First All Grain - Low OG

[DoomRider]

I brewed my first all grain this weekend - Centennial Blonde found on the forum (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/centennial-blonde-simple-4-all-grain-5-10-gall-42841/ ). I did the 5.5 gallon recipe.
It was the first time that I used my new 10 gal Igloo Mash Tun and 10 gal Polar Ware kettle. Instead of going with 6.57 boil size, I decided to go with a 7.25 gal boil size, as I didn't know how much boil off I would have using the new kettle (and my LHBS suggested the larger size). Well, I ended up with 6.25 gallons of post boil wort, and my OG is lower than I expected (1.032). I know that some of this is probably due to a beginner not mashing properly, but I am curious as to how much the low OG is because of the added post-boil volume.

Strike Temp – 162 degrees (I added 1 gallon of boiling water for 10 minutes and discarded prior to adding strike water to heat the Mash Tun).
Mashed at (what I thought) 150 for 1 hour with 3 gal of water
Batch Sparge with 6 gal of water at 170 degrees

I used Brewsmith 2 for the recipe and I used Brew365.com for the mash temp/volume. http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php

I mean, it was my first time brewing all grain, and I definitely have beer (VERY sessionable beer I might add). I am going to let it ride, and see how it turns out. I had brewed 23 extract batches before starting all grain, and I know all about trial and error. I just wanted some advice as to whether my low OG was due to mashing, added volume, or both. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[sfgoat]

Between 6&8 gravity points would be lost due to the extra water but your process doesn't seem so bad. I would say a large part of your low og is due to a poor crush on the grain. If you are having your lhbs crush them have them do it twice next time.

Also it is better to come up short on fluid level post boils and add water then it is to come out too diluted.

 

[MikePote]

Not that you dont know this already but you still made beer. All will be good. Congrats on going all grain. My beers have been sooooooo much better since making the jump.

 

[Jphillips13]

Recipe calls for OG of 1.039 @ 5.5 gallons. The brewersfriend calculator shows @ the correct volume you'd be @ 1.036. The larger volume seems to be half of what's missing, crush is maybe the rest. Very close and certainly not bad for a first all-grain brew with a bunch of new equipment. I brewed the same beer ten days ago. Second batch ever and first all-grain. It was much more relaxing than I thought it would be.

 

[DoomRider]

Thank you for the responses! Like I said, trial and error. I only have one other question. How far off will my FG be? It is supposed to be 1.008, but can/will it get down to 1.004?

 

[Jphillips13]

It could if your mash temp fell low enough. Mine started at 1.040 and at the one week mark was at 1.006

 

[glockspeed31]

Also, during your mash stage, did you stir at any time during the 60 min? I stir about every 15-20 min during the process. Helps move the water around, making sure nothing is clumping up. Agreed with the mention to possibly double crushing, but you can run the risk of getting too much grain in the runoff.

I would recommend boiling just water in your pot for the hour just to see how much boiloff you get, next time you would know how much wort to start with to have just the right amount after the boil. Enjoy your session IPA and try again with the suggested corrections mention by the members.

 

[BigFloyd]

Without knowing anything about your grain crush (which may be OK or not), it looks like the 7 missing gravity points are from the extra water and perhaps you need to stir more at dough in. When I did it the old fashioned way (now doing recirculating E-BIAB), I'd stir a steady 8-10 minutes at dough-in. Did you stir again when you did the batch sparge and let it sit 10-15 min before draining?

Don't worry. Next time will be better.

 

[DoomRider]

Thanks again for the replies! Big Floyd, I stirred a good bit (maybe 5 minutes) at dough in. I did not stir it again when I batch sparged, as I thought that would mess up the grain bed. I also don’t think I waited 10-15 minutes before starting my second running. That is probably where the gravity points went (well that, and the fact I ended up with so much post boil wort).

At Glock, I did not stir the at all during the mash. Guess I was worried about losing temp in my mash tun.

I am actually thinking about doing this same recipe again this weekend, to see if I can’t use what I have learned and get those extra gravity points. Thank you again for all of your help! I will keep you all posted if I brew this weekend.

 

[Howhownow]

You should be OK to stir whenever, as long as the grain bed gets about 10 minutes to resettle. Be careful, though- too much stirring can lower the mash temps. Also be sure to drain slowly!
After you dial in your boil off rate, any time you collect too much wort you can just lengthen your boil to concentrate it more. Just add your hops at the prescribed times.
One more thing I have noticed about my efficiency is that it is much better when I remember to use my 5.2 (PH additive). I don't test my water for PH, but I do know that it can effect efficiency. Maybe look into picking some up- it is the only brewing salt that I presently use.
Congrats on AG- I made the jump maybe 8 months ago and I am still tweaking my process.

 

[j1n]

why don't you fly sparge next time. You're supposed to get higher eff with a fly sprage vs batch sparge. i never mix the mash after i get it to the right temp and do the saach rest. my eff is around 90%.

 

[peterj]

Recipe calls for OG of 1.039 @ 5.5 gallons. The brewersfriend calculator shows @ the correct volume you'd be @ 1.036. The larger volume seems to be half of what's missing, crush is maybe the rest. Very close and certainly not bad for a first all-grain brew with a bunch of new equipment. I brewed the same beer ten days ago. Second batch ever and first all-grain. It was much more relaxing than I thought it would be.

This is right, looks like you would have only been 3 points off if you had gotten the right post boil volume. Now you know your boil off rate is about 1 gallon per hour, so you can tailor your recipes to that. And only missing by 3 points is not bad at all. It may be a crush issue, but I wouldn't worry about it right now. Just keep doing everything consistently and then see where your efficiency usually ends up. Then once you get a process down you can try to raise your efficiency if you want to. But just below 70% sounds fine to me.

Also, I would not recommend 5.2 stabilizer. I've pretty much only heard bad things about it. If you want to get into water chemistry and pH I would read up on it A LOT and use traditional salts (like gypsum, calcium chloride, etc.), acid, and a water chemistry calculator like Brewer's Friend or Bru'n Water. You probably don't need to worry about that quite yet either though.

And when you batch sparge you don't have to wait any time at all for the grain bed to settle. You don't really have to worry about the grain bed at all. Just drain your first runnings, add the sparge water, mix it up really well, vourlaf, and drain. Also, you can drain as fast as you want. Or I guess as fast as you can without getting a stuck sparge.

Hope this helps, and have fun with your re-brew!

 

[ifnotuthenwho]

When I started doing all-grain brewing, my efficiency was poor on my first few batches. The thing I did to improve my efficiency was to stir the grain after the sparge water was added. Before, I would stir a little, but now I stir quite a bit. It really seems to help get the sugars rinsed from the grains and into the water.

 

[DoomRider]

Hello All. I just wanted to update you all on my 2nd all grain batch. Same recipe. Just got done about 10 minutes ago, and my post boil volume and gravity were spot on. 70% efficiency according to BeerSmith. I just wanted to thank you all for your suggestions. Now to make a Russian Imperial Stout. Just kidding, I am taking baby steps.

Centennial Blonde
6.5 Gal pre-boil wort
1.033 Pre-boil gravity
5.5 Gal post-boil wort
1.040 OG

 

[Colbizle]

Hello All. I just wanted to update you all on my 2nd all grain batch. Same recipe. Just got done about 10 minutes ago, and my post boil volume and gravity were spot on. 70% efficiency according to BeerSmith. I just wanted to thank you all for your suggestions. Now to make a Russian Imperial Stout. Just kidding, I am taking baby steps.

Centennial Blonde
6.5 Gal pre-boil wort
1.033 Pre-boil gravity
5.5 Gal post-boil wort
1.040 OG

Hey DoomRider, How did the first batch with the OG of 1.032 turn out? I just did the exact same recipe and it was also my first AG batch so I probably made noobish mistakes as well but mine also came out with an OG of 1.032 post boil. I'm kinda worried its ruined. How did it turn out for you?

 

[DoomRider]

It turned out fine. A buddy and I had a few yesterday to be honest. It is pretty light, but still tons of flavor. I wouldn't worry about it. Definitely NOT ruined by any means. This is without a doubt the perfect summer beer. I have tried my 2nd attempt at this Blonde and it has a little more body and color to it, but not really that much different. RDWHAHB

 

[Colbizle]

It turned out fine. A buddy and I had a few yesterday to be honest. It is pretty light, but still tons of flavor. I wouldn't worry about it. Definitely NOT ruined by any means. This is without a doubt the perfect summer beer. I have tried my 2nd attempt at this Blonde and it has a little more body and color to it, but not really that much different. RDWHAHB

Thats great to hear!! I'm curious, but do you remember what your FG ended up being?

 

[DoomRider]

It was LOW! 1.004 was my FG for both of the blondes that I brewed. I wouldn't worry if you don't get that low though. Just made my ABV go up a little bit.

 

[Colbizle]

It was LOW! 1.004 was my FG for both of the blondes that I brewed. I wouldn't worry if you don't get that low though. Just made my ABV go up a little bit.

Sweet! Thanks for the info!