Mash efficiency

[cdemaria87]

I am new to brewing and started with brew in a bag all grain. After my first 2 batches is changed this up a bit.

Ok.... so I have been using an one line calculator (brewers friend) to determine my "efficiency". The first 2 brew in a bag tries were at about 45% efficiency so I decided to try it a different way due to it being so poor. Below is the technique and ingredients I used this weekend. I calculate an 84% efficiency (my last 6 batches have been 76-84%). After looking at some of the insanely high priced electric brewing deals and seeing that they mainly get 75-85% efficiency is it possible for me to be in the mid 80s?

2.5 gal batch
Mash: 154-158F 2.75 gallons for 75 mins
Sparge: 170F 1 gallon

All grain double milled in home brew store (idk the size)
3.85# 2 row
.39 Munich
.39 Belgium pilsner
.39 crystal 6th
.19 carastan
.19 carapils

heat water to 158F
Added all grain directly to pot and turned off temp.
When temp hits 154F turn on heat stirring entire time heat is on until reaching 158F (usually do this 3 times in 75 mins)
Pour into nylon bag inside the 5 gal bucket.
Pick up bag and let wort strain and pour wort into pot and put on to boil. While this is heating pout .25 gal 170F water into the grain (in nylon sack sitting on strainer in 5 gal bucket), stir around grain, repeat 3 times. Pour the result if this in pot.
Boil 90 mins
Chill with wort chiller.

Ended with 2.8 gal of wort.
OG: 1.055 (added .004 due to temp being about 87 degrees when tested)

So what is causing my efficiency to be so high? I can't imagine that I am really getting this high of efficiency. I do transfer over all of the wort/turd from the boil pot and from what I have been seeing most try to avoid moving the turn to primary?

Thank you for your help

 

[clibit]

Sounds like you are in America? Using American 2-row? I know the diastiatic power of US 2 and 6 row malts are very high, and this will help conversion. But it also the case that a lot of beginner BIAB brewers get very high efficiency from their mashes. I don't fully follow your process but it sounds like it's working and it's not that unusual for new BIABers to achieve 85%, depending on the grain type, the length of the mash, and any sparging that is done.

 

[cdemaria87]

Thank you. Yes I am in America using American 2 row. My home brew store said they are going to stop making/growing 6 row since the efficiency of the 2 row has gotten so high.

So why do people use the hlt/mash tun method if the efficiency of biab is this high? Why not do one of the electronic all in one systems instead of having 3 different vessels? From what I have seen you can diy one of those electric all in one's for about the same price as the mash tun system and it seems simpler.

 

[clibit]

I do small biab batches but get the mash tun out for my occasional full size batches. There are advantages and disadvantages of each system.

 

[crescent city Mike]

Using your figures, I calculated 77.6% efficiency. Most BIAB brewers I know average 75% so you're doing fine.

 

[RichardM]

Using your figures, I calculated 77.6% efficiency. Most BIAB brewers I know average 75% so you're doing fine.

Did you notice that this thread is 7 years old?

 

[crescent city Mike]

Why, yes I did. Did you notice that the thread jumped out front as soon as someone replied?

 

[RichardM]

Why, yes I did. Did you notice that the thread jumped out front as soon as someone replied?

Yes. I just wondered why you revived a seven year old thread, started by someone who hasn't been on the forum since April 2015.

 

[Pavalijo]

Well I found it interesting, having not seen this thread before, and having recently wondered what my efficiency is.

Is there an easy way to calculate it Mike?

I prefer slightly less alcoholic beer than the seeming trend towards high 5 % and above, so have not been too concerned if I finish a bit lower than a recipe might show.

I was also interested in the very recent thread that suggests that if adjusting for low efficiency it’s not a good idea to increase the speciality malts - better to just compensate with increasing the base malt so that the flavour/body enhancing adjuncts are not overdone and change the end result rather than just preserving ABV as intended. That made sense for me.

However my efficiency seems to only deliver a very slight reduction to ABV which suits me, I’m just interested to calculate what it is…..

 

[RichardM]

Well I found it interesting, having not seen this thread before, and having recently wondered what my efficiency is.

Is there an easy way to calculate it Mike?

I prefer slightly less alcoholic beer than the seeming trend towards high 5 % and above, so have not been too concerned if I finish a bit lower than a recipe might show.

I was also interested in the very recent thread that suggests that if adjusting for low efficiency it’s not a good idea to increase the speciality malts - better to just compensate with increasing the base malt so that the flavour/body enhancing adjuncts are not overdone and change the end result rather than just preserving ABV as intended. That made sense for me.

However my efficiency seems to only deliver a very slight reduction to ABV which suits me, I’m just interested to calculate what it is…..

You could use this to workout you brewhouse efficiency

www.brewersfriend.com/brewhouse-efficiency/

This article explains mash efficiency
http://www.howtobrew.com/book/section-2/what-is-malted-grain/mash-efficiency

 

[crescent city Mike]

https://crescentcitybrewtalk.com/calculating-brewhouse-efficiency/
I wrote this article some years ago. It explains most of what I know and utilize on every batch.