Preparing for the next one

[ScottyDoesntKnow]

Knocked out my first BIAB a month ago and overall im pretty happy with how it turned out but my efficiency was a bit off. Just trying to get a better understanding of where I went wrong and looking for a few pointers for the next one please.

Firstly, my pre-boil volume was out by a couple of liters, estimated 14 ended up with 16. Single step infusion mash in an esky but i was so concerned about losing temperature i rushed the grains in and didnt stir them anywhere near as much as i should have. Would this have contributed to the greater than expected wort volume?

Secondly, I boil on a gas stovetop, 19l BigW pot and perhaps the boil wasn't as vigorous as it should be. I also used pilsner malt which other have suggested needs a longer boil than 60 mins. Volume into the fermentor was estimated at 11l but I ended up with 14. With my equipment, maybe I need to boil for a good 30 mins prior to starting my first 60min hop addition for every brew?

I ended up with a SG about 10 points under what i had hoped but FG was 6 points lower so it kind of balanced out in the end. What sort of different flavours would that have imparted on the beer?

I could look at changing my efficiency in BeerSmith but probably should work on brewing technique first?

Cheers

 

[mstrelan]

Work on getting the right volumes. Not necessarily by changing technique, but by configuring BS to match your real world experience. Make sure your thermometer is accurate.