Mr. No-Tip
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 26/9/11
- Messages
- 920
- Reaction score
- 277
Hey Brewers,
I put my new 50l braumeister through its paces this weekend - an IPA and a Porter with the small malt pipe. Things went pretty well, but the efficiency was terrible.
(I realise there's a BM tips and tricks thread, but didn't want to derail it with this can of worms)
Saturday - IPA.
My IPA mashed in 5.45kgs at 23l, step mash: 38,52(10min),65(60min),72(30min),78(15min). Sparged up to 25l, boiled down to ~19l in 90 mins.
I ambitiously planned for 80% efficiency based on experiences I'd read. Beersmith suggested I should have hit 1.054 pre boil and 1.065 post. Instead I got 1.038 and 1.050. That's low 50s efficiency!
Sunday - Porter.
After the IPA issues I tried a finer crack - I'd been wanting to avoid wort fountains, but maybe overcompensated (pics below). I don't actually know what the crack widths are on my millmaster, but it was a couple clicks in from the day before's crack. Pump found it a little harder, but no major issues.
For the Porter I mashed in 5kg of grain at 23l, step mash same as yesterday except went an hour at 67 instead of 65. Same sparge and boil as yesterday.
I decieded I'd build the recipe baes on 70% eff this time. On that basis, grav should been 1.045/1.054, but instead I got 1.038/1.051. Still under 60% efficiency.
Other notes:
- I've attached photos of the two grain cracks - I thought for sure the finer crack would get me out of trouble, but not so. The crack seems to be similar to what I've gotten from the HBS previously. Anymore and I'd be concerned that the BM would struggle to pump
- I was doing the old 'pause and stir' - two or three times during the main mash period.
- Today I noticed that the machine wasn't entirely even - after the wort was pumped it was gravitating to the back slightly - but the flow was still going on all sides of the pipe.
- I think my sparge was 'slow' but don't have much to compare it with. Poured in 1l lots over about a minute - let that drain for a few minutes before the next. Yesterday I poured straight into the grain, but today left the filter on to disperse the liquid more.
My problem isn't the efficiency numbers in terms of grain cost, but due to the water/grain limits, this sort of efficiency just won't let me brew the beers I want.
Any ideas what I could be doing wrong?
I put my new 50l braumeister through its paces this weekend - an IPA and a Porter with the small malt pipe. Things went pretty well, but the efficiency was terrible.
(I realise there's a BM tips and tricks thread, but didn't want to derail it with this can of worms)
Saturday - IPA.
My IPA mashed in 5.45kgs at 23l, step mash: 38,52(10min),65(60min),72(30min),78(15min). Sparged up to 25l, boiled down to ~19l in 90 mins.
I ambitiously planned for 80% efficiency based on experiences I'd read. Beersmith suggested I should have hit 1.054 pre boil and 1.065 post. Instead I got 1.038 and 1.050. That's low 50s efficiency!
Sunday - Porter.
After the IPA issues I tried a finer crack - I'd been wanting to avoid wort fountains, but maybe overcompensated (pics below). I don't actually know what the crack widths are on my millmaster, but it was a couple clicks in from the day before's crack. Pump found it a little harder, but no major issues.
For the Porter I mashed in 5kg of grain at 23l, step mash same as yesterday except went an hour at 67 instead of 65. Same sparge and boil as yesterday.
I decieded I'd build the recipe baes on 70% eff this time. On that basis, grav should been 1.045/1.054, but instead I got 1.038/1.051. Still under 60% efficiency.
Other notes:
- I've attached photos of the two grain cracks - I thought for sure the finer crack would get me out of trouble, but not so. The crack seems to be similar to what I've gotten from the HBS previously. Anymore and I'd be concerned that the BM would struggle to pump
- I was doing the old 'pause and stir' - two or three times during the main mash period.
- Today I noticed that the machine wasn't entirely even - after the wort was pumped it was gravitating to the back slightly - but the flow was still going on all sides of the pipe.
- I think my sparge was 'slow' but don't have much to compare it with. Poured in 1l lots over about a minute - let that drain for a few minutes before the next. Yesterday I poured straight into the grain, but today left the filter on to disperse the liquid more.
My problem isn't the efficiency numbers in terms of grain cost, but due to the water/grain limits, this sort of efficiency just won't let me brew the beers I want.
Any ideas what I could be doing wrong?