SMaSH Ale efficiency help...

[Arpeggiator]

What's up everyone at HBT! I'll try to make this short. I have brewed 3 partial mash ales already and have had really inconsistent efficiency. One batch I had fell pretty spot on while the other 2 came out really short (35-40%). I want to try brewing an all-grain SMaSH ale with 7 lbs of 2 row and 1 lb of 40 L (i know, i know not technically a single malt but close enough). I want to do this so i can really dial in my technique. I also know that this will make a pretty weak beer, but i don't really mind at this point. I'm using a 40 qt. rectangular igloo cooler as my mash tun. trying to mash between 154-156 degrees. One of the brewers at a local brewery suggested that I'm mashing for too long (45 min.) and this could be my problem. He said to try a 10-15 min. mash. Does this sound right? Any suggestions would help. Thanks, and happy brewing!

 

[sweatje]

You MIGHT get full conversion that fast, but not likely. I typically mash for 60 minutes to ensure full conversion without testing.

 

[bovineblitz]

Could be that your thermometer isn't accurate enough

 

[Arpeggiator]

Could be that your thermometer isn't accurate enough

I don't think it's the thermometer because it's fairly new (digital) and reads 212 when the wort comes to a boil.

 

[bierbrauer]

Full conversion in 15 minutes??? I’d love to see that.