Hey there,
Ive read a lot on this forum and found numerous things that are super helpful for me, but I'm struggling to improve my mash efficiency past 65%. I know its not super important, but I see people who follow similar processes as me and are hitting 70-80% efficiency.
So I was hoping I could detail my process and hopefully get some pointers.
I use BeerSmith to get my calculated water, temperature , etc.
Grain Crush:
Currently using a mill of my own, set at approx. 0.33 for the gap
Mash tun:
60 quart rectangular cooler with copper manifold in the bottom (covers the majority of the bottom)
Typical mash temperature is about 152 degree F for all mashes and holds for 60 minutes.
After the 60 minutes I test with iodine and show full conversion
Lautering:
I take some initial runnings and pour them back over the grain bed. I typically open the valve about 1/2 open and the grain takes maybe 5 minutes to pour out with the initial water.
I then batch sparge with more water and stir and then sit for 5 minutes before opening 1/2 valve and it takes another 5 minutes
I live in Portland, OR and our water is pretty solid and I've read that the pH is not usually a problem here but I'm not sure why I can't get better mash conversion beyond 65%.
For reference, this was my recipe I did today:
Wheat Ale
6 lb 10 oz Brewers malt, 2-row
5 lbs 6.5 oz German Wheat Malt
2.4 oz Munich Malt
10 oz Rice Husks
If I left anything out that needs addressed, let me know. Im just hoping someone can pick apart my process and determine where my gap is with mash efficiency.
Ive read a lot on this forum and found numerous things that are super helpful for me, but I'm struggling to improve my mash efficiency past 65%. I know its not super important, but I see people who follow similar processes as me and are hitting 70-80% efficiency.
So I was hoping I could detail my process and hopefully get some pointers.
I use BeerSmith to get my calculated water, temperature , etc.
Grain Crush:
Currently using a mill of my own, set at approx. 0.33 for the gap
Mash tun:
60 quart rectangular cooler with copper manifold in the bottom (covers the majority of the bottom)
Typical mash temperature is about 152 degree F for all mashes and holds for 60 minutes.
After the 60 minutes I test with iodine and show full conversion
Lautering:
I take some initial runnings and pour them back over the grain bed. I typically open the valve about 1/2 open and the grain takes maybe 5 minutes to pour out with the initial water.
I then batch sparge with more water and stir and then sit for 5 minutes before opening 1/2 valve and it takes another 5 minutes
I live in Portland, OR and our water is pretty solid and I've read that the pH is not usually a problem here but I'm not sure why I can't get better mash conversion beyond 65%.
For reference, this was my recipe I did today:
Wheat Ale
6 lb 10 oz Brewers malt, 2-row
5 lbs 6.5 oz German Wheat Malt
2.4 oz Munich Malt
10 oz Rice Husks
If I left anything out that needs addressed, let me know. Im just hoping someone can pick apart my process and determine where my gap is with mash efficiency.
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