The efficiency I got is awesome!

[TheBeerGuy]

Maybe I did something wrong but BeerSmith calculated it at 75%. I ended up with over 88% (according to Brewers Friend calculator). I posted my recipe below and maybe you can help me figure out what/if I did something wrong:

9# British Paly 2-Row
1# British Black Patene Malt
0.75# Crystal 80
0.5# British Pale Chocolate
1# Lactose @ 15 min
1oz Kent Gouldings @ 60 min
0.5oz Kent Gouldings @ 15 min
1 whirlfloc tab @ 15 min

Used a 2 stage batch sparge
Boiled for 60 min
Used submersed chiller in boil to cool to 100*F in 15 min
Finished with 5.5 gal in primary
Pitched Safale S-04 when cool

 

[doug293cz]

Maybe I did something wrong but BeerSmith calculated it at 75%. I ended up with over 88% (according to Brewers Friend calculator). I posted my recipe below and maybe you can help me figure out what/if I did something wrong:

9# British Paly 2-Row
1# British Black Patene Malt
0.75# Crystal 80
0.5# British Pale Chocolate
1# Lactose @ 15 min
1oz Kent Gouldings @ 60 min
0.5oz Kent Gouldings @ 15 min
1 whirlfloc tab @ 15 min

Used a 2 stage batch sparge
Boiled for 60 min
Used submersed chiller in boil to cool to 100*F in 15 min
Finished with 5.5 gal in primary
Pitched Safale S-04 when cool

Is the BeerSmith efficiency a measured efficiency, or the pre-brew assumed efficiency, and is it mash efficiency or brewhouse efficiency? What about the BrewersFriend efficiency?

BeerSmith's assumed efficiency is something you can change based on experience with your system.

In order to double check your efficiency we need to have the following information:

• Recipe (already given)
• Pre-boil volume and temperature at which it was measured
• Pre-boil SG (corrected to the calibration temp of the hydrometer)
• Post-boil volume and temp at which it was measured
• Post-boil SG (corrected to calibration temp)

And, if you happen to have taken a first runnings gravity, we can use that in combination with your strike water volume to calculate your conversion efficiency. And with conversion efficiency and mash efficiency, we can calculate your lauter efficiency.

Brew on

 

[joshesmusica]

I'm not sure about brewers friend, but the efficiency you see on the first tab for the recipe in beersmith is brew house efficiency. The mash efficiency is on a different tab.

 

[Derek1985]

Maybe I did something wrong but BeerSmith calculated it at 75%. I ended up with over 88% (according to Brewers Friend calculator). I posted my recipe below and maybe you can help me figure out what/if I did something wrong:

9# British Paly 2-Row
1# British Black Patene Malt
0.75# Crystal 80
0.5# British Pale Chocolate
1# Lactose @ 15 min
1oz Kent Gouldings @ 60 min
0.5oz Kent Gouldings @ 15 min
1 whirlfloc tab @ 15 min

Used a 2 stage batch sparge
Boiled for 60 min
Used submersed chiller in boil to cool to 100*F in 15 min
Finished with 5.5 gal in primary
Pitched Safale S-04 when cool

How much water did you sparge with and what was your water to grist ratio? What was your measured pre-boil gravity and post boil gravity?

 

[TheBeerGuy]

Is the BeerSmith efficiency a measured efficiency, or the pre-brew assumed efficiency, and is it mash efficiency or brewhouse efficiency? What about the BrewersFriend efficiency?

BeerSmith's assumed efficiency is something you can change based on experience with your system.

In order to double check your efficiency we need to have the following information:

• Recipe (already given)
• Pre-boil volume and temperature at which it was measured
• Pre-boil SG (corrected to the calibration temp of the hydrometer)
• Post-boil volume and temp at which it was measured
• Post-boil SG (corrected to calibration temp)

And, if you happen to have taken a first runnings gravity, we can use that in combination with your strike water volume to calculate your conversion efficiency. And with conversion efficiency and mash efficiency, we can calculate your lauter efficiency.

Brew on

Pre-boil volume and temperature at which it was measured: 5.5 Gallon volume, no pre-boil gravity reading

Post-boil volume and temp at which it was measured: Post volume was 4.25 gallon and topped off to 5.5 gallon, SG taken at 80*F

 

[TheBeerGuy]

How much water did you sparge with and what was your water to grist ratio? What was your measured pre-boil gravity and post boil gravity?

I sparged with 2.5 gallons 170*F water. My grist ratio was thick at 1.25G. I did not get a pre-boil gravity reading.

 

[Derek1985]

I sparged with 2.5 gallons 170*F water. My grist ratio was thick at 1.25G. I did not get a pre-boil gravity reading.

How did you determine that your efficiency was 88%? Was 88% your brewhouse or mash efficiency?

 

[TheBeerGuy]

How did you determine that your efficiency was 88%? Was 88% your brewhouse or mash efficiency?

My brewhouse efficiency was 88%.

 

[Derek1985]

My brewhouse efficiency was 88%.

I guess my only curiosity is how you were able to arrive there without a measure of how efficient your mash was.

Also, unless I have understood it incorrectly, your brewhouse efficiency is typically less than your mash efficiency. This leads me to believe that your mash efficiency was > 88%.

Just food for thought. Without a Pre-boil SG reading and subsequent calculation of mash efficiency, I don't see how you arrived at your 88% brewhouse efficiency.

I could be missing something.......

 

[Derek1985]

At the end of the day, if you hit your target OG and you had your target volume in the fermenter, then your efficiency doesn't really matter all that much.

 

[TheBeerGuy]

My calculated SG was 1.062 and I was over that at a measured SG of 1.072 so while it will be a little higher than calculated I cannot forget about the 1# lactose I put it so my FG will be higher, maybe 1.020 or more even. I do not think the online calculator took that into consideration.

Using the same method I have always been around 70-75% in the past all grain batches I have done, that's why I was surprised about getting the 88%, but it will be drinkable and hopefully get me a medal. I brewed it for a competition here in PA in October.

 

[Derek1985]

My calculated SG was 1.062 and I was over that at a measured SG of 1.072 so while it will be a little higher than calculated I cannot forget about the 1# lactose I put it so my FG will be higher, maybe 1.020 or more even. I do not think the online calculator took that into consideration.

Using the same method I have always been around 70-75% in the past all grain batches I have done, that's why I was surprised about getting the 88%, but it will be drinkable and hopefully get me a medal. I brewed it for a competition here in PA in October.

Sounds like an input error in your software. Good luck with the comp

 

[GotPushrods]

Let's just do some simple back-of-the-napkin math. It's easy and probably faster than fiddling with 6 different calculators that (shockingly) seem to give different results.

You have 11.25 lbs of grain and a pound of lactose. Let's just assume an overall average of 35 PPPG for all 12.25 lbs including the lactose, that's safe and probably pretty accurate for that recipe.

That 12.25*35 ~ 429 pts of potential gravity... into 5.5 gallons ~ 78.

= 1.078 is 100% brewhouse efficiency.

95% = 1.074
90% = 1.070
85% = 1.066
80% = 1.062
75% = 1.058

So there are only 2 options here.
1. You got awesome efficiency for some reason
2. Measurement error

 

[joshesmusica]

2. Measurement error

Especially since you measured after you topped off with 1.25 gallons.

 

[doug293cz]

Any chance you took your OG reading before you added the top up water, and then input the volume after top up in to BrewersFriend? That would give you a very high, and totally bogus, efficiency.

Brew on