wingnut908
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- Joined
- Dec 16, 2015
- Messages
- 16
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Sorry to bother you guys with another BIAB efficiency issue, but I need help figuring out why I’m only ever getting 50% brewhouse efficiency. When I first started brewing 10 batches ago I was doing a lot wrong which on average gave me 50% eff. But since then, using a lot of troubleshooting information from you folks on this forum (thanks btw), I had changed a few things:
-Increase mash time to 90 min (originally just doing 60)
-Closing mill gap to the width of a credit card (0.035”)
-milling twice
-squeezing grain bag out at end of mash
With these common issues fixed, I would have thought this would have given me at least a little bump in efficiency, but as of my 10th batch, I got exactly 50% BH eff which is pretty much the same as my first (and my last 9).
My current brewing method:
1) Double crush 1 kg (2.2lb) 2 row grain @ 0.035”
2) Heat 2.5 gallons of mash water to between 160-165F (usually closer to 165F)
3) Dump mash water in to cooler
4) Toss BIAB with grains in at once, stirring to remove all dough balls (I’ve heard this is just as effective as slowly adding grains to mash, especially since I pay extra attention to breaking up balls)
5) Mashing for 90 min (recently changed from 60 min), coming back to stir at 3 different times (Gravity = 1.028-1.030)
6) Remove BIAB (end temp = 150F @ 60 min, 145F @ 90 min), transfer 2.5 gallons of wort to kettle and turn on stove (usually takes 13-18 min to reach boil), squeeze out biab and transfer to kettle while waiting for boil
7) Rolling boil for 60 min, hop additions as per recipe
8) Chill 1.5 gallons (boil off loss = 1 gallon) with wort chiller to room temp
9) Transfer 1 gallon to fermenter
10) Pitch yeast
I have used this same recipe (other than changing the hops) for the last 9 batches and have not changed anything else. On my most recent 10th batch where I first tried mashing for 90 min, my fermentables were:
1) 1 kg pale 2 row
2) 0.1 kg Crystal 20L
3) 0.05 kg flaked wheat
By the way when I say brew house efficiency, I mean the OG just before I pour in to fermenter with no yeast vs what it should with 100% sugar conversion. When I go to the Brewers Friend calculator (https://www.brewersfriend.com/brewhouse-efficiency/) I input 1 gallon water, OG measurement of 1.040, and 2.2 lbs of American Pale 2 Row, and it gives me 49.14% efficiency.
I really hope I am just missing some curtail and obvious step and you guys will have some magical solution that bumps my brew house efficiency up 30% and I can feel like an idiot.
Cheers
EDIT: Added boil off volume and mash gravity
-Increase mash time to 90 min (originally just doing 60)
-Closing mill gap to the width of a credit card (0.035”)
-milling twice
-squeezing grain bag out at end of mash
With these common issues fixed, I would have thought this would have given me at least a little bump in efficiency, but as of my 10th batch, I got exactly 50% BH eff which is pretty much the same as my first (and my last 9).
My current brewing method:
1) Double crush 1 kg (2.2lb) 2 row grain @ 0.035”
2) Heat 2.5 gallons of mash water to between 160-165F (usually closer to 165F)
3) Dump mash water in to cooler
4) Toss BIAB with grains in at once, stirring to remove all dough balls (I’ve heard this is just as effective as slowly adding grains to mash, especially since I pay extra attention to breaking up balls)
5) Mashing for 90 min (recently changed from 60 min), coming back to stir at 3 different times (Gravity = 1.028-1.030)
6) Remove BIAB (end temp = 150F @ 60 min, 145F @ 90 min), transfer 2.5 gallons of wort to kettle and turn on stove (usually takes 13-18 min to reach boil), squeeze out biab and transfer to kettle while waiting for boil
7) Rolling boil for 60 min, hop additions as per recipe
8) Chill 1.5 gallons (boil off loss = 1 gallon) with wort chiller to room temp
9) Transfer 1 gallon to fermenter
10) Pitch yeast
I have used this same recipe (other than changing the hops) for the last 9 batches and have not changed anything else. On my most recent 10th batch where I first tried mashing for 90 min, my fermentables were:
1) 1 kg pale 2 row
2) 0.1 kg Crystal 20L
3) 0.05 kg flaked wheat
By the way when I say brew house efficiency, I mean the OG just before I pour in to fermenter with no yeast vs what it should with 100% sugar conversion. When I go to the Brewers Friend calculator (https://www.brewersfriend.com/brewhouse-efficiency/) I input 1 gallon water, OG measurement of 1.040, and 2.2 lbs of American Pale 2 Row, and it gives me 49.14% efficiency.
I really hope I am just missing some curtail and obvious step and you guys will have some magical solution that bumps my brew house efficiency up 30% and I can feel like an idiot.
Cheers
EDIT: Added boil off volume and mash gravity
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