General Category > All Grain Brewing

Efficiency

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micsager:
Many folks around all these threads will mention what their efficiency is.  I once remember hearing on a Brewstron episode that to truly measure your efficiency, you had to really know all your grains, and precicely measure your strike and sparge water volumes and such.  I don't remember the exact process. 

Are folks really doing all that when they quote their efficency? 

According to Beersmith, I usually het about 75%.  But I don't think it really all that accurate.

Comments?

jmcamerlengo:
I try to add as much info I know on base malts from the malt analysis. I do try measure my strike and sparge volume by the 1/4 gallon. I typically achieve 85% total brewhouse eff on my system and it is pretty consistent. Very rarely will my numbers vary from what Beersmith tells me I should end up at.

EDIT: I should add, I dont think its very important what your eff actually is, its more important to be consistent. If I were under 65% I'd look to improve, but otherwise, as long as I was consistent I wouldn't care much what my eff actually is.

hokerer:

--- Quote from: jmcamerlengo on June 26, 2012, 08:23:16 am --- I should add, I dont think its very important what your eff actually is, its more important to be consistent. If I were under 65% I'd look to improve, but otherwise, as long as I was consistent I wouldn't care much what my eff actually is.

--- End quote ---

Agreed.  The actual efficiency number isn't terribly important.  Getting to where your efficiency is consistent means that it's also predictable.  That becomes very important when you're putting together your own recipes.

Oh, and in my case, yes I measure water and grain amounts very accurately but I use the 'default' numbers for the various grain parameters.

davidgzach:
I agree with above.  Below 70% and I would look to improve my process.  I saved 20 minutes on my fly sparge by losing 5% of efficiency.  It was worth the trade off going from 85%-80%.  So long as your numbers are consistent and the beer tastes good, I wouldn't care.....

Dave

Pawtucket Patriot:

--- Quote from: jmcamerlengo on June 26, 2012, 08:23:16 am ---I try to add as much info I know on base malts from the malt analysis. I do try measure my strike and sparge volume by the 1/4 gallon. I typically achieve 85% total brewhouse eff on my system and it is pretty consistent. Very rarely will my numbers vary from what Beersmith tells me I should end up at.

--- End quote ---

+1 This is my typical process and efficiency.

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