Can you help me figure out my strike water temp?

[Beer Viking]

Hello everyone,

I'm about to do my first all grain batch and I used a strike water calculator can someone tell me if I did it right. I am at about 500 ft above sea level. I want to do a 152 F infusion for 60 mins. I will be doing an 11 lb batch. My malt will be about 65 degrees warm. The https://www.brewersfriend.com/mash/# calculator said my strike water should be 166 F. Does that sound right? Something else is the standard amount of Gs of malt per lb of malt on the calculator is .31 Gs per lb of malt and I want to do a 5.5 G batch, should I add 8 Gs or something of strike water? If I'm getting 70% efficiency then I should add 7.9 Gs right?

Thanks in advance!

 

[madscientist451]

I’ve been using the calculators on the green bay rackers website for many years, and it has worked for me:
https://www.rackers.org/calcs2/

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I'm about to do my first all grain batch and I used a strike water calculator can someone tell me if I did it right.

Consider posting your question over in one of the the Brewers Friend forums. I lurk over there and they are responsive to questions about the software.

 

[Beer Viking]

Consider posting your question over in one of the the Brewers Friend forums. I lurk over there and they are responsive to questions about the software.

Thanks for the reply I'll set up an account. Sorry I didn't know that I had to add sparge water to the mashtun after, so this is making more sense. If I am trying to make a 5.5 G batch and I add 3.13 Gs of strike water how much sparge water should I add to the mashtun if I am planning on doing a 60 min boil?

 

[MaxStout]

Thanks for the reply I'll set up an account. Does 7.9 Gs of strike water for a batch that is going to be 5.5 Gs when bottled sound right though? Thanks!

That'll depend on a few factors, mainly the grain absorption and boiloff rate × boil time. Hops will absorb some water, too. Those BIAB calculators will have fields to enter that. It's usually a rough estimate, as in practice, the actual amounts may vary somewhat. But it will get you in the ballpark. After a brew or two, you'll have some empirical data to better predict those factors.

 

[Bobby_M]

Hello everyone,

I'm about to do my first all grain batch and I used a strike water calculator can someone tell me if I did it right. I am at about 500 ft above sea level. I want to do a 152 F infusion for 60 mins. I will be doing an 11 lb batch. My malt will be about 65 degrees warm. The https://www.brewersfriend.com/mash/# calculator said my strike water should be 166 F. Does that sound right? Something else is the standard amount of Gs of malt per lb of malt on the calculator is .31 Gs per lb of malt and I want to do a 5.5 G batch, should I add 8 Gs or something of strike water? If I'm getting 70% efficiency then I should add 7.9 Gs right?

Thanks in advance!

Strike water calculators that only account for grain temp is going to get you half way there. You need to go into the tun about 10-12F hotter to let it preheat the tun. Then let it cool to the strike water temp the software says. SOME software will ask you for details about your tun and allow you to calculate for the materials heat loss but it's not exact.

In the very last post of your thread about planning your first AG batch I said:
"Summary for clarity. Heat strike water to 175F. Add it to the tun and close the lid. Wait 10 minutes. Open it, stir until you get down to 165F and then add your grain. That's assuming a ratio of about 1.25 quarts per pound of grain. That's how you preheat without wasting energy or water."