I need some help with brewing terms....

I have just been recommended this site:
http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php

It is an awesome calculator for mash/sparging water...but some of the terms are Greek to me.

For example:
-trub loss
-equipment loss
-mash thickness
-wort shrinkage
-grain absorption constant
-percent boil off per hour (I guess it is the water that evaporate per hour...but how do I know how much evaporates?)


Sorry for asking this utterly newbie questions...but I think this is the best place for this.

 

I'll take a crack at these definitions, and I'm sure someone will clarify if I miss any. And you're right - this is a great place to ask, and we were all newbies at one time.

Trub loss - trub is the "stuff" that settles to the bottom of your wort or fermenting beer - it's the particulate matter from the grains and hops that are held in suspension in the liquid during processing, and then settle out once the wort is still. The loss is the amount of liquid contained in the trub that is dumped along with the trub.
Equipment loss - the amount of liquid left behind in your kettles, valves, hoses, etc. The stuff that your rinse out later, but doesn't make it into your keg or bottle.
Mash thickness - a reference to the water to grain ratio. A ratio of about 1 qt water / pound of grain or less would be considered a thick mash, and 1.5 qt water / pound and greater would be a thin mash.
Wort shrinkage - water condenses about 4% in volume between boiling temperature and room temperature. So if you have 10 gallons of wort at 212*, you'll have about 1/2 gallon (.4 gallons mathematically) less at 70*.
Grain absorption constant - the amount of water the grain retains after mashing. It was dry when you put it in, it's wet when you're finished - the water retained by the grain needs to be taken into account.
Percent boil off per hour - you guessed right bout the definition. The only real way to know your particular boil off (evaporation) rate is to measure it. Put 5 gallons in your pot, boil for an hour, measure what's left - then do the math. If you started with 5 gallons and an hour later you had 4 gallons, your rate 20% per hour.

 

These are great! I don't have a whole lot to add, but 2 things might help:

One important sub-category of Equipment Loss is the "dead space loss" in your mash tun, i.e. the space where liquid settles below the valve. You can minimize this by (for example) tipping your mash tun at the end of your sparge, but it's something to know about... and it's cool to say. "Dead space loss." Cool.

Also, I had heard somewhere that the "standard" amount of loss to boiling is 10% per hour; any idea of whether that's true enough to be used as a standard?

 

Boil off is not a percentage amount... it has more to do with pot diameter, and is constant no matter what the volume is.
A keggle typically boils off about 2 gallons per hour (depending on humidity, temperature, altitude, etc.).

 

My boil off rate is fairly constant around 1.25 gallons for a 60 minute boil
BUT....
On my Easter Sunday blonde ale brew day, I lost slightly over 2 gallons and I think the culprit is the wind. Anytime that the break started to rise up, the wind usually knocked it right back down and all other variables were accounted for.
I even made a batch this winter when the temp and humidity were low and did not lose a lot.

 

Hey

Thanks for all the info....it is really useful.

I have been looking at this one: http://www.brew365.com/mash_sparge_water_calculator.php

This calculator is handy; however, some of the variables are set. It makes me think that I need to start playing with them. Wouldnt you agree?
Like Mash Thickness is set in the middle (1.33) so...it is something general and might needs adjusting....I just dont know yet. I am still at the experimenting phase.

 

As you learn more about brewing, you'll find that certain styles of beer (or results in a beer you're brewing) require you to vary your processes. A few examples are mash thickness, mash temperatures, boil times, water acidity/mineral profile, etc. And yes, you should play with them to learn what happens and how you like to brew. I've recently been brewing several one gallon batches in addition to my standard 5 or 10 gallon batches so that I can experiment with different ingredients, processes, etc. If you're really into the "art and science" of brewing (as opposed to only making great beer that you'll be proud to serve your friends) I'd suggest you do as much reading as possible. It's quicker to learn from others experience than do it all on your own. Then take what you've learned and apply that to your equipment and interests, and develop your own technique and process - and then contribute what you've learned back to the community.