Well I think I’m tapping out then. Baffled.
Not sure if it matters but water to grain is usually above 1.5
One more thought. Do you/can you include a mash off step? I know some are skeptical, but I find it really makes a difference. Squeezes out little more yield. May help diffuse extract. Mechanism debatable, effect real, IME. If you already do this… well damn, then.
I never had but I could probably figure out a double infusion/step. What temps and lengths would you recommend?
One other note my paler grists with fewer specialty malts seem to get higher efficiency. One of my beers is 100% pilsner malt and gets me near 77% Brewhouse. Does that point to a conversion issue?
Do you recirculate your mash? If not, how often do you stir?
Hmm. Well, base malts do give a higher yield than specialty malts. But if you’re using software that should already be figured into your expectations.
At least 10-15 minutes at 170°F is a good target for mash off. Of course in your system (I use direct heat) the infusion will eat into either your ability to thin the main mash or your second runoff. But worth a try to see of there’s a payoff in the balance.
Sorry, missed it, every 15. I know stirring affects my efficiency.
My sparge water is calculated to bring the grain bed up to 170f however I have seen little difference in letting it rest or stirring well and collecting wort immediately.
Well, back to head scratching. There’s got to be an answer somewhere.
Okay, step back and rethink. Gman23, I gather you buy your grain at the LHBS on a batch by batch basis, rather than by the sack to use over time? Is it possible that their storage conditions lead to inconsistencies in freshness and quality from batch to batch? Or something between your first crush and second? Maybe consistency is to be found in (what I do for convenience even though my LHBS is impeccable) buying whole sacks of base malt (from somebody else?) and milling fresh at home at brew time. Exercise full control. Just grasping at straws here maybe, but…
(Realize I don’t understand why you mill both at the shop and at home, if you have the ability to do it yourself.)
I think crush variance is likely the culprit here (LHBS mill may be adjusted by others?). My experience has been that a finely tuned crush (for me a mill gap at .030” and checked for slippage every other time I mill) was the secret to repeatability. Then, since I went the no sparge HERMS route in recent years, I had to recalibrate for that loss in efficiency by simply adjusting my grist to a little more base malt and finding the right recirc rate to avoid compaction (done by “feel”, as I don’t have a manometer). If you can get the right crush and keep it precise from batch to batch, it should solve your issue. If not, then as Robert said, it’s a head scratcher.
Cheers and good luck dialing it in.
I agree. Reducing variables leads to repeatability.
As an example: Without a manometer, after each brewday disassemble, cleaning, and reassemble, I actually measure the gap of the pump output linear flow valve to ensure I hit the sweet spot I found between good flow across the heating element but not so much as to create a compacted mash.
+1
Thanks all. I just wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything glaring with my process.
I have always been leery of mills at brew stores which is why I remill tighter at home. Honestly, I have an old corona mill with a drill attachment so I have no idea what the measurement of it is actually is. I do know that I don’t touch it so the crush should be consistent though…
I have been wanting to get a proper mill for some time but brew on a very tight budget. I have been brewing for about 10 years now and is just something I have come to accept but is really frustrating at the same time. I will continue to examine my processes and look further into my crush.
When I have the funds, I normally purchase bags of weyermann pilsner which is my main base malt. I have them mill it first just because it can’t hurt and my milling process at home is kind of time consuming. Having it already crushed speeds up the second go round.
I am going to grab at a straw her, but how long do you keep your milled malt before using it? If it is a long time, that may also be your problem. I never buy a bag of pre-milled malt since it stays fresher if it is whole. That said, with a tight budget, I understand why you do this. Just saying that older malt might give you the extraction efficiency issues you are seeing.
More head scratching.
Once its milled, it is taking up atmospheric moisture however carefully you store it. This could lead to significant inconsistency. Milling immediately prior to brewing is much preferred. If you don’t care to mill at home but want to buy by the sack, will the shop let you take it back there batch by batch to use their mill?
I remill at home within a couple of days at most. When I purchase full bags of malt it is unmilled and it gets milled per batch. I take the bag back to mill there since I am usually purchasing specialty malts. I have always read advice about running through the mill twice which is basically what I’m doing…
Still don’t understand why you remill. But that may be a red herring.
Fair enough. I won’t try to explain it.
FWIW Briess says up to 2 years for an unopened bag of crushed malt is OK. Our tests at Experimental Brewing found no difference at several months.