beer smiith question about efficiency,

I know I’m probably going to get a speech about not 'living by the software" :smiley: but I have a question. Here recently I’ve been fine tuning my efficiency and crush. Today’s batch (ESB) I collected for a 2.5 gallon batch, 4.35 gallons of wort preboil @ 1.042 after mashing 5.5 pounds of grain mashed  for 70 minutes then batch sparged.

My beersmith equipment profile has a total efficiency of 72%. with an estimated mash efficiency of 86.4%. Well, I think I have dialed in my system because todays measured efficiency was about 86.2%. I’m happy all around as I also hit all of my estimated gravity and volume amounts.

My question is about the “Measured Efficiency” amount. Today I got 111%. I don’t understand this amount.
Any input is greatly appreciated. :smiley:

your measurements are off somewhere.

post the recipe and we can try to figure out where.

Usually, you only get over 100% efficiency when you use a blue cooler.  :slight_smile:

Please post your complete recipe with recipe detail and notes. This will allow us to better instruct you going forward. Aside from Denny :)…there’s no possible way for anyone to get >100% efficiency in any brewing process. Have you calibrated your thermometer and hydrometer, as well as your weight scale?

I think I have found at least part of the problem. I hadn’t yet entered my post boil OG and measured batch size. I’m still whirlpooling at this point but my measured OG is 1.055. missed my OG by 5 points, I did a 90 minute boil and I think I may have to adjust my boil off rate. Had about 1.5 - 2 quarts more wort than I expected. I probably should have boiled it down a bit more but oh well. Anyway…

After entering my OG and measured batch size I got a measured efficiency of about 67%. Still not quite sure what this number means to my brewing.

ESB
2.5 gallon batch:
OG 1.060 (Actual OG measured 1.055)
35 IBU
SRM 10
90 minute boil

Warminster maris oter 5 pounds
UK med crystal 60L .5 pounds
Target - .34oz 60 min
Challenger - .24oz  5 min
Northdown - .24  5 min
Goldings -  .05  5 min

Mash @ 152 70 minutes 1.5 qt/pound
batch sparge w/3 gallons

Water vol
4.25 gal wort collected
1.13 gal boil off
.12 gal cooling shrinkage
3 gal final volumre
equipment loss .5 gallon

2.5 gallons for fermenter

Measured mash efficiency: 86%
Measured Brewhouse efficiency: 67%
Total efficiency as set in my equipment profile: 72%

Brewhouse efficiency is your efficiency of converting starting ingredients into wort.

This means (assuming your weights and measures are correct) that you converted 86% of the theoretical maximum available starch into sugars in your mash. then you collected ~77% of that into your kettle.

your mash efficiency is 86%
your lauter efficiency is 77%
your total brewhouse efficiency is 67%

cool thanks for the info. I’ve been brewing for about a year or so and I’m constantly running into things I don’t know. Probably be like this for awhile. ;D

that’s a goodly chunk of the fun in my mind. I’ve been at it for ~7 years and i’m STILL running into things I don’t know. And that’s just about brewing!

+1.  Learning constantly.

I don’t think that’s correct, based on what’s been posted. With mash efficiency in the 80s, conversion efficiency was probably very nearly 100%, and lauter efficiency in the 80s. The knockout efficiency (is that what you’d call it?) is 2.5/3.0 = 83%, which is what drops the brewhouse efficiency.

Although 86% * 83% = ~71%, so even the numbers that Beersmith is giving don’t seem consistent to me. But the bottom line is that your mash efficiency is normal.

I am very likely wrong and sean is very likely correct. So what’s the difference between mash efficiency and conversion efficiency? I was under the impression they were the same thing.

Mash efficiency = conversion efficiency * lauter efficiency

Or at least that’s how I usually hear the terms used.