TXjayhawk
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2013
- Messages
- 73
- Reaction score
- 14
I just upgraded all my equipment to start doing AG batches. So to get the AG process down, I bought 10 pounds of 2-row and mashed it just so I can get used to the steps involved before I brew a "real" beer.
So I'm confused, I input this information into BeerSmith and it told me to mash with 15.7 quarts of water. I have read elsewhere on the forums that 1-1.25 quarts per pound is about right for mashing. Does the amount I used seem high?
And then I sparged with 1.36 gallons and 4.09 gallons of water at 168 degrees after I drained the original mash water. Do I collect enough water to hit my boil volume? Even if there is still water in the MT?
So then I took the gravity reading of the wort in my boil kettle (I had too much water as it was 7.9 gal). It read 1.008 at 145 degrees. Adjusting this for temp it was 1.025 for an efficiency of 52%. So now I'm confused. I boiled the wort for 60 minutes and took a hydrometer reading this morning, which was 1.034 in 6.75 gal of water. If I boiled this wort for another hour, I would get close to 5.5 gallons and the calculator on Brewer's Friend says my gravity would be 1.042...close to the OG that BeerSmith said I should have had. So I am guessing my reading before boiling was off? Or because of having almost 1 gallon too much water is throwing everything off?
Oh, another question. I have a 10 gallon mash tun and with 15.7 quarts of strike water and the 10 pounds of grain, it only filled my MT about 1/2 full. Is that normal? I ask as when I mashed in, I hit my temperature of 148, but when I checked it 75 minutes later, it was 140. I left the MT outside where it was 101 degrees.
Thanks.
So I'm confused, I input this information into BeerSmith and it told me to mash with 15.7 quarts of water. I have read elsewhere on the forums that 1-1.25 quarts per pound is about right for mashing. Does the amount I used seem high?
And then I sparged with 1.36 gallons and 4.09 gallons of water at 168 degrees after I drained the original mash water. Do I collect enough water to hit my boil volume? Even if there is still water in the MT?
So then I took the gravity reading of the wort in my boil kettle (I had too much water as it was 7.9 gal). It read 1.008 at 145 degrees. Adjusting this for temp it was 1.025 for an efficiency of 52%. So now I'm confused. I boiled the wort for 60 minutes and took a hydrometer reading this morning, which was 1.034 in 6.75 gal of water. If I boiled this wort for another hour, I would get close to 5.5 gallons and the calculator on Brewer's Friend says my gravity would be 1.042...close to the OG that BeerSmith said I should have had. So I am guessing my reading before boiling was off? Or because of having almost 1 gallon too much water is throwing everything off?
Oh, another question. I have a 10 gallon mash tun and with 15.7 quarts of strike water and the 10 pounds of grain, it only filled my MT about 1/2 full. Is that normal? I ask as when I mashed in, I hit my temperature of 148, but when I checked it 75 minutes later, it was 140. I left the MT outside where it was 101 degrees.
Thanks.