Partial mash issues, please help!

Hello all, I have been home brewing with pretty good success of a few years ow until recently. My last 8-10 batches have all been partial mash, here is the issue... I constantly have high final gravities, it's a good day if I can get a batch to reach 1.016 before bottling. However, I have done many extract (coopers), wines and ciders using the same water and temperatures I use for beer, with great results. Long story short, it has to be my mash!
I recently did a pale ale from Austin HBS I followed their partial mash instructions to the T, I even bought a nice digital thermometer because I thought my cheap one might have been the issue. It wasn't. Here is my brew day
Mashed the grain in 2 gal of water, I maintained a 149-154 temp (I take me pot off of the burner I just leave it on simmer). I mashed for one hour. I sparge with the recommended amount of 170 water. I boil for an hour, add my hops and cool quickly. I pitched Mangove Jack M10. One week later and it's stuck at 1.022, I roused the head and over 24 more hours nothing. I even pitched some muntons ale yeast in there, 24 more hours, it dropped 2 points.

I'm no expert but it seems I'm not getting good conversion during my mash. I have not had a PM batch reach its target final gravity for 8 batches or so. Can someone please help me I don't know what else to do and I don't want to take a step back to extract brewing. I use BIAB for the mashing part. Thanks so much!!

 

Your mash temperature is pretty critical, 6 degrees is actually quite a bit of variation in the world of mash. You could try mashing for a longer period, say 90 minutes. You may be having some pH issues also, buy the cheap strips if you don't have a meter and be prepared to adjust with lactic acid or gypsum.

Just some thoughts, I'm sure others will come along with some better advice.

 

Compare your mash OG to the chart below. Enter the chart at your mash ratio and you will see what your expected extraction should be measured as SG:


If you are not within a few points of the graph number, your conversion efficiency is suffering due to crush, pH, temp control, etc.

 

Thanks I'll take all of you info and apply it. I just calibrated my thermometers and found some interesting results. My first one, a dial therm read 200f with boiling water, and my digital one read 203.5f?! I live in Colorado, but I'm not at a very high elevation. I was told that boiling water should give a 212f temp reading? Am I missing something or is this the reason my partial mash batches finish sweet every time?

 

Try calibrating them in icewater.

 

In addition to the mash temp, what are you doing in the fermentor?

Do you use temp control, yeast starters, or 02? All these can effect the FG. I can get American Ale yeast to finish below 1.010 with these techniques. Sometimes I also ramp the temp at the end of fermentation.

Also, FYI, I am in CO at 6800', boiling temp here is about 200 deg F.

 

I learned that boiling temp for my altitude is 203, my therm is almost spot on. As for fermentaion, I don't use temp control and my basement is about 70 in the winter and a little warmer in the summer, it stays pretty consistant. I areate by dumping my wort through a strainer into my fermenter, I also dump the water in a way that areates the wort. I have never used a yeast starter. I have fermented coopers kits and ciders with ale tease with the same aeration and temps and the brews finished around 1.009. Thanks for the input!