Membership questions? Log in issues? Email info@brewersassociation.org

Author Topic: Efficiency Mini Test  (Read 3344 times)

Offline HoosierBrew

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 13031
  • Indianapolis,IN
Re: Efficiency Mini Test
« Reply #15 on: December 28, 2015, 06:42:58 am »
My thought is that there are only a few variables and you should be able to get close enough by being careful right away and it doesn't need to be perfect:.
I would do this: calibrate your thermometer, use brun water to get ph in range, mill your malt until your scared then run through again (stuck sparges and tannin extraction are bogeymen few of us have seen face to face), stir the heck out of your mash, keep boiling water and ice cubes ready so you can quickly adjust mash temp, make sure temp and time is right. Also keep some light dame on hand. You will take a few times to dial it in but you'll have beer.


Good advice. Everybody has to dial in their system at first. Crushing your own malt is great but takes a little time to dial in what to expect there as well. Might as well have some beer for the effort.


Edit -  Also, Justin - on the 1.069 'expected OG', was that based on the efficiency you'd been getting prior or just a software number ?
« Last Edit: December 28, 2015, 06:45:32 am by HoosierBrew »
Jon H.

RPIScotty

  • Guest
Re: Efficiency Mini Test
« Reply #16 on: December 28, 2015, 06:44:46 am »
I tested my 2 gal Coleman stacker mash tun with 4-5 test mashes. Measured efficiency and dumped then afterward.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This makes me very sad. You still had wort that wanted to be beer.

 :-\.

They were very small volumes of grain. 1lb. Pale and 1lb. Pils each time. I felt terrible but alas I got to test out my equipment!

Offline factory

  • Brewer
  • ****
  • Posts: 270
  • Virginia Beach, VA
Re: Efficiency Mini Test
« Reply #17 on: December 28, 2015, 07:00:34 am »
Which mill did you purchase and what factory gap setting did it come set to? 

+1 to always checking the crush prior to doughing in.

MM2 Pro, .045"
In addition to dialing in your system with the test mashes, the "crush your grain until you're scared" comment is not only funny, it's true.  My initial gap setting from the factory with my Barley Crusher was .039", I've dialed it down to .035". I can probably go finer, but I'm happy with the results.  On my system that took me from 65% to around 70% efficiency. I also mash at 1.75 quarts of water per pound of grain.  That works well for my Blichmann kettle and false bottom.  Lauter speed is good, and I haven't ever gotten a stuck sparge (well, that one time when I used 20% rye and the mash turned into cement  :o).

Offline flbrewer

  • Brewmaster General
  • *******
  • Posts: 2161
Re: Efficiency Mini Test
« Reply #18 on: December 28, 2015, 05:44:16 pm »
OK, so did a mini mash tonight...and changed my mill gap setting to .035" (.88m guitar pic, don't judge me).

2 gallon batch (specs. below). I hit my pre-boil OG on the nose. I dumped almost all of the wort except a small sample tube worth.

Is there any point in boiling this and testing post-boil OG? Shouldn't they be in line given a normal boil?

2 gallon batch, 3 pounds 2-Row
1.670 mash thickness (1.25 gallons strike, 2.58 gallons sparge)
Mashed at 150, sparged at 180
Pre-boil OG est.-1.025 (hit 1.025)
« Last Edit: December 28, 2015, 05:51:28 pm by flbrewer »

Offline HoosierBrew

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 13031
  • Indianapolis,IN
Re: Efficiency Mini Test
« Reply #19 on: December 28, 2015, 07:16:02 pm »
Is there any point in boiling this and testing post-boil OG? Shouldn't they be in line given a normal boil?


No need to boil in this case. As long as your volumes are accurate and boil off rate fairly consistent, the postboil reading would be the same differential higher as it would normally be.
« Last Edit: December 28, 2015, 08:52:39 pm by HoosierBrew »
Jon H.

Offline Pricelessbrewing

  • Assistant Brewer
  • ***
  • Posts: 179
  • BrewersFriend
Re: Efficiency Mini Test
« Reply #20 on: December 29, 2015, 11:13:37 pm »
Alright so you want to check your grain crush, you want to check the CONVERSION efficiency. Don't sparge, don't mashout. Just do a single infusion and check the mash gravity and strike volume to determine the conversion efficiency.

Do you have a large-ish thermos, say 32+ oz?

Take 0.4 lb (6.4 oz) of grain, and strike with 0.15G (19.2 fl oz) of water at 160.79F to get mash temp of 152.

Mix up with a whisk or fork thoroughly. Then close the thermos, check the crap out of it to make sure it's mixed up well just incase the small diameter didnt make mixing difficult. Leave for an hour.

Assuming grain yield around 36 points, with 4% moisture...

90% conversion = 1.0615. 92% = 1.0627 94%=1.0639 96%=1.0652.

 If it's below 90% then you definitely need to tighten the mill gap more.

Offline flbrewer

  • Brewmaster General
  • *******
  • Posts: 2161
Re: Efficiency Mini Test
« Reply #21 on: December 30, 2015, 08:01:28 am »

Alright so you want to check your grain crush, you want to check the CONVERSION efficiency. Don't sparge, don't mashout. Just do a single infusion and check the mash gravity and strike volume to determine the conversion efficiency.

Do you have a large-ish thermos, say 32+ oz?

Take 0.4 lb (6.4 oz) of grain, and strike with 0.15G (19.2 fl oz) of water at 160.79F to get mash temp of 152.

Mix up with a whisk or fork thoroughly. Then close the thermos, check the crap out of it to make sure it's mixed up well just incase the small diameter didnt make mixing difficult. Leave for an hour.

Assuming grain yield around 36 points, with 4% moisture...

90% conversion = 1.0615. 92% = 1.0627 94%=1.0639 96%=1.0652.

 If it's below 90% then you definitely need to tighten the mill gap more.
Isn't that what I did but on a smaller scale?

Offline Pricelessbrewing

  • Assistant Brewer
  • ***
  • Posts: 179
  • BrewersFriend
Re: Efficiency Mini Test
« Reply #22 on: December 30, 2015, 07:05:35 pm »
Sorry didn't read your last post. Process is basically the same,  but you need to compare conversion effiency anf not mash/brewhouse efficiency if you want to evaluate your grain crush