Ok, results are in. I was shooting for an OG of 1.062 and got 1.059. Which was higher than I would have got adding an extra pound of 2 row as I had been doing. My question is, for a 5 gal brew, where is that 5 gal? After the boil? Into the fermenter? Into the bottling bucket? I've been trying to get 5 gal into the bottling bucket, so I do a little more water to start. This brew I had 5.5 gal into the fermeter. So if a recipe is for 5 into the fermenter I'm doing good with efficiency. Now I just need to dial things in. Thinking I'm going to scale everything to 6 gal.
I'm going to suggest something that may be anathema (I just LOVE that $6 word, but it's appropriate) to many or most who brew, but I think some people are WAY overfocused on getting exact numbers.
There are few people here who are more OCD than I am when it comes to measuring things related to brewing. I was hugely focused on efficiency and so on when I started. Then I found that even though I might not be hitting my numbers exactly, guess what? The beer is great!
Does it matter if my OG is 1.059 or 1.062? Not really. That beer is going to taste great either way so long as I ensure I follow good process procedures. When I first received my Barley Crusher (I'd buy the CK if I could do it over again, btw), I just went with the gap it came with. The crush is good, my numbers are good--and most importantly, the beer is good.
If I were running a commercial brewery, sure, those things would matter a lot. But I'm not, and what's coming out is great.
There are so many places where measurement error can cause different conclusions. Actual volume of the wort, our ability to read the hydrometer, mash temp, mash PH, there are lots of things that can influence the outcome of what we do.
My conclusion? If you're close, you're fine.
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I just brewed two batches of California Common back to back.
BATCH ONE Pre-boil gravity 1.047. Post-boil (OG) gravity: 1.053
BATCH TWO Pre-boil gravity 1.046. Post-boil (OG) gravity: 1.054
Funny numbers, eh? What's the difference? Probably the volumes. I had exactly the same grain bill, same crush, but there probably was a little variation in water at the start, a little difference in the amount of wort at the end, but all in all, I'm not worrying about it.
Once I get my wort at close to particular numbers coming out of the mash tun, it's about getting to the correct volume in my boil kettle. I usually have a little more wort I could get out of the mash tun (typically a quart, maybe less). If I add that into the boil and boil it down, my OG goes up because I've captured the sugar in that last quart. I've been aiming for about 6.5-6.75 gallons to start, more than that and my kettle can't hold it.
A quart difference. Who cares? Not me, but it's OK if others are concerned with it.
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Brewing seems to be a pretty resilient process provided we do our part with sanitation, basic process, and a little bit of care. IMO, the most important measure of all is hedonic: how does it taste to you? If that measure hits the sweet spot, then all those other numbers aren't important, IMO.