Conversion rate and efficiency

[Clint]

I got mine,in my 3v system,from low 60's to low 70's by swapping the bazooka filter out of the mash tun for a copper manifold. I also maintain sparge water temp and sparge s-l-o-w-l-y....I also put a perforated piece of foil in top of the mash...dunno if this helps but I like poking holes in it with a pointy thing.
I'm wondering if I could get a solid sided,mesh bottom malt basket made for the mash tun which I could lift for sparging??

 

[foxy]

I got mine,in my 3v system,from low 60's to low 70's by swapping the bazooka filter out of the mash tun for a copper manifold. I also maintain sparge water temp and sparge s-l-o-w-l-y....I also put a perforated piece of foil in top of the mash...dunno if this helps but I like poking holes in it with a pointy thing.
I'm wondering if I could get a solid sided,mesh bottom malt basket made for the mash tun which I could lift for sparging??

Why change anything Clint? If your in a good place don't go complicating it. crescent city Mike nailed it. Get what you can with what you have, the goal is producing a beer to your satisfaction consistantly. Anyone embarking on a pissing contest with regards to efficiency won't get the rewards of a satisfying beer. The difference cost wise of a 55% efficiency to a 75% is a poofteenth of buggar all.

 

[Clint]

Why change anything Clint? If your in a good place don't go complicating it. crescent city Mike nailed it. Get what you can with what you have, the goal is producing a beer to your satisfaction consistantly. Anyone embarking on a pissing contest with regards to efficiency won't get the rewards of a satisfying beer. The difference cost wise of a 55% efficiency to a 75% is a poofteenth of buggar all.

You're right! It would probably cost a bit too...

 

[crescent city Mike]

The expected efficiency is about 65%-75% for BIAB, 75%-85% for brewing systems, and 90%-95% for professional setups.

Which professional setups get 90% - 95% efficiency?

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Which professional setups get 90% - 95% efficiency?

All of them aim to

 

[RoomWithABrew]

some brew systems commercial have presses to squeeze the grain bone dry nearly. That improves efficiency.
Such as this.

https://metchem.com/mash-filter-press-brewing/

 

[Polcho]

I was wondering about the effect of wringing the grain out.
Would it not introduce more tannin?

 

[Clint]

some brew systems commercial have presses to squeeze the grain bone dry nearly. That improves efficiency.
Such as this.

https://metchem.com/mash-filter-press-brewing/

I should add that after I finish sparging I tilt the mash tun then press the drained grain bed with something flat...usually a takeaway tub..I can extract well over a litre of extra wort doing this.

 

[darlacat]

What impact does mash thickness have on efficiency and conversion? I've read lots of conflicting information - some claiming that e.g. 2.5L/kg will give greater efficiency, others claiming that thinner mashes are more efficient.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I did 3 simple things which improved my BHE and its consistency from <60% to >70%. These were
1. Mash thickness of 3:1 from2.5:1.
2. Stirring the mash ever 15 minutes for about 1 minute. I also reduced my mash time from 90 to 60 minutes.
3. Batch sparge for 20 minutes rather than fly sparging, also stirring the mash.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

What impact does mash thickness have on efficiency and conversion? I've read lots of conflicting information - some claiming that e.g. 2.5L/kg will give greater efficiency, others claiming that thinner mashes are more efficient.

I might be wrong, but I dont think it is actually the thicker mash itself that increases the efficiency. Using less mash water to create the thicker mash means more sparge water and a longer sparge which is where I think most of the increased efficiency is obtained.

 

[foxy]

I was wondering about the effect of wringing the grain out.
Would it not introduce more tannin?

It was thought to, but the general concensus now is that it doesn't increase tannin I put a weight on my grain of about 15-20 kg to squeeze extra wort out.

 

[RoomWithABrew]

I agree with the pressing post sparge, certainly can get a litre or two out and it seems to have a gravity of about 1015 so it's worth tipping into the boil, or freeze it and save as a yeast starter base.

 

[crescent city Mike]

What impact does mash thickness have on efficiency and conversion?

Mash thickness seems to be a great mystery to many. Our army, as brewers, are the enzymes which break-down crushed grain from one kind of carbohydrate to another . . . from starch to sugar. It is our job to provide the enzymes with the conditions most favorable to make this happen.
https://crescentcitybrewtalk.com/mash-thickness/

 

[moto748]

I did 3 simple things which improved my BHE and its consistency from <60% to >70%. These were
1. Mash thickness of 3:1 from2.5:1.
2. Stirring the mash ever 15 minutes for about 1 minute. I also reduced my mash time from 90 to 60 minutes.
3. Batch sparge for 20 minutes rather than fly sparging, also stirring the mash.

Interesting. I have noticed that in my last couple of brews, BHE has fallen quite drastically, despite me being (I would say!) more careful and efficient in my work. So I wonder why this is. I have considered, less mash water and add that to the sparge. But then on the other hand some posters speak of no sparge at all, and seem to do just fine!

Presumably the logic of reducing the mash time is that any small marginal gain in conversion from the longer mash is less significant that the increased boil-off loss?

I'd much rather be a couple of litres short of my target batch size than end up with an under-powered FG and have to pad it out with sugar or DME.
But I am coming to the conclusion that if my efficiencies remain low, I might be best advised to simply increase the quantity of base malt in each recipe by say 10%, and see how that goes.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Interesting. I have noticed that in my last couple of brews, BHE has fallen quite drastically, despite me being (I would say!) more careful and efficient in my work. So I wonder why this is. I have considered, less mash water and add that to the sparge. But then on the other hand some posters speak of no sparge at all, and seem to do just fine!

Presumably the logic of reducing the mash time is that any small marginal gain in conversion from the longer mash is less significant that the increased boil-off loss?

I'd much rather be a couple of litres short of my target batch size than end up with an under-powered FG and have to pad it out with sugar or DME.
But I am coming to the conclusion that if my efficiencies remain low, I might be best advised to simply increase the quantity of base malt in each recipe by say 10%, and see how that goes.

There are several things that affect efficiency.

One factor is how fine or coarse your grain is milled - do you mill your own grain? If not, have you changed supplier or started using a new batch of grain?

Another is your sparge process. I changed mine and efficiency increased by nearly 15%. Have you changed your sparge technique?

pH is another factor. Do you check/manage your pH during the mash?

The type of mash and temperature can also be a factor I’ve found. Have you made any changes here?

 

[moto748]

I wondered about the grain. Perhaps I could do a 'test mash' on the stove.

What is it, a pound of malt in a (US?) gallon of water should give 1037? Or something like that?

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

I wondered about the grain. Perhaps I could do a 'test mash' on the stove.

What is it, a pound of malt in a (US?) gallon of water should give 1037? Or something like that?

It depends on the grain you’re using but that’s good enough for a base malt. That would be the maximum potential extraction so your results will of course be lower.

What you might not be taking into account though is all your system losses through boil-off, whatever gets left in the sump when you transfer wort to the fermenter, etc.

 

[moto748]

Thanks. As for boil-off losses, well, I take the view that I've always had those. Likewise with sparging; I don't see any great change in sparging technique that matches the timeline of increased inefficiency.

Reckon I'll do that test tomorrow morning and see how it looks.

Crudely, by batch sparging as opposed to fly-sparging, do you mean 'marinating' the bag of grain in hot water rather than spraying/sprinkling the water onto it?

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Crudely, by batch sparging as opposed to fly-sparging, do you mean 'marinating' the bag of grain in hot water rather than spraying/sprinkling the water onto it?

That’s right.