Off on SG/OG??

[brentt03]

So we were off on our SG which in turn made us off on our OG today for an Amber Ale. Batch size is 15gal and grain bill is 31 gal.

We have 3gal equip loss and 3gal trub loss. Initial mash gal was supposed to be 10gal (per brew365 calc), but I just don't think this was enough! The water barely started to top the grain bed.

Should we add 3gal on top of our mash gal?? In other words add what we would lose in equip (3gal before the water tops the false bottom) to our mash/sparge schedule??

 

[Yooper]

So we were off on our SG which in turn made us off on our OG today for an Amber Ale. Batch size is 15gal and grain bill is 31 gal.

We have 3gal equip loss and 3gal trub loss. Initial mash gal was supposed to be 10gal (per brew365 calc), but I just don't think this was enough! The water barely started to top the grain bed.

Should we add 3gal on top of our mash gal?? In other words add what we would lose in equip (3gal before the water tops the false bottom) to our mash/sparge schedule??

Three GALLONS of trub losses? That can't be right. Maybe, three quarts?

If you really have that much trub loss, I'd try to fix that instead of just adding more water which would dilute your runnings even further.

Three gallons equipment loss is also huge, but I assume you're including the grainbed absorption in that, so it may not be that bad. If you're losing 6 gallons of runnings in a 15 gallon batch, that's obviously a huge problem!

 

[duboman]

Three GALLONS of trub losses? That can't be right. Maybe, three quarts?

If you really have that much trub loss, I'd try to fix that instead of just adding more water which would dilute your runnings even further.

Three gallons equipment loss is also huge, but I assume you're including the grainbed absorption in that, so it may not be that bad. If you're losing 6 gallons of runnings in a 15 gallon batch, that's obviously a huge problem!

^^This^^
Almost 50% of your wort is lost to equipment and trub? Wow- my advice... Do not go pro, you'll lose more than wort

 

[brentt03]

It's 40gal kettles. It takes 3gal for the water to top the false bottom in each kettle. It's prob more like 1.5gal loss as the valve sits a bit lower than the false bottom.

I'm using 1.5-3gal as a reference as we normally do 2bbl batches and put into a 80gal fermenter

 

[Yooper]

It's 40gal kettles. It takes 3gal for the water to top the false bottom in each kettle. It's prob more like 1.5gal loss as the valve sits a bit lower than the false bottom.

I'm using 1.5-3gal as a reference as we normally do 2bbl batches and put into a 80gal fermenter

Then use a diptube or something! Even a 1.5 gallon loss is a lot, and will kill your efficiency. You're literally throwing away gallons of wort.

In any case, I'd suggest mashing with 1.5 quarts per pound, so if you've got a 31 pound grain bill, that's 45 quarts (11.25 gallons). If this doesn't make a nice thin mash, then you could go up to 2 quarts/pound (15.5 gallons). If you still don't have a mash that is easily stirred with enough water to cover the grains, then you need a different MLT.

I recirculate during the mash with my HERMS, so I don't count any real deadspace under my false bottom, but I do have a bottom drain on the MLT. I think that a too-thick mash with too much deadspace is a real problem on a small (30 pound) grainbill because your MLT seems to be way too big.

 

[brentt03]

Agreed on the dip tube! It's on order!

I'll go with the 1.5qts. Seems as though another gallon would have done the trick.

With 10gal mash and 17.5gal sparge we were just 1gal shy on our pre boil wort. Seems as though more water for mags would have given us a better gravity reading and allowed us to hit out mark.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[brentt03]

Did some testing today, looks like it takes 2.5gal before it hits the valve. I say with the added pump 2gal is left in both mash and boil kettle.

 

[brentt03]

See attached pic

 

[brentt03]

Bump?!