Ok thanks for all the thoughts. My system is the 70qt extreme, a 15G BK. The extreme is fitted with a braid from bargain fittings and leaves about a qt behind. i do batch sparge. This cooler was not used for the first 2 batches, I used a 50qt for those. The first batch was only a 3.5G test batch with a 60 minute boil. The second batch was a 5G batch with 90 minute boil.
My current kettle, also not used on those first 2 batches, boils off around .9G per hour for batches in the 5.5-6G range. I usually leave about 1/2 gallon in kettle between break mats, hops, etc. My mash efficiencies for these 2 batches were very different from most of the other brews I have made, coming in at around 55% each. Earlier this year, I made an attempt at Drew's "The Queen's Diamonds" and with 25# of Marris Otter, I hit 6.25g @1.098 into the fermenter(actually need to boil another 30 minutes longer to get to the target of 5.5G and I would have hit about 1.111) I mashed that batch at 1.2qt/g and used 4.29g sparge for my target of 8.54g pre-boil. I actually hit 8.75G at 1.073 pre-boil. This was the last big brew I made.
The first small batch, the grain was milled by the LHBS while I milled the grist for the second batch. I do have a mill at home now. This brew is my homage to a local favorite from Dan Listermann's Triple Digit Brewing Co. It is essentially an imperial version of Rogue's Hazelnut Brown Nectar clocking in at the 1.100 (triple digit) OG. The grist is my guess, I know the grist components, roughly the color, the OG, and the IBU's. I know they use 2Row, Wheat Malt, Honey Malt and Chocolate Malt. I am running this batch at:
almost 17# Rahr Pale Ale malt(my sub) 65%
just over 5# wheat 20%
roughly 2.4# Honey malt 9%
and just over 1.5# Crisp Pale chocolate 6%
this grist when entered into beersmith, with my profile , hits the 1.100, 28srm, and with 1.16oz brewer's gold at 60 minutes, also hits the targeted 28 IBUs
In my beersmith profile for this beer, I am estimating 62% eff, .9G boil off per hour, 1 qt cooling loss, and 1/2 gallon left behind in kettle from my Pre boil volume of 8.56G to leave me with 6G into fermenter.
The goal for moving up to a 90 minute boil was to be better able to sparge with a more appropriate amount of liquor. As I stated in OP, with 26# grain, mashing in at 1.2qt/# leaves less than 4 gallons to sparge with to rinse those 26#
The first 2 attempts at this brew were likely way too ambitious for a rookie brewer(first attempt was only my 4th brew). In reality, I am not overly concerned with my current efficiencies, just wondering about mash options. No sparge, single batch sparge after very thick or thin mash in, etc. I really dont have a small beer planned, but have plenty of grain and hops on hand to do a partigyle, but what thoughts do you all have with that original grist for a second beer?
Sorry to ramble on, just trying to cover all the questions asked in your responses. I appreciate all the ideas so far and yet to come, thanks again all
Topic: Mash specs for high gravity (Read 3847 times)
