Hi homebrew community!
In an attempt to find out what I could do better, I'd like to describe my brewing processes I just did yesterday, that resulted in me in an appearing 55% brewing efficiency of my batch yesterday. I'm quite frustrated obviously. If anyone experienced with that system may be able to point out to me what may be an obvious miss way, please let me know! I think it has do some with either the volume of strike water of the sparging process.
I recently got my hands on an electric keggle, so I've been doing 10Gal batches instead of my regular 5gals in pots.
Grain bill : 22.2lbs - 20lbs of Pilsen, 2lbs of flaked barley, 0.2 acidulated malt.
Strike water : added 30L, heated it up to 71C. I added a tsp of magnesium sulphate and salt.
Put in my new grain bag fitting the keggle.
Put all my grains in.
I was able to maintain throughout the hour a mash temp around 64-65C.
I prepared 15L of sparge, my goal was to fly sparge, heated at 77C.
Once mash time was over, I hoisted the bag thanks to a pulley system I was just able to set up. It did require me to tie the bag at its mouth, and attach it to the hook on the pulley. I lifted the bag just high enough that it could slightly rest on a strainer I put at the opening of the keggle.
So if you have it : the bag is suspended, tied and attached from its top to the pulley system, but slightly resting on the top of a strainer.
From there, I fly-sparged, slowly pouring the heated water over the bag. This is where it might get tricky, because the bag is closed, but I'm hoping it will let through enough water. I do so slowly, a bit at a time, with a measuring cup, trying to target all the sides of the grain bag. All this while I cranked up the heat to start the boil. It takes me maybe 15-20min to do my sparge.
Then I add my hops according to my schedule, but I'd guess from there, the deed is done. Boiled down for 60min.
I do not take gravity reading preboil. I only took one post boil and slightly cooled down : 1.042.
On the recipe I was looking at, it was saying OG = 1.063.
Other thing : I'm not able to accurately measure volumes (besides what I add in) : My keggle has no markings, nor do my fermenters (6gal pails). So I don't exactly know how much is left and I loose in the trub post-boil, how much I am able to transfer to the fermentors and ferment. It's mostly eyeballed to that point, but I sort of calculate my first runnings and sparge based on what I wish to finish off (10Gal of fermentable wort).
I hope this makes sense, I may be able to illustrate this with pictures if need be.
Cheers!
In an attempt to find out what I could do better, I'd like to describe my brewing processes I just did yesterday, that resulted in me in an appearing 55% brewing efficiency of my batch yesterday. I'm quite frustrated obviously. If anyone experienced with that system may be able to point out to me what may be an obvious miss way, please let me know! I think it has do some with either the volume of strike water of the sparging process.
I recently got my hands on an electric keggle, so I've been doing 10Gal batches instead of my regular 5gals in pots.
Grain bill : 22.2lbs - 20lbs of Pilsen, 2lbs of flaked barley, 0.2 acidulated malt.
Strike water : added 30L, heated it up to 71C. I added a tsp of magnesium sulphate and salt.
Put in my new grain bag fitting the keggle.
Put all my grains in.
I was able to maintain throughout the hour a mash temp around 64-65C.
I prepared 15L of sparge, my goal was to fly sparge, heated at 77C.
Once mash time was over, I hoisted the bag thanks to a pulley system I was just able to set up. It did require me to tie the bag at its mouth, and attach it to the hook on the pulley. I lifted the bag just high enough that it could slightly rest on a strainer I put at the opening of the keggle.
So if you have it : the bag is suspended, tied and attached from its top to the pulley system, but slightly resting on the top of a strainer.
From there, I fly-sparged, slowly pouring the heated water over the bag. This is where it might get tricky, because the bag is closed, but I'm hoping it will let through enough water. I do so slowly, a bit at a time, with a measuring cup, trying to target all the sides of the grain bag. All this while I cranked up the heat to start the boil. It takes me maybe 15-20min to do my sparge.
Then I add my hops according to my schedule, but I'd guess from there, the deed is done. Boiled down for 60min.
I do not take gravity reading preboil. I only took one post boil and slightly cooled down : 1.042.
On the recipe I was looking at, it was saying OG = 1.063.
Other thing : I'm not able to accurately measure volumes (besides what I add in) : My keggle has no markings, nor do my fermenters (6gal pails). So I don't exactly know how much is left and I loose in the trub post-boil, how much I am able to transfer to the fermentors and ferment. It's mostly eyeballed to that point, but I sort of calculate my first runnings and sparge based on what I wish to finish off (10Gal of fermentable wort).
I hope this makes sense, I may be able to illustrate this with pictures if need be.
Cheers!