First AG Batch - Efficiency Question

[DiegoProf]

Hi all,

Thanks to some help I received on this forum with mash tun design, I'm just about ready to brew my first all grain batch! It's going to be a Munich Helles, made with mostly Pilsner malt and a bit of wheat, biscuit and Carapils.

Since this is my first AG batch, I'm wondering what I should assume for efficiency when trying to calculate how much grain I need? I've heard that 70% is a good standard guess, but I'm going to be using batch sparging rather than continuous sparging, and I've read that this has a moderately negative effect on efficiency. Should I assume lower than 70%? How much lower? (Does the type of malt matter?)

Thanks!

-Matt

 

[david_42]

70% is a good place to start. I get higher efficiencies since I started batch sparging, more like 80-85%. I don't know where the rumor about poor efficiencies comes from, maybe people don't sparge enough or stir the mash enough.

 

[the_bird]

I was 64% on my first mash, but 70% on my second. It's something that you'll figure out over time and likely improve upon, but I would think a 70% assumption is fair and reasonable for the first time out.

 

[cweston]

I think 70% is a good guess. I use pre-milled grains and batch sparge and usually get about 75%, lower if there is alot of wheat, oat flakes, etc.

I take a hydrometer reading as soon as I've collected all of the wort. I chill it to 60 degrees. (You could just correct for temp, but someone told me once the hydrometers tend to crack in hot wort--not sure if it's actually true). Then I calculate what the actual gravity will be when it's boiled down to final volume.

The reason I do it this way is that then I still have plenty of time to add DME or adjust the hopping schedule if I have radically missed the target OG. (But that pretty-much never happens.) I often don't even bother taking a hydrometer reading after the boil.

 

[DiegoProf]

Cool - thanks for the good info! It's reassuring to know that I'm on track. I'll keep ya posted on how things turn out.