency works out as:
290/303.25 = 95.6%​
which seems unreasonably high. Brewhouse efficiency is same as my previous post.

Brew on :mug:
 
You can't get a good gravity correction if you measure at 144, but I'm not sure which why the correction error goes.

Taking your 1.040 number at face value, the mash efficiency works out as:
290/303.25 = 95.6%​
which seems unreasonably high. Brewhouse efficiency is same as my previous post.

Brew on :mug:

86%ish seems in line with what I expect from my setup. I used the brewersfriend.com calculator for the temperature conversions, but I know it might not be exactly accurate at that temperature. Regardless, I ended up with 1.050 at 74F measured from the fermenter (5.75g) which comes to 1.052 at 60F. I lost .25g to trub, so the total post-boil volume is 6g.

I just did all the math based on your post, and I got 87%. High, but again, in line with what I got on my first batch taking notes.

Thanks for the help with the math.
 
Taking your 1.040 number at face value, the mash efficiency works out as:
290/303.25 = 95.6%​
which seems unreasonably high. Brewhouse efficiency is same as my previous post.

Brew on :mug:

I dunno. In my experience, my mash efficiency is always north of 95% so this number doesn't sound out of line to me.
 
86%ish seems in line with what I expect from my setup. I used the brewersfriend.com calculator for the temperature conversions, but I know it might not be exactly accurate at that temperature. Regardless, I ended up with 1.050 at 74F measured from the fermenter (5.75g) which comes to 1.052 at 60F. I lost .25g to trub, so the total post-boil volume is 6g.

I just did all the math based on your post, and I got 87%. High, but again, in line with what I got on my first batch taking notes.

Thanks for the help with the math.

If we do your post boil based on 6 gal @ 1.052, then that's 312 pts. Without the sugar it would be 312 - 42 = 270. If we do mash efficiency based on 270/303.25 we get 89%. If we work backwards from post boil to pre boil, then 270/7.25 = 37.25, or a pre boil, pre sugar SG of 1.037.

Brew on :mug:
 
http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/gravity.html


I use this math.

Edit: tem corrections are usually accurate but. Typically out my hydrometer sample in the fridge and let it cool after doing a temp correction just as a backup. It's ssuck a small sample relative to the batch and you can get it to 60F before the boil ends just to make sure. I then add it back if I have about 5 minutes left minimum.


88%. Wow man great job.
 
If we do your post boil based on 6 gal @ 1.052, then that's 312 pts. Without the sugar it would be 312 - 42 = 270. If we do mash efficiency based on 270/303.25 we get 89%. If we work backwards from post boil to pre boil, then 270/7.25 = 37.25, or a pre boil, pre sugar SG of 1.037.

Brew on :mug:

Pretty much exactly what I did, except the numbers I was using for the grains look slightly different (37, 34, 34, 33, 35, rescpectively), and come out to 310 potential points. 270/310 = 87%. But that's using the brewersfriend numbers. Is there an official number that the manufacterer puts out somewhere?
 
Pretty much exactly what I did, except the numbers I was using for the grains look slightly different (37, 34, 34, 33, 35, rescpectively), and come out to 310 potential points. 270/310 = 87%. But that's using the brewersfriend numbers. Is there an official number that the manufacterer puts out somewhere?

Most maltsters publish data sheets for each of their products. I don't know how easy these are to find (I haven't tried looking very hard.) I just go with the software's built in database.

Brew on :mug:
 
http://www.tastybrew.com/calculators/gravity.html


I use this math.

Edit: tem corrections are usually accurate but. Typically out my hydrometer sample in the fridge and let it cool after doing a temp correction just as a backup. It's ssuck a small sample relative to the batch and you can get it to 60F before the boil ends just to make sure. I then add it back if I have about 5 minutes left minimum.


88%. Wow man great job.

Never thought about taking a pre-boil sample down to room temp instead of the huge temp correction, I'll have to try that next brew.

And thanks, I've been pretty happy/surprised with my efficiency since I started keeping track and taking detailed notes. Hope it's not a fluke and I can keep it up!
 
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