Can this be right? 78% Efficiency on my first all-grain (no-sparge BIAB) batch?

[naga77777]

I'm just really second-guessing myself, as per the usual any time I undertake something new.

I did a full-volume, no-sparge BIAB batch the other day, which was my first attempt at all-grain brewing.

Bought a grain mill, and used it for the first time on 8lbs 2-row (rahr), and 2lbs of toasted 2-row (from the same sack-- but toasted @ 275 degrees for 30min). I used the stock setting on the cereal killer mill -- not sure what the gap is. Crushed the grain twice.

**side note, forgot to run a sacrificial pound of grain through the mill to clean manufacturing residues/debris. Just used it to mill my grain for the batch straight off. Should be OK, no?

Anyways, I used the brewhouse efficiency calculator @ brewers friend (first google result for efficiency calculator), and it said I had 78% efficiency!!! ?

7.5gal preboil volume, using the aforementioned grain bill. 1038 Preboil gravity, taken @ room temp about 67 degrees. Called it "Thomas's Smash or Pass Pale Ale"

I didn't maintain mash temps very well, but if the efficiency calc is correct, i'm impressed!

 

[william_shakes_beer]

Yup, I usually get better effeciency with biab when i mash the full volume and no sparge. I have a 15 gallon boilermaker I use outdoors in good weather and a 7.5 gallon turkey fryer I use when I am forced to returen to the kitchen. Indoors it's part mash and sparge.

 

[LLBeanJ]

78% is well within where it should be. When I was doing full volume BIAB, I was hitting 80% consistently. I've recently started doing a 1 gal sparge and that has upped it to 85%.

I wouldn't worry about forgetting to pre-run the grain mill. I did the same thing and all was fine. Of course, that doesn't guarantee you'll be okay, but I wouldn't worry about it. You'll find out soon enough.

Btw... congrats on your first all-grain. Now that you've done one, you're probably wondering what all the fuss is about, right? I know I did.

 

[fatnoah]

I just finished brewing today doing BIAB no sparge and I hit 77% so I think you are right on.

 

[DPBISME]

I think it is possible...

When I started All-Grain I figured I would not hit my CALCULATED numbers so I used a low efficency...

I was not taking OG and FG measurements and just was going off the calculations...

I was getting S---faced drinking my session beers...

I still am bad about capturing those OG and FG numbers but I have learned to take off about .5 for all the calculations I do...

 

[acidrain]

The numbers don't lie, as long as your measured pre-boil volume is accurate.

 

[BlackRock]

Nice work! My first AG was 68% but the second was 86%. Such a big jump makes me worry I can't hit it again. I think time is the only thing that will tell whether your efficiency of 78% can be expected based on your process and setup or if it was above or below average.

 

[brycelarson]

Yeah, that's about where you should be. Your brewhouse efficiency will be less - due to trub loss etc. I usually land at 80% mash / 72% brewhouse

 

[naga77777]

Thanks everyone

78% is well within where it should be. When I was doing full volume BIAB, I was hitting 80% consistently. I've recently started doing a 1 gal sparge and that has upped it to 85%.

I wouldn't worry about forgetting to pre-run the grain mill. I did the same thing and all was fine. Of course, that doesn't guarantee you'll be okay, but I wouldn't worry about it. You'll find out soon enough.

Btw... congrats on your first all-grain. Now that you've done one, you're probably wondering what all the fuss is about, right? I know I did.

Thanks! Most definitely. I mean, I understand the real "art" comes with being able to control and maintain every aspect such as temps, etc. But I honestly thought the process itself would be hard, and it totally wasn't.

The numbers don't lie, as long as your measured pre-boil volume is accurate.

Should be; I measured using a gallon water jug. Couldn't be off by more than a couple oz for the whole 7.5gal volume.

Yeah, that's about where you should be. Your brewhouse efficiency will be less - due to trub loss etc. I usually land at 80% mash / 72% brewhouse

Cool! Yeah, I'm kicking myself now because I added 1.5lbs of honey to the boil (it was leftover from my hellacious brewday where I did the WhiteHouse Honey Porter and forgot the honey!). So there was really no way I could see how many points I gained from the grains themselves and boiling for 60min.

Pretty sure that'd screw up my brewhouse efficiency calc too, so I'll just do that one next time I brew

 

[taa800]

78% is well within where it should be. When I was doing full volume BIAB, I was hitting 80% consistently. I've recently started doing a 1 gal sparge and that has upped it to 85%.

I wouldn't worry about forgetting to pre-run the grain mill. I did the same thing and all was fine. Of course, that doesn't guarantee you'll be okay, but I wouldn't worry about it. You'll find out soon enough.

Btw... congrats on your first all-grain. Now that you've done one, you're probably wondering what all the fuss is about, right? I know I did.

How do you do your sparge? I've been getting in the 80s for my efficiency doing 3 gallon biab batches, but I don't do any kind of sparge.

 

[LLBeanJ]

How do you do your sparge? I've been getting in the 80s for my efficiency doing 3 gallon biab batches, but I don't do any kind of sparge.

I always do a mashout @ 170°. While the mash is heating to mashout temp, I put a gallon of water in a pot on the kitchen stove and heat it up to 165-170 or so (I'm not sure the temp is important, as I've read posts from others who do this sort of sparge with cold water, so heating the sparge water could be a waste of time, but it's what I do).

I have a food grade 5 gallon bucket that I drilled a bunch of 1/4" holes in the bottom to allow liquid to drain. I put the drain bucket inside an ale pail bucket, which acts as a catch bucket. After I raise the bag from the BK and allow it to drain for a few minutes, I set the bag inside the drain bucket and drape the top of the bag over the top of the bucket so that it is open. Then I pour my gallon of sparge water over the grains. Let it drain for a few minutes, then finish it off by pressing down on the grain with a metal lid from a kitchen pan to get as much wort out as possible. Pull the drain bucket from the catch bucket and dump the wort in the BK.

Since I've been doing this my efficency has gone up about 5 points and it really doesn't add much time or effort to the process.

Also, my Beersmith mash profile is set up for full-volume BIAB and I just mash with a gallon less than BS says, knowing I'll add it back with the sparge.