Hellos from NWA

[HogFan07]

Hi all,

Well my wife got me started on this obsession two years ago with 1 gallon kits. Probably brewed 20 or so by now.

However I’ve just got the itch to try and make my beer “better”. Finished reading John Palmer’s How to Brew and joined here. Next we I bought and hydrometer and refractometer. Even some brewing salts to get my calcium up to recommend levels.

I’m also toying with the idea of going 5 gallon batches and even making my own. But one thing I see on here that I don’t quite understand how to get is the efficiency of the boil/mash. Seems like 70-85% is what I should shoot for? How do you even calculate it?If someone could point me in the right direction I would appreciate it!

Look forward to learning and sharing

 

[wallyLOZ]

Try the link below. It will take you to Brewers Friend. Under Tools at the top, select Calculators. There are a bunch of different calculations available. Good luck and keep us posted about your progress. Oh yeah, welcome to the forum.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/#a_aid=596d85b5a5115

 

[501irishred]

Welcome to forum! Glad to have another fellow Arkansan here.

 

[ncbrewer]

Welcome to HBT.

 

[Cyclman]

Welcome to the group, from Colorado

 

[TKWoody]

Welcome from Minnesota.

 

[nDub]

Welcome! One of the steps I've honed in increasing mash eff is watching mash pH.

:mugs:

 

[501irishred]

If I’m reading this right, you haven’t started all grain as of yet? If so, my two cents would be to look at getting one of the computer programs. I’ve been using BeerSmith for years and is about the only thing left of my “original equipment” when switching to all grain. Efficiency can relate to the mash (how much of the available sugars you were able to get from the grain), or your overall process (more about the volume of final product vs initial wort). In the beginning, you will simply want to pick a number that sounds good, probably somewhere around 75%. After your first brew, input all your actual volumes and gravity readings, and your actual efficiencies will be figured for you. In the end what that will do is help you take someones recipe made on a 72% efficiency system and reproduce it as closely as possible on a system running at say 78% by adjusting the amount of grain, hops etc. to hopefully have the same final product. The software will help make those adjustments to ingredients as well.

 

[HogFan07]

Thanks for the welcomes and help! I have been brewing all grain kits from the beginning and love it but have just started paying attention to why some taste better than others and how a few degrees temp or lack of calcium can make a big difference. If they'd had taught this in chemistry I might have been better at it. It makes more since and is way cooler. I found BrewCipher (free) and it seems cool but when I was comparing it the John Palmer's water chart recommendations they both recommend two different numbers. Haven't tried Beersmith or Brewer's Friend yet.

You'd think that 1g of Ca is 1g of Ca but obviously software/math formulas are different so it's had to know which to use and where to start when adding different salts. One says I need more of xxx the other says I have too much. This forum is big so it might take a while to find the info I need. But only after a few days I've already learned a lot.

 

[501irishred]

Gotcha! Guess I totally misunderstood. I agree on the difference between formulas/calculators. My best guess is varying assumptions about how completely certain additions dissolve into solution. I typically aim for middle ground and hope for the best.

 

[jcav]

Welcome from Florida!

John

 

[MaxStout]

Welcome to the forum, from Minnesota!