We have recently increased our brewing system capacity.
Our mash tun consists of the following:
We mash at a ratio of 3kg/L.
Since moving to this system our mash efficiency is really poor. Probably in the order of 45-55%
As far as I can gather there are a few basic causes for efficiency problems:
We buy grain already milled from one of our regional brewers, so milling is not the likely issue.
Temperature issues are possible. It is winter here at the moment. The ambient temperature when brewing is in the order of 15-20C.
Since most of you guys in the northern hemisphere have to deal with much colder weather the following questions:
We have not quite cracked the sparging. Previously we added sparge water manually, but now we use a pump. I suspect the rate of adding water is too high.
What flow rate would you recommend for sparging; and at what temperature is your sparge water normally?
All help will be appreciated
Our mash tun consists of the following:
- 50L Stainless Steel keg with a 2kW electric element - not insulated
- Copper pipe manifold
- Connected to a normal ball valve
- Stainless Steel lid
We mash at a ratio of 3kg/L.
Since moving to this system our mash efficiency is really poor. Probably in the order of 45-55%
As far as I can gather there are a few basic causes for efficiency problems:
- Incorrect grain milling
- Temperature issues
- Sparging issues
We buy grain already milled from one of our regional brewers, so milling is not the likely issue.
Temperature issues are possible. It is winter here at the moment. The ambient temperature when brewing is in the order of 15-20C.
Since most of you guys in the northern hemisphere have to deal with much colder weather the following questions:
- Will the outside of the mash cool that much quicker than the core and affect the efficiency?
- To counter this effect what would you recommend: Insulating the mash tun; stir the mash periodically and switching on the element; or a combination of the two?
We have not quite cracked the sparging. Previously we added sparge water manually, but now we use a pump. I suspect the rate of adding water is too high.
What flow rate would you recommend for sparging; and at what temperature is your sparge water normally?
All help will be appreciated