first go at all grain... :/

[zorak1066]

only got 50% efficiency??? ph too high due to added water to cool mash down to mash temp (strike was too hot)... no sparge biab... oh well. so my imperial stout is now just a regular stout.

better luck next time I guess.

50 per cent... wow. total suckage. ive a good idea of all the mistakes I made... disappointed but not discouraged.

[Beer-lord]

Hey, don't give up. Go over what you did, read up a bit more, ask questions and try again. You still made beer.

[zorak1066]

yep. that's my attitude... made a bunch of newbie mistakes. didn't mash long enough... next time i'll mash in less water and do a sparge. ph papers are aggrevating. they read too high until the mash is nearly completely done. At start plus 15 mins it read 6.5 ish... when it should have read 5.7 according to all math. at mash end another reading came out 5.6 ish... meters cost too much so for now i'll just have to wing it.

another problem I need to seriously stop being a propane miser and crank that sucker up. I'm not hitting my final gravity because I don't get a strong boil going.


but hey! like you said I made beer. it will just be a simple stout... smells good.. and wife will be using the spent grains in a bread or two so...

shocked at how much grain 5.5 lbs of grain actually is.

-z-

[FedoraDave]

It's all part of the learning process. You'll find your way very soon, I've no doubt.

And even though it's really none of my business, I'll add this:

You seem to be very concerned about the numbers, particularly the pH. Now, it's your beer, and your process, and everyone is different. Everyone's circumstances are different, too, and you may need to really work on your water composition to make it as suitable as possible. So I'm perfectly willing for you to take this with a grain of salt.

I rarely concern myself with my water composition and I've never checked my mash pH. My mind doesn't work that way, and trying to incorporate this into my brewing would make it a chore for me, rather than a relaxing pleasure. Some numbers and equations are vital, and so I've become accustomed to working out my mash volume and sparge volume, and calculating my OG/FG/ABV numbers. But that's as far as I go with the science-y stuff. I figure I'm making beer, not sending a rocket to the moon; it'll work out even if conditions are slightly off from what would be perfect. And the beer I make pleases me, both in the making and in the drinking, so even if I could change things and make the best beer I could possibly make, that isn't necessarily my highest priority for engaging in this hobby.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share a little of my philosophy in the hope that it'll give you a little more perspective about this episode.

[Inkleg]

Don't worry that's right about the efficiently of my first BIAB batch.
A few things I do now to make a difference.

I always add 1 pound of base malt to every beer that I never list in the recipe.
Have a BIAB bag that fits my pot and allows room for the grains.
Beers below 1.050 I use full mash water volume.
Beers 1.055 to 1.070 I hold back 1 gallon to sparge with.
Larger than that I'll hold back even more water for sparging. Have found no difference using cold water over 168* water. Well other than the bag is cooler when squeezing and I'll squeeze the heck out of the bag.
Each batch will get a little better.

You think 5.5 lbs is a lot, wait till you mash 24 lbs for a RIS.

What size batch and what OG were you shooting for?

[Bluejaye]

My 2 cents is to look into your grain crush. My first attempt at BIAB was pretty low (50%). The only difference between my first and my second is that I bought my own mill, instead of letting my LHBS do it. I still had temp issues with my mash, but my efficiency was within reason (75%).

[JohnSant]

My BIAB brewing I read the article on HomeBrewTalk about it, It was recommended to have the grains double crushed and extend the mash time to 90 min.. The last batch I did seemed to help with 78% compared to the 68% I got from before(just my 2 cent worth).

[Crazy Climber]

My 2 cents is to look into your grain crush.

Good point. Zorak, you say you did a BIAB. When going BIAB, most brewers use a finer-than-normal crush (or if you order crushed grains, ask your LHBS to run it through twice), to help with no-sparge sugar extraction.

Every batch is a learning experience. Take your lessons-learned from the first, apply those lessons to the next, and so on. Then take enjoyment from the improvement you see -- and you surely will see improvement. Cheers!

[Inkleg]

Great catch guys, I totally forgot about the double crush.

[jimjohson]

I never could get good efficiencies BIAB best I hit was 58%. Then I figured out how to emulate the traditional grain brewers w/o having to buy all that extra equipment(I'm cheap). Now my average is 70.4% efficiency. if I was you I'd keep lb or 2 of DME around to beef up you brews till you work out the efficiency Problem. FWIW I'd use the pre boil gravity, just add very light DME till you achieve the estimated pre boil efficiency.

[Foothiller]

Don't worry, and stay with it. I have learned more from making mistakes, sorting out what happened, and making corrections, than from doing a particular batch right. One of my first all-grain batches was my only one ever to just go down the drain. Your efficiency will improve, but you don't need to fret over it. In my all-grain class at a LHBS, the owner (who has been a pro brewer) showed the calculations after brewing the demo batch, came up with 65%, and said "what, that doesn't happen!"

[Ibasterd]

I wouldn't worry about it too much. I do BIAB and rarely hit my target OG. I have not bothered to figure out my actual efficiency. It bothers me a little but not to much. I have experimented with sparging and have not had much of an improvement. On my last batch which is still fermenting I did a step mash, where I raised the temp in stages and held the mash at each for a specific amount of time. My OG was higher than normal so that may be a variable to consider. If I really want to get a higher OG, I usually just add a bit more base malt. Like Dave, I try not to stress out too much. I have enough stress at work trying to figure things out, so when I brew, I try to go more freestyle. Broad strokes. Just try to enjoy the fact that you made beer with AG. I was blown away on my first AG batch that I had made great beer without any help from extracts.

[Beer-lord]

I've never, ever double crushed and my BIAB brews are usually at 80% effeciency or better. My worst is about 75%. Not to say it won't help or maybe my grain mill is just that good.
But, here's what I do that I think really helps. I stir every 10-15 minutes vigorously during the mash. Since I don't have a hoist and 15 lbs of grain is just to heavy for this old man to lift, I use a good, double layer mesh strainer and remove about half the grain from the BIAB bag into 2 other grain bags in buckets. I then squeeze all the bags to get as much love out of them as possible until I reach my pre-boil volume. For larger beers, I may sparge but this works up to about 1.070 for me.
I think the straining released more of the sugars as well as the squeezing.
Each person has their own process and when you find yours, you're golden.

[DaYooper]

First one is always a learning experience, and if not you are doing something wrong. Good to see you took good notes and learned where to improve!

[mashani]

FWIW, I stir the mash 3-4 times, and I sometimes tend to have a thicker mash then some would for BIAB due to pot size restrictions and then need to top up for the boil... since I have a smaller pot and can only do 2.5 gallons AG, I am using a small enough amount of grain where I can do a "tea bag sparge", as in I pull the bag, let it drain, dunk it, pull it, let it drain, repeat until the running's become much lighter in color. I typically am getting 70-80% efficiencies doing this. I do the same for 5 gallon batches, except those are in effect partial mashes, with this same process as the PM and extract to build up the rest of the beer, with a top up at the end, due to pot size / stove top boiling restrictions.

I'm usually doing it as an oven mash, which works well for me since I'm using smaller pots.