Please Explain: Efficiency - 19Ltr at 75%

[TheFreeman]

Hi,

So I am reading the mashmaker as I am planning to switch to all grain. He states that most recipes are for 19Ltr batches at 75% mash efficiency.

What does that mean?

1) How much litres should I end up with in the fermentor?
2) If I end up with less, should I add more water in the end to reach my target?

He end by saying:

"At home, I use the old fashioned fly sparge technique, which makes me a get-off-my-lawn-grade Luddite". Brewers who batch sparge or who conduct BIAB or other no sparge mash regimens, or who use automated systems, will need to calculate water volumes based on their process and systems"

3) Firstly, what does he even mean, why is he comparing methods?
4) What is fly sparge
5) Batch Sparge, No Sparge?
6) Why re calculate water?

Sorry for the long list guys but I was a bit overwhelmed.

Thanks in advance!

 

[beermanpete]

Most, if not all, of your questions are answered in Palmer's "How to Brew", available here: www.howtobrew.com

 

[specharka]

Gotta second the above. It would behoove you to read a few stickies and do some research on the other sub forums.

It’s understandable to be inquisitive but the correct answers will just lead to more questions at this stage.

 

[JohnSand]

Good advice. Let me add that when you start, brewing can seem very complex. It really isn't, or doesn't have to be. Here's a suggestion and explanation: Just follow the recipe as written. If your gravity and volume are close to the recipe stats, don't worry about efficiency yet. If your gravity is very high into the fermenter, add some water. If it's low, add some extract after boiling and cooling it.
Efficiency is a measure of how much sugar you get from the grain (extract efficiency) but also how much liquid you lose to evaporation and trub (sediment). Different methods of sparging may vary the amount of sugar or liquid left in the spent grain.
Don't worry, make beer and refine your process as you learn.

 

[Smellyglove]

Also wanna just say "agree" with the all above posts. Your questions are so basic that reading how to brew will answer them, and many more you have (which you don't know you have yet).

 

[myndflyte]

Hi,

So I am reading the mashmaker as I am planning to switch to all grain. He states that most recipes are for 19Ltr batches at 75% mash efficiency.

What does that mean?

1) How much litres should I end up with in the fermentor?
2) If I end up with less, should I add more water in the end to reach my target?

He end by saying:

"At home, I use the old fashioned fly sparge technique, which makes me a get-off-my-lawn-grade Luddite". Brewers who batch sparge or who conduct BIAB or other no sparge mash regimens, or who use automated systems, will need to calculate water volumes based on their process and systems"

3) Firstly, what does he even mean, why is he comparing methods?
4) What is fly sparge
5) Batch Sparge, No Sparge?
6) Why re calculate water?

Sorry for the long list guys but I was a bit overwhelmed.

Thanks in advance!

I agree with above that you should read Palmer's How to Brew because these are some basic all grain concepts that he lays out in an understandable way. But to actually answer your questions.

1) 19 liters
2) No, typically with all grain you are boiling down to your fermentor volume and don't typically top off like extract
3) Because there are several methods to doing all grain brewing and he's only basing recipes off his setup
4) Uses a hose and some sort of water distributor that adds water to the mash tun at about the same rate as you are draining it after the mash
5) Batch sparge is draining the mash tun and adding all the sparge water at once; no sparge is just as it sounds
6) Because if you are doing a different method then you'll need a different water calculation.

Start with the all grain section in How to Brew. It'll explain a lot of these things in more detail.

 

[TheFreeman]

Most, if not all, of your questions are answered in Palmer's "How to Brew", available here: www.howtobrew.com

I am reading some The Joy of Homebrewing but sometimes its easier to ask for an explanation.

 

[TheFreeman]

I agree with above that you should read Palmer's How to Brew because these are some basic all grain concepts that he lays out in an understandable way. But to actually answer your questions.

1) 19 liters
2) No, typically with all grain you are boiling down to your fermentor volume and don't typically top off like extract
3) Because there are several methods to doing all grain brewing and he's only basing recipes off his setup
4) Uses a hose and some sort of water distributor that adds water to the mash tun at about the same rate as you are draining it after the mash
5) Batch sparge is draining the mash tun and adding all the sparge water at once; no sparge is just as it sounds
6) Because if you are doing a different method then you'll need a different water calculation.

Start with the all grain section in How to Brew. It'll explain a lot of these things in more detail.

Thanks for your reply,

So if I want to boil 19L should I start with 20L? And if I end up with less is it ok to add boiled water?

I will do brew in a bag for now as this looks to complicated.

 

[Iseneye]

Brew in a Bag is a great way to get into all grain (and many people stay at BIAB). Calculations are slightly easier than sparging.

Do you know anyone who brews? Maybe watch them on a brewday. Fully read How to Brew is the other option. I assume Joy of Homebrewing is dated (I haven't read it).

 

[myndflyte]

Thanks for your reply,

So if I want to boil 19L should I start with 20L? And if I end up with less is it ok to add boiled water?

I will do brew in a bag for now as this looks to complicated.

If you start with 20L and boil for an hour, you'll most likely end up with less than 19L. I lose about 1.1 gallons per hour but that's going to be dependent on your heat source and the width of your pot. I would start with assuming you'll lose 4L for an hour boil and then adjust based on how this batch goes. Typically you don't want to top off with all grain. This is a great BIAB calculator that, once you get it dialed into your settings, is dead on: https://pricelessbrewing.github.io/BiabCalc/#Advanced

 

[TheFreeman]

If you start with 20L and boil for an hour, you'll most likely end up with less than 19L. I lose about 1.1 gallons per hour but that's going to be dependent on your heat source and the width of your pot. I would start with assuming you'll lose 4L for an hour boil and then adjust based on how this batch goes. Typically you don't want to top off with all grain. This is a great BIAB calculator that, once you get it dialed into your settings, is dead on: https://pricelessbrewing.github.io/BiabCalc/#Advanced

But what is wrong with topping with boiled water?

 

[myndflyte]

You can if you need do but it's going to reduce your efficiency. It's not like extract where you have XXX amount of sugars per pound. If you don't account for adding water (0 in SG points), and your efficiency is fairly low, you're literally watering down the wort. Extract batches, on the other hand have a set amount of sugar and so a recipe designed for 5 gallons using 6 pounds of extract is "set" that way.

So if your beer is supposed to be 5 gallons of 1.050 and you have 4 gallons of 1.050, adding water up to 5 gallons is going to reduce your OG (to lets say 1.040 for simplicity sake). If you compensate for topping off and brew 4 gallons of 1.060 knowing that you'll top off to 5 gallons and thus reducing your beer to the desired 1.050, this is ok. But there is some planning that needs to go into that. Note: all numbers were just used for simplicity, not actually calculated.

 

[jonwilliams48]

I'll echo what some others have said. You need to do your research on all grain brewing. Before I ever did my first brew and was saving up to buy some equipment, I read and watched a LOT of YouTube. Unlike most people, I went straight to all-grain as extract brewing never excited me. I like the science/process of it. Some all-time favorite follows in the home brewing community are Don Osborn and the old BrewingTV videos. If you're reading Mashmaker, you already know who Michael Dawson is...he's awesome. He was one of the original BTV guys. Their videos are informative and way entertaining. They just had an awesome chemistry that made the videos great...they are missed for sure.

Don Osborn: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU0O8gwFuWOsdI8h2pOWYtw

BrewingTV - https://www.youtube.com/user/BrewingTV/videos

For BrewingTV...you're going to need to go back 4-5 years to the older episodes with Michael, Jake, and Chip. After AB bought out Northern Brewer...the party was over.

 

[TheFreeman]

I agree with mostly everything you are saying. I am reading and doing a lot of research, I mainly love cooking and I remember how hard to was to learn cooking methods, recipes and techniques. So in general I am quite prepared for the unknown journey ahead. I love these forums as I can get direct answers, sometimes its not enough to read, its easier to ask people you who may know, the reason I say this is because my question might be answers in chapter 12(for example) or even in the next book.

I will continue researching what I need to setup to start all grain. I will defiantly do BIAB it seems much simpler, I will worry about efficiency and better techniques in the future.

1 question if I want to BIAB 18/19L batches, how big should my Brew Kettle be?

Thanks everyone for the info