which refrac. reading? 1st AG

[mikes_brew]

Brewing my 1st AG. after 1hour mash I had a 1st 2qrt. run off reading of 14 brix, 1054. after collecting 6.5 gall and mixing got a reading of 11brix or 1042.

which reading is OG?
radom rec.
10lbs 2-row
1 lb capris
.25 black patent

which hops?
have cascade, tettnang and whillmette

which should I use?

thanks

 

[HairyDogBrewing]

OG or original gravity is taken after the boil, when it goes into the fermenter.
BG or boil gravity is after mashing and sparging, but before boiling.
FG or final gravity is after fermentation is complete.

Use any hops you want, or some of each.
Cascade is citrusy. Tettnang is spicy. Willamette is floral.

 

[mikes_brew]

thanks,
I went with Tettnang at 60 min.

totally winging this 1st one, is 1042 good or bad for the BG?

 

[ajf]

1.042 with that grain bill would give you 69% efficiency. That is fine for a first attempt. You will probably find your efficiency increases in subsequent brews as you get more familiar with the process.

-a.

 

[dmbnpj]

1.042 with that grain bill would give you 69% efficiency. That is fine for a first attempt. You will probably find your efficiency increases in subsequent brews as you get more familiar with the process.

-a.

How did you figure out the efficiency with only the BG?

 

[JohnMc]

after collecting 6.5 gall and mixing got a reading of 11brix or 1042.

You can get the mash efficiency by the amount of extract in the pre-boil volume, in this case 1.042 in 6.5 gallons. This is the mash efficiency, not the total brew-house efficiency.
When I put the Brix reading in Promash, I get 68%, which basically means that ajf has slightly different numbers for the degree of extract for the pale malt.
FWIW, 11 brix is closer to 1.045.

 

[mikes_brew]

just an update: I got on OG of 12.5brix, cooled; pitched with Safale-05 and she's bubblin' today!!

thanks all
mike

 

[mikes_brew]

just curious which category of beer would this fall in?