OVHA Chat

Just out of curiosity, for those who keep track of these things, what are you getting for brewhouse efficiency?

I've been using BrewAlchemy for the last year or so, and I like it very much. Problem is that my extraction efficiency is way high, and I've had to back off on the malt to get the OG I want. On the last two batches I've gotten 83% or higher -- needless to say, my beers are too strong! I made a Kolsch today, aiming at an OG of 10.041 and got 10.044, more than I wanted since I wanted a dry, fairly low alcohol beer. I was long on volume, too, for once, so if I'd boiled down that last couple quarts it would have been higher.

Not that alcohol in the beer is a problem, I just want to chose the level.

Peter

I brewed an Irish Red yesterday.

10.3 lbs Marris Otter
5.0 oz Cara-pils
3.75oz Chocolate

PBG 1.043 for 7 gallons of wort. Single infusion batch sparge in a 48qt Igloo Icecube style cooler with a stainless steel mesh hose in the bottom.

Brewer's Friend.com's calculator results = 73.72%.

This is typical for me, sometimes higher but never below 70% yet.

My average has been around 75%.

I get 79% efficiencies with single temperature infusion. My efficiency increases to 83% using multiple temperature steps.
Regardless. It's my belief that it's easier to dilute down than it is to boil off. So I still figure my normal 79% house efficiency and take gravity readings. Sometimes I add additional water to preboil, sometimes adding water during boil, or lengthen boil before hop additions to get the gravity intended.
Sometimes I just go with the gravity I have and adjust hop additions to better match the beer that will result.

I am getting about 89-90% efficiency using the fly sparge method.

I was reading in a recent BYO Magazine about no sparge brewing. The article suggests you can get a more malty and fresher tasing beer at about 70% efficiency. Is it true for your beer to taste this way when your efficiency is at this lower level? I noticed that none of the beers I brew have been exceptionally good beers. They have all been average beers. Could the high efficiency have an effect on the overall mouthfeel and if so, how do I lower my efficiency without spending a lot of money?

I don't believe extraction efficiency lends itself to maltiness, or lack thereof. Sun King in Indianapolis is running the same efficiencies as you. BMC I'm sure is running 95-97%, maybe higher efficiencies.
I wouldn't try to purposely get lower efficiency with the thought this will make better beer. If that were the case, the argument would be, "why sparge at all?"
I would work on recipe formulation, fermentation control, yeast management, etc. basically brew, brew, brew, changing only 1-2 things each time till you find what your looking for.
If a more malty beer is what you're after try decreasing bittering hops, mashing at higher temps, ferment cooler, use different grains like Munich or dextrine malts, use more malt, etc.

What John said and:
It might be a pH issue;
You need to know to tell you for sure. But if it's low in bicarbonate that could effect both conversion, body and flavour profile when you brew dark beers, since higher SRM values can drop the pH.
It could also be a sulfate / chloride issue;
pH does effect the conversion. In combination with other problems (i.e high sulfate to chloride ratio) could affect maltiness.
The 5.2 is kind of a no-brainer might be worth a shot if you're not using it now.

Also
check your thermometers to make certain your not mashing at too low a temp.

Remember you get to drink all your mistakes...

A lot of things affect beer quality that are related to sparging. If you are not controlling the pH of your sparge water, you should start (drop it to less than 5.6). If you sparge with higher pH water you will extract excessive tannins from the grain husks, giving that "grainy" taste. You will also extract some unpleasant proteins, I think.

Sparge rate has an effect on both extraction and flavor/mouthfeel. Too fast, and you leave behind some of the small chain proteins that enhance smoothness, head retention, and the "full" mouth sensation, too slow and you will extract excessive lipid and get some harshness along with the tannins. Too fast will reduce the extraction, too.

Greg Noonan recommends at least an hour, preferably an hour and a half sparge time, with the sparge ending with the final runnings at about SG 1.010. This will get most of the sugars and soluble proteins out of the grist particles without excessive tannins or lipids.

Gist crush also has an effect -- the finer the crush, the better the extration, with the proviso that too fine will get you a stuck mash instead, something you do NOT want.

You should also recirculate until the wort is perfectly clear. Draff (particles, as opposed to precipitating protein) tastes terrible, quite harshly bitter with bad flavor to boot. You can improve your beer by this step -- works best if you have a good filter bed and a fine mesh screen or tubing in the bottom of your lauter tun. Takes longer with a slotted pipe, but it's still worth the effort.

Last but not least, and having nothing to do with sparging, try to get all the trub out of your beer before fermentation starts. Fusel alcohols, unpleasant phenolic flavors, and excessive esters all come from too much trub, and if it contains pelletized hops, nasty flavors from them too. I think I'm going back to allowing the beer to stand for a few hours and racking it off again like I used to do rather than leaving the last bit of the trub in the fermenter. Better beer, I think.

Peter