Vienna efficiency issues

[zoomzilla]

I've brewed three different beers now with Vienna as the base malt. A pale ale, a brown ale and a red ale. The brown ale and the red ale had horrible efficiency around 55% and the pale ale, which used only vienna and no specialty malts, was normal efficiency for me of about 75%. Does Vienna not have the diastatic power of american two row? I've bumped up the abv on the red ale I brewed today by adding a pound of corn sugar but I'm worried it's going to have a hot alcoholic taste like the brown ale I did that with. Any suggestions?

 

[m00ps]

vienna and munich are supposed to have enough power to convert themselves, but you may run into issues if you also need them to convert other malts. I bet a pound of 6 row wouldve fixed it

 

[Bosh]

I`ve been using Vienna a lot and only had terrible efficiency when I screwed up and let the mash get too hot. Vienna has enough enzymes to convert itself BUT if you make a mistake there`s less margin of error since it doesn`t have as many enzymes as 2/6-row.

 

[MaddBaggins]

I recently used Vienna for the first time (Vienna lager) and had my highest recorded efficiency, 83%. 90min boil, that helped a little. I was having a conversation and drained 7gal into the kettle. Oops. mash temp 154

Normally my efficiency is around 65-70%

 

[Bosh]

I recently used Vienna for the first time (Vienna lager) and had my highest recorded efficiency, 83%. 90min boil, that helped a little. I was having a conversation and drained 7gal into the kettle. Oops. mash temp 154

Normally my efficiency is around 65-70%

Yup, just hit my highest efficiency ever with Vienna as well. Just be careful about mashing high because if you start denaturing enzymes you'll have fewer left than with the same amount of 2-row at the same temp.

 

[zoomzilla]

Well somehow I ended up with over a gallon more wort than I should have. Don't know why but at least its not an efficiency problem

 

[Kharnynb]

haven't had vienna efficiency issues, but i only really brew smash with vienna.