Anvil Foundry Mash Eff

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I see what you're saying. Well FWIW given the questions you're asking, you are very qualified to experiment and find out! I'm serious by the way.

With a cooler mashtun it's easy, because the calculators should get things nearly perfect pretty quickly. For use with the dead space under and around the basket, the grain can really cool that water much more quickly given it's only exposed to a lower percent of it. I've tried lots of stirring and lift / lower a few times over the first 5 minutes or so, hoping that helps. I'm sure it does, even if it isn't perfect. After that I just turn on the heat again, start recirculating, and hope for the best. Thinking about it - I know I'm off about 2 degrees, but... am I off the whole time, or only some of it? Early, mid or late in the mash? I'll have to check that out next time.

 

[DarrellQ]

I see what you're saying. Well FWIW given the questions you're asking, you are very qualified to experiment and find out! I'm serious by the way.

With a cooler mashtun it's easy, because the calculators should get things nearly perfect pretty quickly. For use with the dead space under and around the basket, the grain can really cool that water much more quickly given it's only exposed to a lower percent of it. I've tried lots of stirring and lift / lower a few times over the first 5 minutes or so, hoping that helps. I'm sure it does, even if it isn't perfect. After that I just turn on the heat again, start recirculating, and hope for the best. Thinking about it - I know I'm off about 2 degrees, but... am I off the whole time, or only some of it? Early, mid or late in the mash? I'll have to check that out next time.

Good advice, will try.

 

[Martys1]

I'm talking conversion efficiency.
Whether I'm talking about sparging or recirculating, I can't help but to think a portion of the mash is not being effected. Is the mash or sparge water channeling by flowing out the sides of the mash pipe leaving a cone shape of grain unaffected.

I'm thinking of cutting up an old plastic fermenter bucket and using that to block off the side holes.

34380

• WeHeavy
• Dec 7, 2019

I think I saw a YouTube where they make a ring that does what you want , it’s placed on the inside to block the drainage out the side as an option, I was searching electric brew kettles and saw it

 

[Brewdog80]

Anvil sells one. I just made one with some .025 " Aluminum sheet I have. Will give it a try with my next brew. I'm about 70% without it and last two brews I Sparged with roughly a gallon.

 

[edd101]

I have several brews under my belt from my 10 gallon Foundry (with the old malt pipe design), and consistently have hit 65% efficiency with 1 gallon sparge. My last run yesterday jumped up to 78%, and these were the only changes I made:
- Grainbill was my highest yet. I typically do around 9-10 but this was 13.
- Grainbill was crushed by Northern Brewer instead of AIH (which was bought out)
- I allowed more water to pump through.
- The grain bed was much more compact and slow to drain. So much so that the malt pipe filled up and almost overflowed but not quite (I slowed down the pump a tad to equalize).

From what I have heard the malt pipe filling up is a "bad" thing but it seemed to work out for me. Thoughts? Also possible it was unrelated and something else caused a jump in the efficiency.

 

[bwible]

I have several brews under my belt from my 10 gallon Foundry (with the old malt pipe design), and consistently have hit 65% efficiency with 1 gallon sparge. My last run yesterday jumped up to 78%, and these were the only changes I made:
- Grainbill was my highest yet. I typically do around 9-10 but this was 13.
- Grainbill was crushed by Northern Brewer instead of AIH (which was bought out)
- I allowed more water to pump through.
- The grain bed was much more compact and slow to drain. So much so that the malt pipe filled up and almost overflowed but not quite (I slowed down the pump a tad to equalize).

From what I have heard the malt pipe filling up is a "bad" thing but it seemed to work out for me. Thoughts? Also possible it was unrelated and something else caused a jump in the efficiency.

My mash efficiency jumped when I started adjusting mash ph. I was always getting right around 70%. When I started using acid malt to adjust the ph it jumped to about 81%.

Of the things you listed, the crush would probably have the biggest effect.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I hit 80% constantly but I recirculate with the basket up in thr air, I also double crush with the barley crusher set to the verticle line, i use rice hulls and flaked barely and do a true mashout up to 170