Good starting point grain per gallon

[kmjloki]

I have tried using the search feature on here and have been unable to find th answer. I understand that everyone's needs and wants are goimg to be different.

But and i dont even want to ask...

But what is a good starting point of base grain (lbs) per gallon?

I am looking mainly for average gravity/ABV% for a startimg point. Not looking to get crazy and make a barley wine or malt liquor. Just looking for a starting place to build off of.

 

[FreddyMar3]

Have you tried recipe software? http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/calculator/

 

[dstockwell]

I have tried using the search feature on here and have been unable to find th answer. I understand that everyone's needs and wants are goimg to be different.

But and i dont even want to ask...

But what is a good starting point of base grain (lbs) per gallon?

I am looking mainly for average gravity/ABV% for a startimg point. Not looking to get crazy and make a barley wine or malt liquor. Just looking for a starting place to build off of.

Al this really depends on the batch size. Are you doing 2.5, 5, 10 gallons.. You could look at the recipe database to compare amounts of grains needed. So if you are doing a 5 gallon batch using the Brewers Friend calculator a simple 5% would need 9.5 lbs of grain using US-05 yeast and whatever hops you choose. You would far better off looking at the recipe section and determine what it is you want to brew.

Have you tried recipe software? http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/calculator/

This works great...

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

Brewers Friend works wonders and is pretty much open-source. That being said. Its not really a grain per gallon = abv... it should be certain combinations of grain to get you a desired taste, style, color, and the amount of those have different ferment-ability. That will then get you to a desired ABV, or in more measurable terms. SG to FG that is appropriate to style and taste.

 

[bobeer]

Yea, I suggest looking at proven recipes first and building from there.

Brewing calculators help a ton. If you have a style in mind, and an abv and batch size too, then start to plug stuff into the calculator and see what you get. Playing around with recipe calculators can create a pretty awesome recipe. If you're just getting into the hobby then plug a recipe from the forum into a calculator and put the changes you want into it to make it more your beer and take it from there.

I always start with style, abv, then batch size and go from there. I brew all grain and I can only fit so much grain in my mash tun. So I have to figure out the abv before the batch size because if it's over 14 lbs of grain I have to brew a batch smaller than 5 gallons.

 

[chickypad]

A very rough estimate for a beer in the mid 1.050's (yielding ABV in the 5.5% range) is in the neighborhood of 2 lbs per gallon into the fermenter. But this makes a number of assumptions - e.g. that you are going to get around 75% efficiency, and that the average grain potential on the batch is in the 1.036-.1037 range. Most base grains are in that range, and most recipes contain a large percentage of base, so overall efficiency on the brewer's system is probably the biggest variable. In the example above the brewer would need about 10 lbs of grain for a 5 gal batch, a different brewer might need 8.5 lb while yet another needs 11.5 lb to hit the same gravity. With software you can plug in the actual grain potentials and your own efficiency to answer the question.

 

[kmjloki]

A very rough estimate for a beer in the mid 1.050's (yielding ABV in the 5.5% range) is in the neighborhood of 2 lbs per gallon into the fermenter. But this makes a number of assumptions - e.g. that you are going to get around 75% efficiency, and that the average grain potential on the batch is in the 1.036-.1037 range. Most base grains are in that range, and most recipes contain a large percentage of base, so overall efficiency on the brewer's system is probably the biggest variable. In the example above the brewer would need about 10 lbs of grain for a 5 gal batch, a different brewer might need 8.5 lb while yet another needs 11.5 lb to hit the same gravity. With software you can plug in the actual grain potentials and your own efficiency to answer the question.

Thank you!

Not to sound ungrateful to the rest. I was just looking to get a starting point!

So it looks like this had the best and most straightforward answer.

2lbs to a gallon.

Maybe i confused some people with the way i asked sorry if i did. I know that everyone has their own favorite recipes. I was just looking for a starting point where i could build off of.

 

[Homercidal]

Thank you!

Not to sound ungrateful to the rest. I was just looking to get a starting point!

So it looks like this had the best and most straightforward answer.

2lbs to a gallon.

Maybe i confused some people with the way i asked sorry if i did. I know that everyone has their own favorite recipes. I was just looking for a starting point where i could build off of.

The problem is that there is a HUGE range of options here. The grain:gallon of water ratio is comparable to what we call Gravity Points. The Starting Gravity of a recipe is called Original Gravity, or OG.

The amount of sugars that grain (and other fermentables) will give to a beer depends on the particular grain AND the quality of your mash (pH and temperature and crush). Different grains (and other fermentable ingredients) will contribute a different amount of gravity points. We compare the amount of the sugars directly to pure water by expressing gravityin this manner:

1.050

This indicates that there is .050 sugar units added to the 1 unit of water.

Here is a page that lists the possible gravity point contributions from a variety of grains and sugars:

http://beersmith.com/Grains/Grains/GrainList.htm

Notice that those gravity points are given for 1 lb. of grain in 1 gallon of water. It's a relatively easy bit of math to calculate your grain needs for any given recipe. Speaking of which, beers can run the table from about 1.030 all the way up to 1.110 and even more or less than that, so I suggest looking up recipes for the beer style you like and calculate the grain needs to hit the target gravity as it's expressed in OG.

 

[kmjloki]

The problem is that there is a HUGE range of options here. The grain:gallon of water ratio is comparable to what we call Gravity Points. The Starting Gravity of a recipe is called Original Gravity, or OG.

The amount of sugars that grain (and other fermentables) will give to a beer depends on the particular grain AND the quality of your mash (pH and temperature and crush). Different grains (and other fermentable ingredients) will contribute a different amount of gravity points. We compare the amount of the sugars directly to pure water by expressing gravityin this manner:

1.050

This indicates that there is .050 sugar units added to the 1 unit of water.

Here is a page that lists the possible gravity point contributions from a variety of grains and sugars:

http://beersmith.com/Grains/Grains/GrainList.htm

Notice that those gravity points are given for 1 lb. of grain in 1 gallon of water. It's a relatively easy bit of math to calculate your grain needs for any given recipe. Speaking of which, beers can run the table from about 1.030 all the way up to 1.110 and even more or less than that, so I suggest looking up recipes for the beer style you like and calculate the grain needs to hit the target gravity as it's expressed in OG.

Thanks for the info. I just wanted to get a good starting point.

My point was if you dont have a recipe say doing a SMASH beer how much grain would be a good starting point per gallon of water.

 

[Homercidal]

Thanks for the info. I just wanted to get a good starting point.

My point was if you dont have a recipe say doing a SMASH beer how much grain would be a good starting point per gallon of water.

Again, the OG will vary. You could target 1.040 or 1.050 or 1.060 or anything in between.

The trick for making a good beer is balancing the hops with it as well.

The same principle goes for adding hops. Some hops will lend a certain amount of Alpha Acids, which correlate directly into bitterness when boiled for 60 minutes.

When looking up a recipe, find the IBU and calculate the amount of hops needed for that recipe/style. Remember to scale for the gallons of wort you are boiling.