I just purchased Beersmith to try to help me out with hitting my targets a bit more. I just ran through my first brew last night...as usual I came out a bit low on my OG and was hoping someone could tell me how I can now take my numbers and adjust the recipe for the next run so that I can more-likely hit my targets? I appreciate the input.
Using Beersmith to adjust recipes to hit OG
- Thread starter Keqwow
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
I think to get a better idea of what's going on you might need to give a little more info. Are you taking notes through out the brew day? I try to take note of strike/sparge water volumes, 1st and 2nd running volumes as well as their gravities and then the gravity once I combine them. Did you happen to take note of your boil off? You might be ending up with more wort than you planned. I know I've done that a few times, especially as the seasons change. Or if you're all grain your efficiency might be set too high. I'm sure others will have additional input.
Hope you took good notes. If not it takes awhile to get your system down, if you've been at it awhile and you know your equipment and you've tsken good notes all you have to do is go to my equipment and make your own profile of your equipment settings, big things are boil off, grain absorption, trub loss but sounds like your efficiency is low so beersmith has a default of 72%. I never adjusted when I first started using beersmith and I was always a few points low but I readjusted my equipment to 68%, refined my brewing process, and then I was always high back around 72% so I readjusted my equipment setting and now I consistently hit my numbers. It just takes time to play with the numbers but taking good notes helps make it a lot easier, I also set up equipment profiles for high gravity beers where my Efficiency may be lower, cold weather beers where I may boil off more, etc etc. it's a great tool just takes time to dial in all the numbers.
I made the Milk O'Stout milk stout recipe that is available through the Beersmith online recipes. I set it up to use a 5 gallon mini mash (BIAB) method and scaled the recipe down to a 2.5 gallon batch. I then followed all of the steps and measurements that Beersmith provided through the step-by-step page. My pre-boil volume was suppose to be 3.89 and I believe it was pretty much exactly 4. Coming out of the boil I was suppose to have a volume of 3.13 and instead I was at about 3.5. My actual batch volume is 3.4 gallons even though the target was 2.5. I believe this is the reason my OG is 1.052 when the target was 1.060.
So with all of that said, I was hoping to be able to take these numbers and make adjustments so that when I go through the same process next week and do this recipe again, I can come out to an OG of 1.060. I am assuming the best way to do this is by reducing the amount of water volume used during the sparge step. I just need to know HOW much to reduce it by.
I imagine I can sit and guess....I mean, in an hour and 15 minutes I boiled off about .5 gallon. I can work backwards but I guess I just assumed there was an easy way to let Beersmith do these calculations for you once you have the numbers to work with.
So with all of that said, I was hoping to be able to take these numbers and make adjustments so that when I go through the same process next week and do this recipe again, I can come out to an OG of 1.060. I am assuming the best way to do this is by reducing the amount of water volume used during the sparge step. I just need to know HOW much to reduce it by.
I imagine I can sit and guess....I mean, in an hour and 15 minutes I boiled off about .5 gallon. I can work backwards but I guess I just assumed there was an easy way to let Beersmith do these calculations for you once you have the numbers to work with.
The easy way is this. Find out how much you boil off and then make the necessary adjustments to your per oil volume. If your pre boil gravity is off then I'd look at the grain crush as another reason your OG is low. If your pre boil gravity is low and you have more volume than you need you just need to boil more to get down to the OG you want, like in the milk stout example you mentioned. It really is just a trial and error thing, it took me around 8-10 batches before I really figured out my numbers and how to use the program and then 10 batches later I realized I was loosing .5 gal to cooling shrinkage, so it just takes time that's all.
I appreciate the feedback. This is only my third batch. This time around though I decided to start taking a more scientific approach to figuring out how to best get what I want. I'd like to finally brew a beer that I actually like. The first two were 'ok' but felt watered down a bit. Of course I did not pay as close attention to all of the details either so this time I intend to get much closer to something I'd be proud to share with friends.
No prob I've been in your shoes, I've only been brewing a year and bought beersmith after I did their one month trial. It's an amazing program and I barely know all the ins and outs of it but it makes brewing and hitting numbers a lot easier once you get things dialed in and if your missing og's preboil gravitates etc you can go back through and see where you may b off. It also makes designing recipes so much easier. For a new brewer it really helped clear some things up.
TheHopfather
Well-Known Member
I'd take olotti's advice and figure out your boil off rate first of all. Just fill the pot up with a known amount water (let's say 3 gal) and let it boil for an hour. Then measure your final volume of water, subtract the two numbers and you've got your boil off rate. Beersmith is pretty good at predicting OG's, it sounds like your volumes are just off.
You really do need to create a custom equipment profile to get really dialed in. I'd also recommend marking your carboy in 1/2 gal increments so you can see what you are losing to trub as well.
You really do need to create a custom equipment profile to get really dialed in. I'd also recommend marking your carboy in 1/2 gal increments so you can see what you are losing to trub as well.
TheHopfather
Well-Known Member
You also mentioned that your beer tasted watered down. I have a feeling that it isn't your OG that is causing that, I've had plently of light beers (below 5% ABV) that had lots of flavor. Do you do anything about your water pH? Even if you just use 5.2 pH Stabilizer to start you should notice an improvement with a more robust flavor. 5.2 pH get's a bad rap around here (for good reason), but when you're just starting out it is better than nothing. As a plus when you start using it you'll get better efficiency and mess up all of your Beersmith numbers again! 
You set 2.5 gallons in BS as your final volume.
Did you get 2.5 gallons post boil? I assume you did, if not, that could be some of the problem. Adjust the volume in BS to what you got and see if it gets closer.
Did you do all-grain, or PM? If you added extract are you really sure it was fully mixed in?
Did you use top-up water? if you did, are you really sure it was fully mixed in.
You should fine a mash efficiency number in the recipe. It will probably be around 70 to 75%. If you change that number, can you get close to your actual? Everyone's mash efficiency is different. There are a number of variables that go into it, including the crush of the grain.
Is your hydrometer correct?
I'm sure you have already looked at all these, but if not, maybe I've given you something to look at.
Did you get 2.5 gallons post boil? I assume you did, if not, that could be some of the problem. Adjust the volume in BS to what you got and see if it gets closer.
Did you do all-grain, or PM? If you added extract are you really sure it was fully mixed in?
Did you use top-up water? if you did, are you really sure it was fully mixed in.
You should fine a mash efficiency number in the recipe. It will probably be around 70 to 75%. If you change that number, can you get close to your actual? Everyone's mash efficiency is different. There are a number of variables that go into it, including the crush of the grain.
Is your hydrometer correct?
I'm sure you have already looked at all these, but if not, maybe I've given you something to look at.
