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BeerSmith OG different from recipe. Brewhouse efficiency poor.

babychef

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I have a few questions that arose from my last brew session. I could use some help in troubleshooting it.

First, I bought an all-grain Altbier kit from an online supplier. So that I could calculate the appropriate mineral additions and pH adjustments, they were nice enough to give me a detail of the grain bill. I entered all that data into BeerSmith. One thing I noticed was that the expected OG that BeerSmith reported was quite different from that of the supplier. BeerSmith showed an expected OG of 1.055, while the kit showed an OG of 1.046. What could account for that difference? Also, my measured OG was 1.041 with the appropriate batch volume. Would you have tried to increase that OG with DME? If so, would you aim for the 1.046 or the 1.055?

Second, I had poor brewhouse efficiency, 56%, with this brew session. I use BIAB. The grains were double-crushed. The pH was 5.38. I did a multi-step mash with very good temperature control. I mashed out at 165 for 20 minutes. I decided not to squeeze the bag after the mash this time, and just let it drip. I have read a study online that showed that beers are slightly more cloudy when the bag is squeezed, although there is no real difference in flavor or color. Any suggestions to improve my brewhouse efficiency? Should I just squeeze the bag every time? Should I not worry so much and just use more grain next time?

Thanks.
 
babychef said:
I have a few questions that arose from my last brew session. I could use some help in troubleshooting it.

First, I bought an all-grain Altbier kit from an online supplier. So that I could calculate the appropriate mineral additions and pH adjustments, they were nice enough to give me a detail of the grain bill. I entered all that data into BeerSmith. One thing I noticed was that the expected OG that BeerSmith reported was quite different from that of the supplier. BeerSmith showed an expected OG of 1.055, while the kit showed an OG of 1.046. What could account for that difference? Also, my measured OG was 1.041 with the appropriate batch volume. Would you have tried to increase that OG with DME? If so, would you aim for the 1.046 or the 1.055?

Are you using your own personalized equipment profile?  The biggest difference is most likely a difference in the expected efficiency or losses in the process between the profile you have in BeerSmith and the expected at which the recipe was designed

Second, I had poor brewhouse efficiency, 56%, with this brew session. I use BIAB. The grains were double-crushed. The pH was 5.38. I did a multi-step mash with very good temperature control. I mashed out at 165 for 20 minutes. I decided not to squeeze the bag after the mash this time, and just let it drip. I have read a study online that showed that beers are slightly more cloudy when the bag is squeezed, although there is no real difference in flavor or color. Any suggestions to improve my brewhouse efficiency? Should I just squeeze the bag every time? Should I not worry so much and just use more grain next time?

When you say you had 'poor brewhouse efficiency, are you off in gravity or in volumes?  Or possibly both?  If you have designed your equipment profile around squeezing the bag and the efficiency from that process and you did not this time, that might account for any lossdue to low volume.  Was your pre-boil volume and gravity close to target?  Did you have a large loss in trub post boil? 

Thanks.

Lastly, I read a lot of things on line.  Most of the "data" being quoted is anecdotal and specific to one person's process or observations.  I squeeze pretty hard and have not had a problem producing brilliantly clear beers.  My Pilsner took a bronze with a score of 38.5 in competition 10 months after being bottled with a comment about how brilliantly clear it was.  (No oxidation either, just a loss of hop aroma kept it from scoring higher.).  Everybody's process is different, even when they are following the same basic script, so try things out and brew in whatever method works for you!

 
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