1 gallon experiments - low efficiency

[patchtech]

So, I've been filling my time trying to learn the all grain process with 1 gallon batches while waiting for my fermenter to free up.

This weekends batch ended up particularly poorly, and curious if i'm just doing something obvious. I am attempting a 5 gallon this upcoming weekend, and would at least like to know if it's just something with the ridiculously low volume.

I'm using 2 pounds of some random base grain I have (bins weren't labeled, either pilsner, maris otter, or 2 row)

I heated 3 quarts of water to my strike temp (1.5q/lb), and dropped my grain in a bag into the water and mixed it up. (the bag is mainly because the cooler i'm using is a cheap small igloo cooler that has no bottom drainage).

then, I rinsed the grains with the remaining water over a strainer into the pot with the rest of my water to get to 2 gallons (this was mainly improvisation. My actual mash tun i'll be able to recirculate and batch sparge properly).

My water temp started out at 156. 15 minutes in, it was at 153. I ignored it for the rest of the time b/c of the amount of head space in the cooler. After 60 minutes, it read 140.

After all this was said and done, I took a hydrometer reading at it was reading about 1.014 @ 120 degrees. temperature correction calculator converted that to about 1.023 @ 60 degrees.

When plugged in to an efficiency calculator, this is less than 50%

My grain mill is set so that the rollers just barely grip a credit card's flat area and "stops" at the raised numbers.

Any troubleshooting thoughts? Hopefully i'm just being silly and making obvious mistakes.

My current assumption is the "clumpyness" of the grain due to a lower water level, mixed with "wtf" processes compensating for lack of good equipment.

I do not know the quality of my water, but it was ran though a refrigerator water filter.

I'm not too worried about messing up this weekends batch, as I'll be doing biermuncher's centennial blond, so a pretty cost effective learning grain bill from what I can tell.

 

[auburntsts]

My guess is that the mash temp fell from 153 to 140 too quickly so you didn't get good conversion. Unless you multi-rest/decoction mash raising the temp to various "steps" for a given period of time, you want to keep the mash temp as constant as possible for the whole hour, say 152ish for your experiment.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Suggestions:

• Mash with the full volume and don't sparge. This is mostly for simplicity, but it also helps the mash hold temperature for small batches.
• Pre-heat the cooler. One method is to over-heat the water and put it in the cooler for at least 10 minutes. Then stir and/or use ice to bring the temp down to the correct strike temp. Add the grain while stirring. This process reduces temperature loss during the mash.
• Chill the sample before measuring with a hydrometer.

I really question that hydrometer reading....
That's way too hot to take a good reading.
Was it after sparging? There might have been stratification.

When plugged in to an efficiency calculator, this is less than 50%

You got 62% mash efficiency based on that reading.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/brewhouse-efficiency/

 

[patchtech]

Suggestions:

• Mash with the full volume and don't sparge. This is mostly for simplicity, but it also helps the mash hold temperature for small batches.

Will do

• Pre-heat the cooler. One method is to over-heat the water and put it in the cooler for at least 10 minutes. Then stir and/or use ice to bring the temp down to the correct strike temp. Add the grain while stirring. This process reduces temperature loss during the mash.

Will do

• Chill the sample before measuring with a hydrometer.

I really question that hydrometer reading....
That's way too hot to take a good reading.

*shrug* Good to know, will wait longer next time. Was in a bit of a hurry balancing daddy duties. In retrospect, it makes complete perfect sense, but I didn't think about it at the time.

Was it after sparging? There might have been stratification.

Is that like, layers? Because after leaving it on the counter to cool, I definitely noticed a layering pattern in the middle of the container. Haven't heard the term used in this context before, but I assume it's something along the lines of layers of different concentrations. (gross assumption explanations, will actually google later for the technical details)

You got 62% mash efficiency based on that reading.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/brewhouse-efficiency/

Hrm.. that must've been the previous weeks experiment then. Still, seemed pretty low.

Thanks for the thorough resopnse!

 

[mongoose33]

I don't think you have enough grain--not sure what you were expecting.

A 2# grain bill with 2 gallons of water is akin to 6# with 6 gallons. Very few recipes I brew have a grain bill less than 10#.

I over-produce my beers a bit to account for losses in the mash tun dead space, counterflow chiller, trub, hoses, pump, like that--and I typically have 1.5 pounds of grain per gallon or more. I do single infusion (no sparge, analogous to BIAB in a sense), and my efficiency is fine.

So--think about how much grain and how much water.

Another issue is this: I'm not sure what your process is. You say you put the grain in the strike water (1.5 quarts/pound), and then you say "then, I rinsed the remaining grains over a strainer into the pot with the rest of my water to get to 2 gallons (this was mainly improvisation. "

I'm not sure what that means, i.e., what the process was. "Remaining" grains? Was all the grain in the mash tun? Are you just rinsing the grain after removing from the mash? That's what it sounds like, but unsure.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Is that like, layers?

Yes, you got it. The first runnings have more sugar, making it more dense, so it will sit on the bottom of the kettle. The sparged wort is less sense and will sit on top.

Here's a tequila sunrise; the different colors let you easily see the stratification (the grenadine is more dense).


It takes thorough mixing to homogenize the density.

 

[auburntsts]

I don't think you have enough grain--not sure what you were expecting.

A 2# grain bill with 2 gallons of water is akin to 6# with 6 gallons. Very few recipes I brew have a grain bill less than 10#.

I over-produce my beers a bit to account for losses in the mash tun dead space, counterflow chiller, trub, hoses, pump, like that--and I typically have 1.5 pounds of grain per gallon or more. I do single infusion (no sparge, analogous to BIAB in a sense), and my efficiency is fine.

So--think about how much grain and how much water.

Yep. I brew a lot of stovetop full volume BIAB small batches (1.25 gal packaged) and my grain bills are in the 3.5 lbs range.

 

[patchtech]

Another issue is this: I'm not sure what your process is. You say you put the grain in the strike water (1.5 quarts/pound), and then you say "then, I rinsed the remaining grains over a strainer into the pot with the rest of my water to get to 2 gallons (this was mainly improvisation. "

This was not the best wording, I'll admit. I meant to say i rinsed my remaining water over the grains with a strainer. Kinda just macgyvering what I could in the moment.

A 2# grain bill with 2 gallons of water is akin to 6# with 6 gallons. Very few recipes I brew have a grain bill less than 10#.

2 gallons is the pre-boil volume, 1 gallon is the target post-boil volume. (which I also missed significantly... Had only half a gallon left post boil. but that's another problem). I got the 2lbs figure by using brewers friend and trying to achieve ~5.5% abv with a 1 gallon batch. It seemed a safe round figure to use consistently with 1 gallon batches to get the hang of things while I learn by failing. 2 gallons pre-boil b/c of estimated 1 gallon loss during boil.

 

[mongoose33]

2 gallons is the pre-boil volume, 1 gallon is the target post-boil volume. (which I also missed significantly... Had only half a gallon left post boil. but that's another problem). I got the 2lbs figure by using brewers friend and trying to achieve ~5.5% abv with a 1 gallon batch. It seemed a safe round figure to use consistently with 1 gallon batches to get the hang of things while I learn by failing. 2 gallons pre-boil b/c of estimated 1 gallon loss during boil.

If you had only 1/2 gallon left and boiled off 1.5 gallons, that's a lot. Typically people having 6-6.5 gallons to start in the boil of a 5 gallon batch, and boil off a gallon. I'd be looking to slowly boil off a proportional amount in a smaller brew.

But you're experimenting and learning, so it's all good.

 

[patchtech]

If you had only 1/2 gallon left and boiled off 1.5 gallons, that's a lot. Typically people having 6-6.5 gallons to start in the boil of a 5 gallon batch, and boil off a gallon. I'd be looking to slowly boil off a proportional amount in a smaller brew.

But you're experimenting and learning, so it's all good.

Yeah, I didn't turn down the burner after it started boiling

 

[RPh_Guy]

I also use about 2lbs grain for a 1 US gal batch. I get decent efficiency and I'm not making Imperial ales/barley wines/etc.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

After all this was said and done, I took a hydrometer reading at it was reading about 1.014 @ 120 degrees. temperature correction calculator converted that to about 1.023 @ 60 degrees.

What was the volume of wort that you had that measured 1.023? Was this your pre-boil gravity? (some quick calcs say that 2 lbs of grain would produce about 1.5 gals of 1.023 wort at 50% efficiency)

 

[RPh_Guy]

What was the volume of wort that you had that measured 1.023? Was this your pre-boil gravity? (some quick calcs say that 2 lbs of grain would produce about 1.5 gals of 1.023 wort at 50% efficiency)

Pre-boil was 2 gal ... 62% mash efficiency.