Efficiency 30.87%!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pacebrew]

probably diluted, sometimes wheat is just very problematic without a protein rest.

 

[ksbrain]

Then how is it that I get good efficiency batch sparging without stirring or waiting between filling and draining?

 

[Bobby_M]

I have no idea but maybe you're doing something that you call batch sparging that I don't. What mash thickness do you usually use? Do you add any mashout infusion prior to first runnings? Do you fully drain the tun for your runnings before adding sparge? How do you deliver your sparge water to the tun?

 

[jds]

Then how is it that I get good efficiency batch sparging without stirring or waiting between filling and draining?

Are you pouring your sparge water directly into the grain bed, or filling your MLT gently from the bottom? I pour into the grain bed, and there's quite a lot of mixing going on just from dumping sparge water forcefully onto the grain bed. I still stir before setting the grainbed to drain, but not that enthusiastically.

OP, I think you could benefit from a couple of things. First, you need to keep better notes until you have your process well in hand, and you need in-process grain temperatures, mash temperatures, and really hot sparge water. I heat my sparge water to 185F before sparging.

Second, I think you could benefit from checking the gravity of your mash. All you do is mix well before taking the first runnings, and get a gravity sample from the first runnings. By knowing your mash thickness (in qts per lb) and mash gravity, you can figure out the percentage of conversion from this simple chart, reproduced from Kaiser's website:

At 1.25 qts per lb, your first runnings should be at a gravity of about 1.096, give or take. If it's very low, then you have problems with conversion or the quality of the crush.

If you find you're getting adequate conversion efficiency, then you need to look to your sparging process. If your conversion efficiency is not good, then you need to look at the crush of the grain and your water chemistry.

 

[ksbrain]

Maybe what I do is more of a hybrid method because I don't fully drain the MLT for each batch of sparge water, but I mostly drain it off. I add sparge water to the top of the mash with a siphon sprayer, don't do a mashout, and my mash thickness ranges from 1.0-1.5 qts/lb depending on grain bill size (limited by MLT size).

My main point is that it is not always required to stir. Maybe if I had poor efficiency I would try stirring as a way to improve it, but I don't have to stir so I don't. I think it's too easy to get caught up in process steps that we believe are required but may not be.

To me, the OP's main problem is the dead space in his MLT. If after fixing that he still has an efficiency problem then stirring may be a good next step, but changing several things all at once he'll never know what the actual problem was.

 

[erock2112]

Second, I think you could benefit from checking the gravity of your mash. All you do is mix well before taking the first runnings, and get a gravity sample from the first runnings. By knowing your mash thickness (in qts per lb) and mash gravity, you can figure out the percentage of conversion from this simple chart, reproduced from Kaiser's website:
...
At 1.25 qts per lb, your first runnings should be at a gravity of about 1.096, give or take. If it's very low, then you have problems with conversion or the quality of the crush.

If you find you're getting adequate conversion efficiency, then you need to look to your sparging process. If your conversion efficiency is not good, then you need to look at the crush of the grain and your water chemistry.

+1. In fact, give the whole page a read: http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Understanding_Efficiency

By breaking it down into conversion and lauter efficiency, you'll be able to better understand what's going wrong. I wouldn't change your MLT until you're sure it's the problem.

 

[jcarson83]

I came up with 43% after correcting for the 75F temp at measurement. I don't know if that makes you feel better or not but I usually plan on 60% eff when wheat is my base malt.

 

[BendBrewer]

I started having some issues with my braid after the first few batches with it went very well. Had a couple a stuck sparges that I had to deal with and inconsistent efficiency numbers. The braid was getting a little beat up and I was always worried about it laying flat along the bottom.

So on Saturday I built a copper manifold and brewed yesterday. It worked like a charm. My test run with just water left less than 4 ounces in the MLT. It really does 'suck it dry' under siphon.

Like I said, I had a couple of great brews with the braid but I think I am now sold on the manifold. I don't see this thing getting beat up anytime soon and I know it's going to be on the bottom where it should be every time.

 

[dex0807]

How fast are you draining?? If you sparge to fast you'll get crappy eff. My flow is about a quart/quart and a half per min.

 

[erock2112]

How fast are you draining?? If you sparge to fast you'll get crappy eff. My flow is about a quart/quart and a half per min.

OP is batch sparging, so drain rate isn't a concern, as long as you're stirring and giving it some time for diffusion before draining.

I suggest again looking at Kaiser's page and taking the gravity of the first runnings on your next brew. Knowing whether you're getting poor conversion efficiency (due to temperature, poor crush, water chemistry, etc) or poor lauter efficiency (due to sparge technique) will give you a place to start.

 

[firefly765]

I came up with 43% after correcting for the 75F temp at measurement. I don't know if that makes you feel better or not but I usually plan on 60% eff when wheat is my base malt.

43 is better than 30. How did you do that conversion? Is it a Beersmith option?

 

[jcarson83]

I used a spreadsheet that I made. You can do the calculation manually too. If I use 5 gallons in my spreadsheet I come up with 31%. I think the reason Beer Smith gave you to wrong results is a combination of you not correcting to actual volume you ended up with and the temperature of the wort when you measured the OG. I've never used BS so I don't know how its setup to correct these items post boil.