Finally some success!

[AJC16]

Recently my efficiency has been really bad. I have been around 60%. So I tightened up my my mill, used PH 5.2, and did a quasi fly sparge and I hit 82% today! I am brewing a magic hat #9 clone. I just had to share!!

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

Sweet! way to go.

 

[dRaPP]

how do you calculate efficiency? is it mainly for AG brewing?

 

[AJC16]

I use beersmith

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

how do you calculate efficiency? is it mainly for AG brewing?

Mainly an AG thing, not sure if partial mash folks worry about efficiency.

To calculate it,you divide your actual OG by what your Maximum potential OG would be. So, say you made a SMaSH using 10lbs of Two Row, and your actual OG is 1.060. You also have to know what the Max PPG(points per pound per gallon) is of a certain grain, for Two Row it is 38, according to the charts in How to Brew. Here is the Math....

10 x 38/5(this is your batch size)=76 or 1.076 if you extracted 100% of the sugars from the malt, hence the term Max PPG.

Now you divide 60 by 76 and you get 78.9% efficiency. Hope that helps.

 

[Bensiff]

Now the big question is, what variable did what to efficiency. I'm guessing your biggest change came from a tighter mill setting.

 

[AJC16]

Yes, I think my tighter setting really helped.

 

[dRaPP]

Thanks Yankee, that helps a lot. I'm not to the level of AG mashes (or even partial) yet, but I'm always trying to learn more.

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

Thanks Yankee, that helps a lot. I'm not to the level of AG mashes (or even partial) yet, but I'm always trying to learn more.

my pleasure, glad to share the little bit of Knowledge I have AG really is pretty easy, I know I was really intimidated by it at first, but after a few batches and finding this place, it has become 2nd nature. You'll get there.

 

[starrfish]

my efficiency went up when I went to a thinner mash... and I stir every 20 min... did both at the same time... so i'm not really sure where the increase came from. I have a thick mash (12+ lbs of grain in a 5 gallon bucket) so I can't mash thin... so I'm planning on stirring and stirring hard every 20 through mash. I posted the question to "James" on Basic brewing radio and he's pretty sure mash thick/thinness doesn't contribute to more/less efficiency. the jury is still out.

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

my efficiency went up when I went to a thinner mash... and I stir every 20 min... did both at the same time... so i'm not really sure where the increase came from. I have a thick mash (12+ lbs of grain in a 5 gallon bucket) so I can't mash thin... so I'm planning on stirring and stirring hard every 20 through mash. I posted the question to "James" on Basic brewing radio and he's pretty sure mash thick/thinness doesn't contribute to more/less efficiency. the jury is still out.

I didn't find it to help at all, in fact I think it hurt me a little because of the fact that I didn't need as much sparge water, but I'm talking 2qts per lb. I found that I like 1 1/2 qts per lb, it's easy to stir and I have plenty of sparge water to work with. Crush is by far the most significant factor in improving efficiency. I was able to buy a Barley Crusher about a year ago, & my effiency jumped from low 70's to low-mid 80's, and that was on the stock setting. I've been so happy with it that I have just left it there.