New BIAB brewer efficiency question

[Morrey]

I finished my first BIAB today, and checking in trying to learn to calculate how efficient my process went. My goal was to brew a 5G Pilsner.

I started with 8# Pils malt and 1# Carapils. My hop bill was 1oz Hallertau full boil and 1 oz Willamette split in half at 30 min and 15 min.

My initial water volume was 7.75G, mash in at 165F which dropped to 155F when bag and grain was added. Temp stabilized and mashout 152F. I did not bring back to 170F as some do.

After 60 min boil, I cooled wort to take OG which was 1.043. Is this where my efficiency comes from? I continued to chill to 53F, aerated and pitched a large WLP800 lager starter at 50F.

I set my chamber at 50F and its already stabilized. My FV volume is almost 6G and I am thinking I may have used a bit too much strike water at the beginning. Unless I lose a full gallon when racking into keg for lagering, I'll have a bit overage.

May I ask if this is enough information to calculate efficiency, and if so, what formula do I use? THANKS!

 

[RedlegEd]

May I ask if this is enough information to calculate efficiency, and if so, what formula do I use? THANKS!

Remember, there is more than one efficiency. Use the calculator here at Brewer's Friend. Much easier than trying to do the math on your own. BTW, they'll explain where all the numbers come from, and how to get them.

 

[ed007]

Your extraction efficiency comes from pre-boil gravity measurement. It is easy to calculate manually but you can just enter your grain bill and pre-boil gravity measurement into Brewer's Friend calculator.

 

[McKnuckle]

Sounds like you boiled off a little less than one gallon, which resulted in more volume then expected in the fermenter.

The first place to check efficiency - and the part that many brewers care about the most - is before boiling. That's where you learn your pre-boil gravity, and can adjust the boil to compensate for more or less wort concentration.

The OG plus volume of wort into the fermenter gives you brewhouse efficiency, which is a number that takes the gravity AND volume losses throughout the entire brewing process into account.

On my calculator, seems that you had a mash efficiency of about 74%, and brewhouse around 72% - estimates of course, since I don't have all the volume details.

 

[Morrey]

Sounds like you boiled off a little less than one gallon, which resulted in more volume then expected in the fermenter.

The first place to check efficiency - and the part that many brewers care about the most - is before boiling. That's where you learn your pre-boil gravity, and can adjust the boil to compensate for more or less wort concentration.

The OG plus volume of wort into the fermenter gives you brewhouse efficiency, which is a number that takes the gravity AND volume losses throughout the entire brewing process into account.

On my calculator, seems that you had a mash efficiency of about 74%, and brewhouse around 72% - estimates of course, since I don't have all the volume details.

Would this efficiency be somewhat acceptable as a baseline point to begin improving upon?

 

[McKnuckle]

It's very acceptable. Get a better handle on your water volumes and it'll be even better. My typical BIAB no-sparge mash efficiency is between 74-79%, good enough for me to reliably plan brews and have reasonably close results.

Efficiency of a certain value is not the end goal. It's a variable you have to nail down in order to focus on the other aspects of making beer.

 

[BlurryEyed]

In my early days of brewing, I was in the ~60% efficiency. I'm now up to 70% on average and I consider my brew day a success. The end result is hopefully good beer!

Any homebrew that gets over 70% efficiency is a success in my book.

 

[Morrey]

It's very acceptable. Get a better handle on your water volumes and it'll be even better. My typical BIAB no-sparge mash efficiency is between 74-79%, good enough for me to reliably plan brews and have reasonably close results.

Efficiency of a certain value is not the end goal. It's a variable you have to nail down in order to focus on the other aspects of making beer.

I was a bit surprised at my total losses...or lack of said losses, so to speak. I have a 60 quart boil kettle and strainer basket used in conjunction with a propane turkey fryer. The diameter of the boil kettle is 16.5", so I thought, and so did calculation programs I used, that I would lose slightly more boil off than was the case. I'll still lose a bit with the yeast slurry left in the FV, but my guess is I'll still have 5.5G. I may have missed the mark about 1/2G, but I am learning a brand new system.

And I surely see your point in that if this extra 1/2G was not an overage of wort, my efficiency would be better. Thanks for the good feedback and support as always. I'm learning.

 

[Morrey]

In my early days of brewing, I was in the ~60% efficiency. I'm now up to 70% on average and I consider my brew day a success. The end result is hopefully good beer!

Any homebrew that gets over 70% efficiency is a success in my book.

Thanks for the kind words! I noted when I looked at the grains after mashing, that some of the husks were un-cracked. I had my LBHS do the milling for me, but since that time I have a new 3 roller mill and drill. Of course that mill is another learning process, but I know efficiency also relates to how evenly I can crack those hulls w/o making it too fine.

 

[McKnuckle]

Nothing beats a simple boil-off test to estimate... boil-off! Just use water, and boil for an hour. If you're using propane, unfortunately it's not an exact science. The flame will vary slightly between batches, and the humidity/wind will affect the result. But you can get close.

Pausing before starting your boil to collect a decent pre-boil gravity can help. This gives you the chance to correct things midstream. If you are really low on gravity, you can boil for longer and adjust hop timing accordingly. If you end up high, you can decide to boil for less time or just go with it.

I tend not to worry too much about volume to fermenter. I scale my batches for some overage, say 5.5 gallons for a 5 gallon packaged target, or 3.25 gallons for a 3 gallon target. If I'm shy a bit or over a bit, who cares.

I plan my recipes for 77% unless it's a high gravity beer, in which case I lower that to 74%. I get within one or two points this way practically every time.

(And yes, milling your own grain will definitely pay off!)

 

[RM-MN]

Thanks for the kind words! I noted when I looked at the grains after mashing, that some of the husks were un-cracked. I had my LBHS do the milling for me, but since that time I have a new 3 roller mill and drill. Of course that mill is another learning process, but I know efficiency also relates to how evenly I can crack those hulls w/o making it too fine.

Your 3 roller mill cannot make it too fine for BIAB. Tighten that sucker up!:rockin:

 

[Morrey]

Your 3 roller mill cannot make it too fine for BIAB. Tighten that sucker up!:rockin:

ok......I have a setting mark on the roller for .032. Is this too tite?

 

[wilserbrewer]

ok......I have a setting mark on the roller for .032. Is this too tite?

That is a pretty good crush IME for BIAB w that mill, any tighter and you will need a drill with some serious ass behind it.....032 requires much more torque than I imagined....

Direction turning of adj knobs is specific

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OauHVc9Idr8[/ame]

I didnt use feeler gauges, I went by the calibrtion on the adj knobs....I like this Aussie as well...I think this is the Kegco mill as well.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKuMM5j4Yts[/ame]

 

[wilserbrewer]

And I surely see your point in that if this extra 1/2G was not an overage of wort, my efficiency would be better. Thanks for the good feedback and support as always. I'm learning.

Actually Morrey, the more water you put through the grain the higher your efficiency will likely be.

 

[greyghost]

I have found that using the marks on the mill are not the same side to side. This is on 2 mills I have setup. Use a feeler gauge on both ends if you want it right.

 

[RM-MN]

Actually Morrey, the more water you put through the grain the higher your efficiency will likely be.

True, but the more water you use, the more needs to be boiled off to reach the amount you would want to put into the fermenter and you want all of it in as any left over that you throw out reduces the efficiency.