All grain efficiency Q's

[b33rmug]

So I made a couple extract batches and decided I wanted to go all-grain. I have access to a plasma cutter and tig, so I made a keggle. I then bought a 10 gallon all grain tun and hlt. I bought a CL freezer and temp controller to control fermentation. I also built 50' IC. So I have a decent starting setup

I now have 2 batches under my belt on this equipment. I am having a hard time figuring out how to dial in Brewsmith for my equipment. I don't think I'm gathering enough data. I guess I have a couple questions.

What measurements are most important to adjust? Tun dead space? Post mash volumes? Boil off?

Both coolers have marks in them to show me water volumes, but I don't really have a way to determine pre boil or post boil volume. I have both times seemed to have way more wort than needed. I almost filled a 6.5g carboy all the way up.

Any thoughts on where I should start to dial all this in? I really would like to figure out how to tune the volumes and efficiency numbers.

I attached the pic of the tasty Hefe and the "full" carboy. Is that too full?

Thanks,
-Eric

 

[MalFet]

Your calculations will be as accurate as your least accurate measurement, so in other words the most important measurement is the one that you are least able to take. If you are having trouble getting kettle volumes, take a yardstick and mark the water level as you add one gallon at a time to the kettle. Until you know your volumes, you will not be able to calculate efficiency.

The carboy is only too full if you are unhappy with the amount of liquid you lose to blowoff. Good luck!

 

[duboman]

In using software, the more true your figures are the more accurate it will calculate everything for you so you want to be reasonably sure that all figures entered into the equipment set up are as close as you can get.

I made a calibrated brew stick incremented into half gallons that I use for measuring. First you need to determine desired batch size-this is the final volume of beer you expect to achieve before fermentation.

Then you need to work your way backwards to figure out how much initial volume you need by adding back in losses.

You need your evaporation amount from the boil
Mash tun dead space (how much wort is left in the tun after mash out)
Loss to trub in primary
Loss to trub in kettle
Grain absorption

It will take you a few batches to dial everything in. I started with the default values of my selected default equipment setup and then tweaked it to my system as I measured all amounts required during 2-3 brew days and then averaged them out for my final entries.

Hope that helps, I know it's kinda confusing

 

[b33rmug]

Thanks for the Responses.

Your calculations will be as accurate as your least accurate measurement, so in other words the most important measurement is the one that you are least able to take. If you are having trouble getting kettle volumes, take a yardstick and mark the water level as you add one gallon at a time to the kettle. Until you know your volumes, you will not be able to calculate efficiency.
:

I did already make the yardstick. But, I have been not fully allowing the sparge to completely drain. I have been getting the preboil volume I wanted in the kettle and moving on. Should I be completely draining the sparge, then reducing the volume?

You need your evaporation amount from the boil
Mash tun dead space (how much wort is left in the tun after mash out)
Loss to trub in primary
Loss to trub in kettle
Grain absorption

Evaporation amount. I have that 3/4 gallon in 60 minutes. Will the loss to trub vary by the grain bill? I know basically how much I have seen left in the carboy, but never thought to fill it with water to see what that volume actually is. I don't think I have seen trub in the kettle, Should I be straining the hops when going from kettle to carboy? I have been just counting that as trub in the primary, and racking off of it into the secondary.

-Eric

 

[MalFet]

I did already make the yardstick. But, I have been not fully allowing the sparge to completely drain. I have been getting the preboil volume I wanted in the kettle and moving on. Should I be completely draining the sparge, then reducing the volume?

If you are batch sparging, you want to calculate your strike and sparge water to give you your preboil volume. Draining your sparge should give you your preboil volume with a reasonable degree of accuracy. If you are fly sparging, you should just go until you hit your desired volume or your pH starts to drift.

 

[b33rmug]

If you are batch sparging, you want to calculate your strike and sparge water to give you your preboil volume. Draining your sparge should give you your preboil volume with a reasonable degree of accuracy. If you are fly sparging, you should just go until you hit your desired volume or your pH starts to drift.

I have been fly sparging, but haven't been monitoring pH. I guess I need to do some more reading. When the pH drifts, am I better off topping off with water, or continue sparging until desired volume is achieved regardless of pH. I would think the latter.

 

[mrbippers]

I have been fly sparging, but haven't been monitoring pH. I guess I need to do some more reading. When the pH drifts, am I better off topping off with water, or continue sparging until desired volume is achieved regardless of pH. I would think the latter.

If you over-sparge you will extract tannins from the grain leading to astringency. I don't test pH, but I cut my sparges at 1.010 gravity. I really only have to top with water when I'm doing 90 minute boils to account for the extra boil loss.

 

[helibrewer]

If you add a tsp or two of 88% lactic acid to your sparge water it will help keep it acidified enough to combat any tannin extraction.

For fly sparging our rule of thumb is to sparge with whatever the batch size is. So if the batch size is 5 gallons, sparge with 5 gallons.