Beersmith and High Gravity Efficiency

[ReverseMonk]

Hey All,
I have been using Beersmith for a while, and generally understand all the functions and calculations. But I am stumped on this one (and I'm sure its something simple I'm missing)...

For high gravity beers (typically anything close to or above 1.070);
-I collect a larger volume of wort (typically an extra .5 gallon)
-Boil for an extra duration (typically an extra 30 minutes above my normal
60) to achieve the same volume to fermenter (5.25 gallons to fermenter)
as a standard gravity batch

I have all the parameters set in my equipment profiles for this, but the output defies logic. When using this "high gravity" profile, beersmith shows lower original gravities than my standard gravity profile. If I am collecting additional wort, presumably collecting additional sugars through this process, and boiling longer to concentrate said sugars into a normal 5.25 gallon batch size, then why would beersmith estimate a lower OG using a profile/process that should give a higher OG compared to my standard profile?

 

[Oginme]

You would need to post the profiles and examples for me to see exactly what is going on.

Part of the issue may be in trying to apply one equipment/mash efficiency profile to a wide range of OG recipes. I have a separate profile for my recipes over 1.075 which takes into account a lower extraction efficiency when brewing the higher gravity recipes. While having one profile to cover everything would be grand, it really leads to greater error on recipes on the fringes.

 

[ReverseMonk]

Hey Oginme,
Thanks for the reply. As usual, I find my solution (after searching for a while before posting) right after I post. Similar to you, I employ multiple equip and mash profiles depending on style and recipe (my gravity cutoff is at 1.070).

What I discovered is my Brewhouse Eff was set lower in my high gravity profile (I run BHE at 70% across the board, which is typically pretty close for me). I thought I had set all my profiles the same, but I had missed this one. The lower BHE explains the discrepancy that I was seeing.

Thanks again for the reply!

Cheers,
Brian