Got the junk STILL can't brew

[tselby]

I keep coming up short on my original gravity. and don't know why. I built my brew station last month, well I'll just tell you about it. I started with a table at 8' long with burners at each end re plumbed my natural gas in the garage to accommodate. Then chased down two 15 gallon kegs and converted one to a boiler and one for strike water. Bought two coolers one 70 Qt. and one 40 Qt.
and install stainless false bottoms in both. Found a 12volt food grade pump on line and purchased braided 1/2" hose and used cam locks for QD. Built my keezer and plan to install 6 faucets (don't have my manifold yet) My first batch the temp fell off about 4 degrees and I didn't have the sparg speed dialed in so I sparged too quick and m og was 20 points low my second batch I mashed and temp was too high by 5 degrees and I think that's why I didn't get sugar conversion as my og was 10 points low.
Said all that to ask this, WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?

 

[Rockn_M]

We need a few more details like your recipe mash temps and mash times.


Sent from my kegerator

 

[poptarts]

Sounds like you dont know how to use your system. Check out some calculators to help you hit your mash temps. As for fly sparging, slower the better, I think people shoot for 1L a minute speed, might be wrong here I batch sparge. I kept getting annoyed on hitting mash temps so I built my ghetto HERMS, link in sig. But preheating your mashtun and knowing the temp and quanity of grain and water is pretty much key. Best of luck, it happens to everyone on a new system or when they first start learning. You might double check your grain is crushed properly, but pretty sure its not time to blame that yet.

 

[Gameface]

Slow down there.

Tell us more about your recipe.

Instead of saying your mash was 5 degrees high, tell us what your intended mash temp was and what your measured temp was.

Tell us more about you set-up. For instance, I'm not understanding using two coolers both with false bottoms. What are you using each of them for during the mash?

Just a general observation, but if you're brand new to brewing but have purchased a keezer and intend to have 6 faucets going you are really putting the cart before the horse.

A little more specific, and not really to your main point, but is your braided hose food grade? Most of us use silicone tubing.

Sparge speed shouldn't have anything to do with your temp dropping. You don't want to drain too quickly, but beyond that it's just a matter of not adding sparge water so much faster than you're draining that you overflow your mash tun. I often tweak my drain speed and sparge speed a couple times until it seems they are close enough that my grain is submerged and I'm not overflowing the tun.

How are you determining what your O.G. should be?

Everyone has a different efficiency, which directly correlates to O.G.. If you're using a kit and it's telling you your O.G. should be X, well forget about that number. If you want to hit that number then keep a little DME handy and add enough at the end of the boil to hit your number. Otherwise, brew a few more times and get a feel for the process. Figure out what your efficiency is and if it's reasonable (basically anything between 60% and 90% is pretty reasonable, lower end is very reasonable for a beginning brewer). If it is then you can base your expected O.G. on your efficiency number instead of wherever it is you got the number you're using now. If you'd like to increase efficiency then that's possible, but it takes a few batches and a better understanding of your process and where you might be loosing efficiency. It comes with at least a little experience.

 

[eric19312]

I keep coming up short on my original gravity. and don't know why. I built my brew station last month, well I'll just tell you about it. I started with a table at 8' long with burners at each end re plumbed my natural gas in the garage to accommodate. Then chased down two 15 gallon kegs and converted one to a boiler and one for strike water. Bought two coolers one 70 Qt. and one 40 Qt.
and install stainless false bottoms in both. Found a 12volt food grade pump on line and purchased braided 1/2" hose and used cam locks for QD. Built my keezer and plan to install 6 faucets (don't have my manifold yet) My first batch the temp fell off about 4 degrees and I didn't have the sparg speed dialed in so I sparged too quick and m og was 20 points low my second batch I mashed and temp was too high by 5 degrees and I think that's why I didn't get sugar conversion as my og was 10 points low.
Said all that to ask this, WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?

Sounds like a nice system. Can't tell from your post but not clear how much brewing experience you have to go with the rig. See this is your first post...

Good equipment will make your brew day easier and make going to larger scale much easier but is not a substitute for experience.

More experience means more brewing. Good record keeping will help you learn faster too. Measure everything you can think of and write it down. Software can help you make sure not to miss recording key data points including especially things like pre-boil, post-boil and fermentation volumes and gravities during your brew day.

 

[tselby]

Sounds like you dont know how to use your system. Check out some calculators to help you hit your mash temps. As for fly sparging, slower the better, I think people shoot for 1L a minute speed, might be wrong here I batch sparge. I kept getting annoyed on hitting mash temps so I built my ghetto HERMS, link in sig. But preheating your mashtun and knowing the temp and quanity of grain and water is pretty much key. Best of luck, it happens to everyone on a new system or when they first start learning. You might double check your grain is crushed properly, but pretty sure its not time to blame that yet.

I did have a temp drop of five degrees in my first batch due to the size of the brew my mash vessel was to big that's why I bought the smaller one. on the second brew I screwed up the strike temp and started mashing in at 10 degrees too hot used ice cubes to cool mash but it took 15 minutes to cool back down I think that's a lot of the problem with the second brew. also on the second brew I took about 1 hour to do the sparg with 6.5 gallon in the boil at finish.

 

[tselby]

Sounds like a nice system. Can't tell from your post but not clear how much brewing experience you have to go with the rig. See this is your first post...

Good equipment will make your brew day easier and make going to larger scale much easier but is not a substitute for experience.

More experience means more brewing. Good record keeping will help you learn faster too. Measure everything you can think of and write it down. Software can help you make sure not to miss recording key data points including especially things like pre-boil, post-boil and fermentation volumes and gravities during your brew day.

Can you suggest the software I might need.

 

[tselby]

Slow down there.

Tell us more about your recipe.

Instead of saying your mash was 5 degrees high, tell us what your intended mash temp was and what your measured temp was.

Tell us more about you set-up. For instance, I'm not understanding using two coolers both with false bottoms. What are you using each of them for during the mash?

Just a general observation, but if you're brand new to brewing but have purchased a keezer and intend to have 6 faucets going you are really putting the cart before the horse.

A little more specific, and not really to your main point, but is your braided hose food grade? Most of us use silicone tubing.

Sparge speed shouldn't have anything to do with your temp dropping. You don't want to drain too quickly, but beyond that it's just a matter of not adding sparge water so much faster than you're draining that you overflow your mash tun. I often tweak my drain speed and sparge speed a couple times until it seems they are close enough that my grain is submerged and I'm not overflowing the tun.

How are you determining what your O.G. should be?

Everyone has a different efficiency, which directly correlates to O.G.. If you're using a kit and it's telling you your O.G. should be X, well forget about that number. If you want to hit that number then keep a little DME handy and add enough at the end of the boil to hit your number. Otherwise, brew a few more times and get a feel for the process. Figure out what your efficiency is and if it's reasonable (basically anything between 60% and 90% is pretty reasonable, lower end is very reasonable for a beginning brewer). If it is then you can base your expected O.G. on your efficiency number instead of wherever it is you got the number you're using now. If you'd like to increase efficiency then that's possible, but it takes a few batches and a better understanding of your process and where you might be loosing efficiency. It comes with at least a little experience.

All of you are right I am new to brewing I jumped in fast and learn something each time I brew but it would be nice to go around the school of hard knocks
Yes Game everything in my system is food grade. And the two tunes are for different size batches. I only use one at a time. On first batch mash temp was 153 F and drooped to 148 for the last 1/2 of the 60 minute time. I determine target temp from the recipe. How do I calculate the amount of DME to add at the end of a boil and will it change the taste of my beer. I hope this helps. Also I didn't have the smaller tune at that time and think the temp drop was due to the vessel size.

 

[tselby]

Here are some pics of my system

 

[brewtus_]

Here are some pics of my system

You're right, you'll never be able to brew beer! Better to give all that junk to me!

A rule of thumb is 1 pound of dry malt extract will add approximately 0.043 to your gravity in 1 gallon of wort. So for 10 gallons of wort, 1 pound of DME will boost your gravity 0.0043 points. So, lets say you brewed a 10 gallon batch at 1.045, but you wanted to have an OG of 1.063. You're 0.018 off. 0.018/0.0043 = 4.19. You'll need to add 4.2 pounds DME to get to 1.063.

The false bottom in the mash tun is a problem. There is tons of grain on the edges that is not getting rinsed during the sparge. Try switching to a round cooler where the false bottom is under all the grain.

 

[tselby]

You're right, you'll never be able to brew beer! Better to give all that junk to me!

A rule of thumb is 1 pound of dry malt extract will add approximately 0.043 to your gravity in 1 gallon of wort. So for 10 gallons of wort, 1 pound of DME will boost your gravity 0.0043 points. So, lets say you brewed a 10 gallon batch at 1.045, but you wanted to have an OG of 1.063. You're 0.018 off. 0.018/0.0043 = 4.19. You'll need to add 4.2 pounds DME to get to 1.063.

The false bottom in the mash tun is a problem. There is tons of grain on the edges that is not getting rinsed during the sparge. Try switching to a round cooler where the false bottom is under all the grain.

Thanks man I have switched to a 10 gallon Igloo for 5 gallon batches and will change the bottom in my 70 quart cooler.

 

[Gameface]

Thanks man I have switched to a 10 gallon Igloo for 5 gallon batches and will change the bottom in my 70 quart cooler.

I use a 10g cooler for 10g batches. I can get about 24lbs in it by using about 1qt/lb.

Agree that your false bottom setup is likely hurting your efficiency, especially if fly sparging. I'll guess you're gonna get much improved efficiency with the round cooler.

153->148 isn't too big a deal, imo. I mean, it's not desirable, but that's not what killed your efficiency. (I used to open the mash tun at least a few times during the mash. I don't do that anymore. I dough-in, check temp, close it up and leave it closed for the duration of the mash. Less heat loss that way.)

Are you using any brewing software? I use BeerSmith and it's great once you get it dialed in... but you do have to dial it in by brewing and taking measurements over a few batches. Once you get an idea of where your efficiency is you can plan your grain bill and O.G. accordingly.

Are you purchasing pre-crushed grain, or crushing grain at a homebrew store, or crushing it yourself? Your crush has a big impact on efficiency.

 

[tselby]

I use a 10g cooler for 10g batches. I can get about 24lbs in it by using about 1qt/lb.

Agree that your false bottom setup is likely hurting your efficiency, especially if fly sparging. I'll guess you're gonna get much improved efficiency with the round cooler.

153->148 isn't too big a deal, imo. I mean, it's not desirable, but that's not what killed your efficiency. (I used to open the mash tun at least a few times during the mash. I don't do that anymore. I dough-in, check temp, close it up and leave it closed for the duration of the mash. Less heat loss that way.)

Are you using any brewing software? I use BeerSmith and it's great once you get it dialed in... but you do have to dial it in by brewing and taking measurements over a few batches. Once you get an idea of where your efficiency is you can plan your grain bill and O.G. accordingly.

Are you purchasing pre-crushed grain, or crushing grain at a homebrew store, or crushing it yourself? Your crush has a big impact on efficiency.

Not using any software guess I need to look into that. Want to get my own mill I'm thinking like you said its too early to blame the mill it looks good some flower showing.I will be brewing on Wensday I'll let you know how it goes

 

[eric19312]

For software I use Beer Alchemy. Works well on apple osx and ios platforms. Syncs database between my ipad and mac well.

I batch sparge in a 70 quart cooler like your big rectangle one. No false bottom, just a bazooka tube.

My normal efficiency is 75%. Hit 80% last week working with a new base malt (Belgian Pale). If my gravity looks low going into boil I can collect a bit more runnings and add these into the kettle. This increases volume and reduces preboil gravity, but once it has been boiled down to original pre boil gravity target I may have gained a couple efficiency points. Obviously the trade off is longer boil to get a small gravity increase, most times I don't bother.