new equip.. bad total efficiency?

[BrewinBigD]

So im trying to figure out where i went wrong. i brewed for the first time today on my brand new 5 gallon E herms setup and wound up missing preboil gravity, (est was 1.037, i measured 1.032) and OG was 8 points off too. (est OG 1.048 measured 1.040) with the setup the mash efficiency should be pretty high,, having e herms and mashing in a preheated 10 gallon round cooler. i uped my water/grain ratio to 1.5qt/lb because iwasnt sure of how much water the herms coil would hold, so im thinking i mightve over sparged a bit, but also im not sure my boil off rate was correct in beersmith.
beersmiths default was 1.5 gal/hr whci i left,,but i only boiled off 1.25 gallons in an hour. could this have lost me my 8 OG points? and could oversparging by the same .25 gallon have cost me my pre boil points?

im also new to beesmith and im still learing how to adjust my equpment and efficiency profiles. i mean,,the beers still within style but someday id like to hit all my numbers dead on.. all in all not too bad for a brand new setup. maybe ill just have to learn my equipment a little more.

any help from the vets would be great!

 

[flananuts]

Finer crush and the closer to 1.25 mash/water ratio plus good temp control will help. I was getting 70% eff until I crushed a little finer, used less water and definitely do a mashout at 168 temp got me into the mid 80's. I wouldnt worry to much about your points. It's kind of like horseshoes and hand grenades.

 

[BrewinBigD]

i did another batch today,a 1.066 IPA, just finished up. same thing, but i went to 1.25 qt/lb and boiled off 1.25 gallons instead of the 1.5 beersmith default. (changed my boiloff in beersmith too)
my pre boil fg was 8 points low and my post was 11 low. i batch sparge but raise my mash temp to 170 using my eherms beforehand.
i did hear from the owner of my lbhs today that his grain mill was on its last leg,, i guess both my batches couldve been a bad crush. i really need to get a barley crusher,, and i also need to master beersmith better i think too.

next step, go to another LBHS and try their crush as a comparison.

 

[bbrim]

I just started using a RIMS system and have done all grain without it for a few years. I run closer to 2 qt/lb now but have typically gone 1.5 qt/lb and I hit 78-83% efficiency. I don't think that is your problem. You lost a couple points on the volume but that doesn't account for all the points lost. Definitely look at your crush, watch your pH, make sure your thermometer is calibrated correctly and keep working at it.
IMHO you should just get the Barley Crusher, you will never regret it.

 

[kh54s10]

I got a really cheap Corona style mill for Xmas. Right off the bat I was getting high 70's and 80s. The only batches that I have had low efficiency was 2 BIAB 3 gallon batches. I miscalculated grain absorption and ended up with too much wort thus the low efficiency.

Your own mill - YES - what kind - almost any if you dial it in!

 

[flananuts]

I also condition my water with a mix of minerals to match the beer style and alkalinity. I want to believe that itmhelpsmas well. I know my beer flavor, color, and mash eff. All improved with all these small steps. Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[BrewinBigD]

I havent really gotten into the water chemistry side of homebrewing yet, im still trying to master the process as a whole. I try to brew to style, but im more satisfied by just brewing a good beer even if it may not match BJCP guidelines. i am considering trying a Ph buffer though to see if it will help. im pretty sure that 3 thermometers of mine are all within .5-1 degree of each other, and i have my temp controller calibrated to my glass lab thermometer. Gotta be crush. Gotta be crush.

 

[flananuts]

I users my water tested and from that I am able to use house water supply for my brewing with just a home whole house carbon filter. My ph is usually spot on and my beer comes it well received. It's worth the effort.

 

[BrewinBigD]

yes we already have a basic particulate/carbon filter forour well water due to a slightly high iron content. a good friend of mine and along time brewer once told me thatif your water tastes good, like actually tastes god, then it should make good beer, and that although to brew to style you should match water quality onlyfor some more complex beers. eh,, i just brew it and drink it and everyones happy!

 

[flananuts]

Let us know what happens after you crush your own. Also, did you test the mash with iodine or iodophors to make sure you had a complete conversion? It could be that your mash isn't complete... This has been an issue for me in the past.