I just brewed my first batch using Beersmith and missed my OG, FG and efficiency number. I understand that these go hand-in-hand and snowball from the start. I mill my own grain and use a Monster Mill 3 with .039" gap. The grain crush looks good, but I could tighten it up a bit if needed. My efficiency was at 57.5% for a Imperial Stout if that matters.
When I sparge, I pour in the water, stir well, vorlauf, and drain. I was wondering if I should pour in gently and not stir and then vorlauf and drain? Had a red flag at the end with being approximately half gallon heavy in the fermenter. I know this is huge and could be the problem but wondered on the sparge technique?