Since switching to partial mash from extract, I've been struggling with really lousy mash efficiency. I would love some ideas on how to fix it. The last three beers I've made have had efficiencies ranging from 58-62%.
Some notes:
1) I double crush my grain at the homebrew store, so unless I buy my own mill, I can't crush it any finer. (If you say I need to crush my own grain, so be it.)
2) I do full volume boils. My general approach is 7.5 gallons of water in, with no more than 9 pounds of grain. If I need more sugars than that, the rest is added during the boil as extract.
3) I do squeeze the bag, hard.
4) I don't do a sparge.
5) I don't do a mash out.
Basically, once conversion is done, I pull out the bag and let it drain in a bucket over an inverted colander. At the same time, I apply the heat to begin bringing the wort to a boil. Once the bag is done draining, I give it a good squeeze, toss the grains, and pour the liquid from that bucket back into the brew kettle.
What am I doing wrong?
Some notes:
1) I double crush my grain at the homebrew store, so unless I buy my own mill, I can't crush it any finer. (If you say I need to crush my own grain, so be it.)
2) I do full volume boils. My general approach is 7.5 gallons of water in, with no more than 9 pounds of grain. If I need more sugars than that, the rest is added during the boil as extract.
3) I do squeeze the bag, hard.
4) I don't do a sparge.
5) I don't do a mash out.
Basically, once conversion is done, I pull out the bag and let it drain in a bucket over an inverted colander. At the same time, I apply the heat to begin bringing the wort to a boil. Once the bag is done draining, I give it a good squeeze, toss the grains, and pour the liquid from that bucket back into the brew kettle.
What am I doing wrong?