Terrible Brew Day

[Boston85]

So today my goal was to do the AG version of the DFH 60 min IPA. I did the extract version a few months ago and it turned out great. This time I figured I would go AG, my 3rd AG attempt. The first 2 were so so. The recipe I was going to base it off of was this:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f69/dogfish-head-60-minute-clone-ag-extract-25709/

My brew shop was out of Simco hops, so they suggested I use a combo of Columbus and Chinook. I decided after the start that I would change up the hop schedule a bit in the brew, since I didn't have all of the supplies to do a replica.

I brought my strike water up to about 165 degrees to pre-heat mash tun. I used just about 17 quarts of water based on what beer smith calculated. I then added the grain and mixed around for about 5 minutes. Checked temperature and depending on where I put thermometer it read 151-154 degrees so I figured I was all set since I was shooting for 152. Near the end of the 60 minutes, I took a temperature reading and it ranged from 148-152. A little lower than I would have liked, but I figured it wasn't that bad. I then did a mash out by adding about 9 quarts at 200 degrees, but my temperature only raised to around 156-158, much lower than 168 I was expecting according to Beer smith.

I then took first runnings and got about 4 gallons total. I sparged with around 13 quarts at 175 degrees. Left it in there around 10 minutes or so, then took second running to collect about 2.5 gallons. That gave me a total of 6.5 gallons. My OG before boil was 1.046, giving me a calculated efficiency of 61.5, which is pretty disappointing.

I then had a 60 minute boil, adding hops at various times. After the boil I cooled down with wort chiller, and took a gravity reading of 1.056, compared to a beer smith estimate of 1.066, so I was way off. I only had 4.5 gallons after boil, so I lost 2 gallons during boil.

I am trying to determine what went wrong here. I thought my temperatures were fairly accurate, but my efficiency readings and gravity were terrible. I also think I may be entering everything wrong in Beer Smith. On the recipe design page, there is an option there for Batch Size, and then Tot. Efficiency. These are manual inputs. Am I supposed to enter 4.5 for Batch Size or 6.5 which was my pre-boil amount. Also should I enter 61.5 there, or do I enter 75 which was my goal. Just looking for anyone basically to comment on my process above and what I may have done wrong throughout the process. This was my 3rd AG batch, and probably the worst one yet, so trying to learn from mistakes.

 

[Double_D]

I don't use beer smith but it sounds like you need to input your pre boil volume. Additionally you should be ok with your mash in the neighborhood of 152. That will give you a good fermentable wort that will also give good attenuation. I would say that IMO you boiled to vigorously which is why you have so little to start fermentation with. Without your recipe I can't tell you what I would have done but that's a start.

 

[mgortel]

Under Batch size you enter your post boil volume....so it should have been 5 gallons based on the recipe you referenced.

Also, the efficiency you enter NEEDS to be YOUR typical efficiency based on previous batches.

The recipe you referenced (by Yooper) appears to have used an efficiency of 72.5%.....and the amount of grains required to get the O.G. of 1.070 is based on that efficiency.

If you are running a lower efficiency then you will need to increase your grain bill accordingly......

61.5% is low, but not horrible.....do you know what efficiencies you got on your previous batches? (I typically run around 71-72% efficiency myself on batch sparges)

Part of the efficiency problem could be how your grain supplier cracked the grains.....or it may be your water that you are using......i.e. hard or soft water??? Low in Calcium maybe?

Again, inportant to know what your previous efficiency was on other AG batches....if you are consistently in the 61% range then you will just need to adjust (add) amount of grain used in your recipes to hit your O.G.

Now on the pre-boil and post boil volumes.....

Your pre-boil volume was 6.5 gallons
Your post boil volume was 4.5 gallons (was this after cooling???)
This was for 60 minutes.......
So in Beersmith you need to go to "Profiles" and then "Equipment" and set your equipment boil-off to be 2 gallons per hour because this is what you have experienced so in the future Beersmith will calculate your pre-boil volume more closely for you.

Also, cooling evaporation (amount of water that evaporates while you are cooling from boil to fermentation temp) needs to be entered.....if the 2 gallons you quoted include the time from preboil to post cooling to fermenetation temp...then part of that 2 gallons needs to go into "Cooling loss" in the Equipment Profile.....for me it is 0.30 gal cooling loss......my boil loss is 1.05 gal per hour for my setup. (As long as the total between these is 2 gallons).

Beersmith has some online video tutorials that you might want to check out.....it is a grat tool...but you need to make sure you are entering things correctly of course.

 

[Pappers_]

Great answer ^^^^ +1

 

[osagedr]

I rememember a terrible brew day last December--turned into my best beer to date and ended up with a silver medal in a major competition! So hang in there.

You'll get the hang of beersmith which will make things better. The settings in that software are important; you have to tailor them for your process and equipment. The next "new AG brewer" event for you will be when you enter your efficiency as being too low, then hit about 80, and wind up with a 1.070 beer when you were aiming for 1.055. So watch out!

Good luck!

 

[passedpawn]

You'll have worse days. Believe me. You're gonna end up with beer. I've heard worse things.

My first AG ended up with me violently heaving two freaking buckets of stuck-sparged wheat mash into the woods behind my house. I was ready to strangle a squirrel.

 

[Double_D]

Oh yes. I've been there. But not in the woods of course.