Hello I finished 2 batches between yesterday and today. Yesterday was a partial mash ris. A semi clone of Kate the great. Somehow yesterday my efficiency wasn’t good. I was shooting for a 70% & only hit in the low 60s.
Today I did a batch of a chocolate oatmeal porter. With my system I hit perfectly on 70% efficiency which is what I wrote the recipe for.
If this is an extract batch, then it is doubtful that you got low ‘efficiency’. You either:
1) measured your volume wrong (it’s too dilute).
2) failed to stir the batch properly before taking your FG reading. The wort often stratifies, particularly if you top up. Taking a reading without ensuring proper mixing often reads low.
3) you mis-measured your extracts. This is doubtful unless you buy all your extract in bulk.
If this was a partial mash batch, it is not uncommon for efficiency on the mini mash side to swing wildly, depending on many factors, such as inconsistent sparging, inconsistent crush, or inconsistent batch sparging techniques. (such as using 2 batches instead of 3).
When I was first brewing AG, or still doing Mini-Mash, I used to keep extra DME on hand to compensate if I missed target OG low.
HTH-
if you give us some details about the grain bill, and the martial mash techniques yo uuse we might be able to help more. In AG brewing I have come to expect an efficiency hit when brewing a big beer. I don’t know how much that tendency translates to partial mash.
Grain bill was 2.75 lbs pale 2 row, .2 lbs each of flaked barely, special b, dark wheat, .15 lbs each of carafe 3, &aromatic malt, .1lb each of crystal 40, roasted barley, black patent, crystal 120& chocolate malt.
Mashed in at 168 with 5.5 quarts of water. I know that by the time I work the grains it will drop to the 150’s. in my picnic cooler with the grains Ina large grain bag. Mashed for 60 min. Batch sparked with 170 water, 5.5 quarts.
With 70% efficiency I was expecting 104 gravity points. I only pull 71
what was the volume when you measured the gravity?
The roasted grains won’t contribute significant gravity as the starch has been pretty much carbonized. But that still doesn’t account for all your efficiency losses.
how consistent is your 70%? sometimes things happen. Your mash is pretty thick at 1.32qt/lb it’s possible you missed some doughballs.
When I measured the gravity I took in account the volume that’s why I just gave gravity points Instead of specific gravity reading.
Yeah the dough balls might have been the issues as I maxed out my grain bag to do this batch
that
ll do it. for a big beer i would call low 60’s decent efficiency. you could try next time dunkinhg your bag in another pot of water and get a second runnings beer
If I do this beer again I’m going to mash longer. Heading into the 90 min range. And I’m changing the bag I use. Probably going to start using either paint strainer bags or the reusable nylon bag. Let me be able to stir it better