BeerSmith Noobie Question

Systems, Gear, & DIY
1

My name is Joe, and I am a noobie homebrewer. I have successfully made three batches using extract and am ready to make the switch to all-grain. That being said I have started using BeerSmith to aid the process.

I created a new recipe in BeerSmith but something seems off to me in regards to water volume, and the mash process. I recently purchased an SS Brewtech 10 gallon mash tun which I intend on using.

Can someone please take a look at what I have created and provide feedback?
Constructive criticism is welcome.  :o

Cheers

2

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 2.30 gal
Boil Time: 60 min
End of Boil Vol: 2.08 gal
Final Bottling Vol: 4.75 gal
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage

Equipment: SS Brewtech 10G
Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 72.0 %
Taste Rating: 30.0

9 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 80.0 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 2 4.4 %
8.0 oz Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 3 4.4 %
4.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 4 2.2 %
1 lbs Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM) Sugar 5 8.9 %
1.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [15.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 6 26.3 IBUs
1.00 oz Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 7 10.5 IBUs
1.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 8 5.9 IBUs
1.00 oz Amarillo [9.20 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 9 3.2 IBUs
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) [50.28 ml] Yeast 10 -
1.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 11 0.0 IBUs

Gravity, Alcohol Content and Color

Est Original Gravity: 1.062 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.009 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 7.0 %
Bitterness: 45.9 IBUs
Est Color: 9.2 SRM

Measured Original Gravity: 1.046 SG
Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.7 %
Calories: 151.6 kcal/12oz

Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Full Body
Sparge Water: -0.95 gal
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: TRUE

Total Grain Weight: 11 lbs 4.0 oz
Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Tun Temperature: 72.0 F
Mash PH: 5.20

Mash In Add 12.81 qt of water at 164.7 F 152.0 F 60 min
Mash Out Error: Infusion temperature above boiling. Add more water! 168.0 F 10 min
Sparge: Fly sparge with -0.95 gal water at 168.0 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).

Carbonation and Storage

Carbonation Type: Bottle
Pressure/Weight: 3.73 oz
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 70.0 F
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage

Volumes of CO2: 2.3
Carbonation Used: Bottle with 3.73 oz Corn Sugar
Age for: 21.00 days
Storage Temperature: 65.0 F

3

Seems like something is wrong with your equipment profile. Boil size should be bigger than your batch size.

What is your boil off rate set to? Should be 1-2 gallons. If you set this to low you just need to add more top up water after the boil. That’s no big deal the first time. So set this to 1 if you don’t know a number.

What is your lauter dead space? You can set that to 0 and top up your first brew.

What is your trub chiller loss? This can also be 0. If you whirl pool and leave some liquid and trub behind when transferring from kettle to fermenter then this number will be greater than 0. But again you can set to zero and just add top up water to the fermenter.

You may also have errors in your mash profile. I assume you are doing batch sparge. Set the water/grain ratio to 1.5-2. I like 2 personally. Set batch sparge to yes, drain tun before sparge to yes, and yes equal batches to yes.

4

Generally, it’s considered better with all-grain to boil-down to concentrate to final volume than top-off and dilute.

5

Right now the numbers from the OP are things like -0.95 sparge water. My recommendations were about brewing the first time with Beersmith when you don’t know your parameters. A long the way that first few brews he can figure the correct numbers to nail his intended batch size after boil.

6

I agree with you.

Looks (to me) like the OP is attempting a dilution approach to all-grain. Perhaps unknowingly. Which is possible. But, we’ll set him straight to fiddle with the process.

Needs a second sparge or more in a single infusion.

7

Good catch - I will update this now.

I will set this to 1 to start. I am expecting it to realistically be 1.5 but like you said I can always top up water after the boil.

I’ve never used this mash tun before so I will set this to 0 and top up.

I was thinking of batch sparging for my first attempt at all-grain but I do have the fly sparge attachment for my mash tun. What do you suggest?

I appreciate all of the help!

8

Batch sparge seems much easier to me. Neither will go perfectly the first time. I say just go for it.

There are instructions here:
http://hbd.org/cascade/dennybrew/

And there are videos. Including one by Denny.

Edit: here is Denny’s video.
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=26219

9

One tip. Make a dip stick. This will allow you to measure volumes. You can measure your pre and post boil volume to get boil off rate for future brews. You can also calculate how much volume you get from mash and calculate the dead space in your mash tun (mine is set to zero).  I tip my tun and get most of the liquid out.

10

I think I was able to make the adjustments. Can you please take a look at the updated brew process below?  ;D

TYPE: All Grain
Style: American IPA
—RECIPE SPECIFICATIONS-----------------------------------------------
SRM: 9.2 SRM SRM RANGE: 6.0-15.0 SRM
IBU: 98.7 IBUs Tinseth IBU RANGE: 40.0-70.0 IBUs
OG: 1.062 SG OG RANGE: 1.056-1.075 SG
FG: 1.012 SG FG RANGE: 1.010-1.018 SG
BU:GU: 1.582 Calories: 151.6 kcal/12oz Est ABV: 6.6 %
EE%: 72.00 % Batch: 5.00 gal      Boil: 6.20 gal BT: 60 Mins

—WATER CHEMISTRY ADDITIONS----------------

Total Grain Weight: 11 lbs 4.0 oz Total Hops: 5.50 oz oz.
—MASH/STEEP PROCESS------MASH PH:5.40 ------

-ADD WATER CHEMICALS BEFORE GRAINS!!<<<<<<<
Amt                  Name                                    Type          #        %/IBU       
9 lbs                Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)          Grain        1        80.0 %       
8.0 oz                Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM)    Grain        2        4.4 %       
8.0 oz                Victory Malt (25.0 SRM)                  Grain        3        4.4 %       
4.0 oz                Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)            Grain        4        2.2 %

Name              Description                            Step Temperature  Step Time   
Mash In          Add 12.81 qt of water at 174.8 F        156.0 F          60 min       
Mash Out          Add 5.13 qt of water at 205.5 F        168.0 F          10 min

—SPARGE PROCESS—

-RECYCLE FIRST RUNNINGS & VERIFY GRAIN/MLT TEMPS: 72.0 F/72.0 F
-ADD BOIL CHEMICALS BEFORE FWH
Fly sparge with 2.95 gal water at 168.0 F

—BOIL PROCESS-----------------------------
Est Pre_Boil Gravity: 1.050 SG Est OG: 1.062 SG
Amt                  Name                                    Type          #        %/IBU       
1 lbs                Corn Sugar (Dextrose) (0.0 SRM)          Sugar        5        8.9 %       
1.00 oz              Columbus (Tomahawk) [15.00 %] - Boil 60. Hop          6        56.7 IBUs   
1.00 oz              Citra [12.00 %] - Boil 15.0 min          Hop          7        22.5 IBUs   
1.00 oz              Amarillo [9.20 %] - Boil 10.0 min        Hop          8        12.6 IBUs   
1.00 oz              Amarillo [9.20 %] - Boil 5.0 min        Hop          9        6.9 IBUs

—FERM PROCESS-----------------------------
Primary Start: 21 Mar 2016 - 5.00 Days at 67.0 F
Secondary Start: 26 Mar 2016 - 7.00 Days at 67.0 F
Style Carb Range: 2.20-2.70 Vols
Bottling Date: 02 Apr 2016 with 2.3 Volumes CO2:
—NOTES------------------------------------


11

Great idea. Thank you again!

12

You could use a stainless steel ruler as well (thanks to pricelessbrewing for pointing this out to me). Simply measure you kettle interior diameter and use the following equation:

Volume = (Π * r² * H) * 0.004329

Where Π = 3.14, r = kettle radius, H = measured height of wort in kettle in inches and 0.004329  is the conversion factor for in³ to gallons.

13

I think your numbers look fine. I compared them to this calculator (I chose it at random from google): NameBright - Coming Soon

My only suggestion is mashing thinner. Your quarts mash water to pounds grain ratio is about 1.14 now. I would going up to 1.75. Thinner mash is easier to avoid dough balls and I think you will get better efficiency. You can increase that ratio in the mash profile of your recipe (if you want).

14

Derek’s equation is for a perfect cylinder. The bottom of my kettle is not welded on. There is a curve between the bottom and sides. After this curve, I have straight sides (perpendicular to the bottom).

I made my dip stick by pouring gallons into the pot and marking those gallon increments. My kettle has straight sides so I then measured the distance between gallon 1 and 2. The rest of the gallon marks can be marked without pouring water. I then divided the distance between 1 and 2 gallons to get the 1/10th gallon increment value and marked this off on my dip stick between all the gallon graduations. I didn’t mark 1/10th gallon graduations below 1 gallon due to the curve at the bottom of the kettle.

15

Good point. The slight curve in my 12 quart pot is so slight as to make a negligible difference in volume. I’m not really trying to be exact. If I’m pretty dang close I’ll take it.

Thanks for pointing this out though. It’s definitely worth making the distinction.

16

Yup, that formula is only 100% accurate for straight walled cylinders. All the brew kettles I’ve used have had minimal, if any, deviations from that.

Keggles on the other hand are a completely different beast.

17

That curve on the bottom only messes with the data for the curved portion. I.e., the first gallon will have to be determined by adding a gallon of water and marking the point. From there on Derek’s formula will work to calculate any volume over 1 gallon.

18

Good point. After the 1 gallon mark it’s a perfect cylinder.

19

It’s all about the level of precision you’re going for. If the curve is slight enough for the reduction in volume to be negligible the. It’s really a judgement call.

With that said, I think we have laid out a pretty solid procedure detailing the process of creating a nice tool for measuring volume.

I can speak for myself when I say that this has always been an issue for me (measuring volume) so any piece of gear that helps me do it is welcome!

20

Thank you again @alestateyall and to everyone else on this thread!!!