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Author Topic: Mash Efficiency  (Read 1986 times)

Offline mlager

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Mash Efficiency
« on: January 14, 2011, 05:06:11 pm »
I'm using Beer Smith and I'm trying to figure out my efficiency... I set my brewhouse efficiency to 75%. I was shooting for a 1.051 beer. My pre-boil gravity was 1.046 and I ended up with an OG of 1.050. So I plugged these numbers into Beer Smith. It gives me 3 percentages:

1) Actual efficiency: 74.03%
2) Efficiency into boilder: 85.13%
3) Efficiency as calculated from actual volume: 74.03%

Which one is related to the "Brewhouse efficiency"? Trying to figure out if I'm on target with 75% or if I'm higher. My future recipes should be adjusted according to which reading I use I guess.

Thanks for any advice!

Offline Hokerer

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Re: Mash Efficiency
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2011, 05:31:11 pm »
As long as you're using your post-boil volume as the actual volume you enter (after clicking the "Brewhouse Efficiency" button), then number 3) is your brewhouse efficiency.
Joe

Offline mlager

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Re: Mash Efficiency
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2011, 05:40:47 pm »
Yes the actual volume is the post boil volume. I went 7.5 gallons into the kettle, boiled off 1.5, and put 6 gals into the carboy.

Offline bluesman

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Re: Mash Efficiency
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2011, 06:30:30 pm »
As long as your batch volume has been met then "Efficiency as calculated from actual volume: 74.03%" is your BE.

This calculation is only correct if your volumes are correct.

Ron Price

Offline tygo

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Re: Mash Efficiency
« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2011, 07:10:25 pm »
This calculation is only correct if your volumes are correct.

And I don't think they are.

Something doesn't seem right with your measurements.

If your pre-boil gravity was 1.046 and volume was 7.5 gallons then you had:  46 x 7.5 = 345 total gravity points.

If you boiled off 1.5 gallons and ended up with 6 gallons of wort into the fermenter the OG should have been:  345/6 = 57.5 or ~ 1.058.

How sure are you about your volume measurements?  If you really had 7.5 gallons at 1.046 then at 1.050 then you still had about 7 gallons of wort after the boil.  For a 60 minute boil that's only a boil off rate of 6.67% per hour which doesn't seem likely.

I'm going to guess that your volume measurements are off and your SG readings are accurate.   Also, are you accounting for the wort lost to trub and hops in the kettle?  Any wort left behind in the kettle is also leaving sugars behind.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2011, 07:21:33 pm by tygo »
Clint
Wort Hogs

Offline Malticulous

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Re: Mash Efficiency
« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2011, 08:54:05 pm »
I consider my BHE as the gravity and volume in the kettle after chilled. Hop absorption can mess with into the fermenter volume so chilled kettle volume gives me more useful and predictable numbers. Most of the time I dump it all into the fermenter anyway.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2011, 09:02:30 pm by Malticulous »

Offline euge

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Re: Mash Efficiency
« Reply #6 on: January 15, 2011, 12:53:54 am »
Wort faeries...?

I went nuts measuring preboil gravities.
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

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