DoctorMick's Brew Days

[Hoddy]

Simple solution. Adjust your greenhouse efficiency in your brewing software. If you are never getting 73% don't set it to that

Greenhouse efficiency [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


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[Hoddy]

Sorry to hear your having such a thought time Mick.

Now I don’t own a GF as I have a BM but most of the principles are the same apart from one is top fed and gravity and the BM is forced up through the bottom.

I can’t help but think that your losing efficiency during the mash. Have you always had the same malt/crush from when you were hitting your numbers, or was there a change? Of any type?

I can’t help but wonder if the pump isn’t performing as it should. If your not circulating the volume you need to then that might well affect your efficiency. As well you might have channelling because your not getting the volume if flow through.

Just a few ideas. I’m sure you’ve got your own ideas to work out where your loosing out.

You’ll suss it [emoji6]


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[Zephyr259]

I've just started milling my own grain and I used the "credit card" width setting, seems to be ok, but I might try a touch finer next time. I find that the grain bed has a tendency to set up in the grainfather so I stir my mash at 15 - 20 mins in, after that I've been getting no flow down the overflow pipe, I'm doing 15L batches with a little over 3 kg of malt and the micro pipework. Haven't seen the need for a 2nd stir but I probably would on a high-gravity brew.

My sparges take 20 - 30 mins I think so if you're a lot quicker than that then that could well be your issue.

Leon also has a point, the extra grain for assuming a lower efficiency will be a lot cheaper than the extract.

Best of luck.

 

[Leon103]

Sorry to hear your having such a thought time Mick.

Now I don’t own a GF as I have a BM but most of the principles are the same apart from one is top fed and gravity and the BM is forced up through the bottom.

I can’t help but think that your losing efficiency during the mash. Have you always had the same malt/crush from when you were hitting your numbers, or was there a change? Of any type?

I can’t help but wonder if the pump isn’t performing as it should. If your not circulating the volume you need to then that might well affect your efficiency. As well you might have channelling because your not getting the volume if flow through.

Just a few ideas. I’m sure you’ve got your own ideas to work out where your loosing out.

You’ll suss it [emoji6]


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Thought time 😂😂😂😂

 

[DoctorMick]

Sorry to hear your having such a thought time Mick.

Now I don’t own a GF as I have a BM but most of the principles are the same apart from one is top fed and gravity and the BM is forced up through the bottom.

I can’t help but think that your losing efficiency during the mash. Have you always had the same malt/crush from when you were hitting your numbers, or was there a change? Of any type?

I can’t help but wonder if the pump isn’t performing as it should. If your not circulating the volume you need to then that might well affect your efficiency. As well you might have channelling because your not getting the volume if flow through.

Just a few ideas. I’m sure you’ve got your own ideas to work out where your loosing out.

You’ll suss it [emoji6]


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I always bought my grains from the same supplier and they were insistent they hadn’t changed their crush so it probably isn’t that.

You could be on to something with the pump tho, I’ve never cleaned it and the flow could well be lower. I’ll try and clean it and see what happens.

 

[Hoddy]

Thought time [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

Tough, tough, ffs spell check ?!!??


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[DoctorMick]

Forced water back through the pump this morning and nothing came out which is disappointing, I was expecting it to be clogged. I’ll try stripping it down for a proper clean when I get time.

 

[MyQul]

I've just missed my mash temp by a couple of degrees so after doing a quick bit of reading about what to do I got it to where it should be.

However whilst I was doing this reading I was reading about conversion in the mash and I thought about you and this thread. Perhaps your getting a low mash conversion for some reason? The way to tell is to do an iodine test. Just get some of the mash liquor and put a drop of iodine in it. if it turns black you've still got sugars in the mash. Some say to do a longer mash (90 mins + ) to ensure conversion. Maybe try this out to see if it improves your efficiency?

 

[Clint]

Interesting. .my last 2 brews had different mash times. ..the 60 minutes gave 68% efficiency the 90 minute 71%...not a massive amount but in the right direction.