BIAB, efficiency and ABV...

[Tony121]

Not trying to make it harder, just trying to help with your queries.

To put it simply, you don’t need to hit a certain BH efficiency, you just need to know what your’s is. Once you do, you can cater for it with known recipes. If you are not sure, start with 70% and adjust from there once you know how your system capabilities.

These may help;
https://www.brewersfriend.com/brewhouse-efficiency/

http://beersmith.com/blog/2008/10/26/brewhouse-efficiency-for-all-grain-beer-brewing/

 

[MHB]

Tony121 has covered most of what needs saying, especially on efficiency they are asking for the imposable (well improbable any way) if you want a bit lower FG, lower your mash temperature a couple of degrees.
Couple of things not quite right with your recipe, the very high efficiency, the need for 102oC water for hitting mash-out (Hummmm)...
Seriously worth ordering a recipe from Brewman, he is my local and I find he gives good value and has great ingredients, if you are setting up BrewBuilder, the default settings will be close, just set the crush to fine for BIAB.

Mark

 

[TheSumOfAllBeers]

Seems a bit disingenuous to expect close to 100% bh efficiency. Would call that false advertising myself.

 

[Drover's dog]

Not trying to make it harder, just trying to help with your queries.

To put it simply, you don’t need to hit a certain BH efficiency, you just need to know what your’s is. Once you do, you can cater for it with known recipes. If you are not sure, start with 70% and adjust from there once you know how your system capabilities.

These may help;
https://www.brewersfriend.com/brewhouse-efficiency/

http://beersmith.com/blog/2008/10/26/brewhouse-efficiency-for-all-grain-beer-brewing/

Tony/Mark
Appreciate what you are saying and after further reading and taking in comments from other members I can now see that the word “efficiency” is used in a similar fashion to “Benchmark”… if I’m trying to hit my Benchmark which is, say 70% then I design brews to suit.

 

[Drover's dog]

I have one final (you hope) question…
The question came about while I was looking at numbers associated with brew calcs. Trub volume is the issue - my brew kettle has an elbow outlet on the inside, if turned in a horizontal position I would retain 2.5 litres of trub, if turned vertically I would retain 5 litres of trub. Which of these positions is most suitable.

 

[Drover's dog]

Hi guys,

For your interest I have attached a brew day sheet from the same source as the Belgian Gold you saw yesterday. This as you will see in an English IPA that I have not yet brewed - any comments before I make a start?

 

[wide eyed and legless]

I have one final (you hope) question…
The question came about while I was looking at numbers associated with brew calcs. Trub volume is the issue - my brew kettle has an elbow outlet on the inside, if turned in a horizontal position I would retain 2.5 litres of trub, if turned vertically I would retain 5 litres of trub. Which of these positions is most suitable.

What if it turned down towards the bottom? That would be less trub retention again.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

Hi guys,

For your interest I have attached a brew day sheet from the same source as the Belgian Gold you saw yesterday. This as you will see in an English IPA that I have not yet brewed - any comments before I make a start?

Most of the experts I have read recommend a 90 minute boil.

 

[Drover's dog]

My query is really about how much trub should I actually separate from the wort going to the fermenter. Is it 2.5 litres, 5 litres (which seems a bit much) or none in the case that I turn the outlet south. Then everything hits the fermenter.

Most of the experts I have read recommend a 90 minute boil.

 

[wide eyed and legless]

My query is really about how much trub should I actually separate from the wort going to the fermenter. Is it 2.5 litres, 5 litres (which seems a bit much) or none in the case that I turn the outlet south. Then everything hits the fermenter.

Then what you need is a Lauter Helix
https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/lauter-helix.95579/page-9#post-1504748

 

[MHB]

Keep it simple, you should leave 5-10% in the bottom of the kettle.
Truth is you cant filter trub out of wort (well not easily nor cheaply) it isn't hop matter we want to leave behind its the condensed protein and tannins that are dropped out during the boil (one of the main reasons we boil a wort).
So if you want to knockout (send to fermenter) 23L, 5% would be about 1.15L, 10% will be around 2.3L. looks like leaving the elbow horizontal would be a good starting point.
You will get better beer not trying to get every drop of wort out that you can, to me its pretty silly to get one more litre and make all the other 22 worse.

Going to attach a bit of reading for you, these are from the training material for the certificate in brewing, basic but well documented, (not just an opinion - brewing science)
Mark

 

[Drover's dog]

Keep it simple, you should leave 5-10% in the bottom of the kettle.
Truth is you cant filter trub out of wort (well not easily nor cheaply) it isn't hop matter we want to leave behind its the condensed protein and tannins that are dropped out during the boil (one of the main reasons we boil a wort).
So if you want to knockout (send to fermenter) 23L, 5% would be about 1.15L, 10% will be around 2.3L. looks like leaving the elbow horizontal would be a good starting point.
You will get better beer not trying to get every drop of wort out that you can, to me its pretty silly to get one more litre and make all the other 22 worse.

Going to attach a bit of reading for you, these are from the training material for the certificate in brewing, basic but well documented, (not just an opinion - brewing science)
Mark

Many thanks, I shall read on...

 

[Drover's dog]

Then what you need is a Lauter Helix
https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/lauter-helix.95579/page-9#post-1504748

Looks like the deal for hops too, where can I get hold of one?

 

[MHB]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo..........
If hops are coming out so is the other trub, getting rid of which is one of the main the reasons for boiling the wort.
Don't get a lauter helix, false bottom, corrugated watsit...
Do your boil, add your Kettle Fining (Irish moss, Whirlfloc, Copperfloc, BrewBright...) whirlpool, wait until all motion ceases, slowly run off the wort, either to a chiller, to a cube or what ever.
Leave the crap in the bottom of the kettle where it belongs.

Just remember that the condensed protein/polyphenol is basically jelly (fairly hard to see), if you have hop debris coming out.
STOP AND THINK
Thinking is free and will save you a whole bunch of grief later.
You can easily filter out hops, but filtering out trub is a bit like a condom, gives you a false sense of security whilst being screwed!
Mark

 

[Drover's dog]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo..........
If hops are coming out so is the other trub, getting rid of which is one of the main the reasons for boiling the wort.
Don't get a lauter helix, false bottom, corrugated watsit...
Do your boil, add your Kettle Fining (Irish moss, Whirlfloc, Copperfloc, BrewBright...) whirlpool, wait until all motion ceases, slowly run off the wort, either to a chiller, to a cube or what ever.
Leave the crap in the bottom of the kettle where it belongs.

Just remember that the condensed protein/polyphenol is basically jelly (fairly hard to see), if you have hop debris coming out.
STOP AND THINK
Thinking is free and will save you a whole bunch of grief later.
You can easily filter out hops, but filtering out trub is a bit like a condom, gives you a false sense of security whilst being screwed!
Mark

OOPS!!!