spin off of explain efficiency

[toddfore]

I need to know how everyone is getting 70-80% eff. in BIAB. I was getting 55% w/ crushed grains from internet companies. Got a grain mill and run through at .025 and now I get 66%. This was my method for a 2.5 gallon w/ their crush: 2 gallons of water heated to desired temp., mash in kettle w/insulation wrap and blanket around it for 1 hour. Check temp. and stir every 20min. and add heat if needed. Sparge by pouring 2 gallons of 170-180* water over grains with a pyrex glass. Squeeze the hell out of the bag. Add water if needed to get to 3.75=4 gallon mark and boil for 60min. Cool to 70* and add yeast.
My new method w/ my crush has been: 4 gallons of water, heat to desired temp, mash in same kettle, sparge w/1gallon of water, squeeze the hell out of the bag. I've been getting 3 gallons this way out of the same ingredients as the 1st method. Sometimes I add water to get my OG to where I want it. Think it's better to add water than to have too much add end up w/a low OG.
So how am I missing out on 10% eff. others are getting?

Thanks,
Todd

 

[Homercidal]

Are you sure you are calculating efficiency correctly? It's not hard at all to get 70% with BIAb and a fine crush.

 

[casualbrewer]

Would suspect your crush first. Maybe try a full volume mash with no sparge. Just squeeze the bag hard! I get right about 80% like this.

 

[Bobby_M]

You're sparging before you squeeze the bag. Pull the bag, squeeze the hell out of it, then sparge, then squeeze again. However, you don't need to sparge. Start with enough water so that you don't need the sparge.

 

[Homercidal]

I dunk sparge when I BIAB. Mostly because I started as a batch sparger and I have plenty of large kettles. So it was natural for me to to want to get rinse water all through the grain.

Many BIAB brewers simply mash with the full volume of water and don't sparge at all. The efficiency hit for doing this is hardly noticeable. And it's easier and faster and uses a single vessel.

 

[imp81318]

That batch was my first BIAB attempt and I think I got close to 80% efficiency. I used the grain mill at my LHBS, ran the grain through twice. Target mash temp was 156 degrees, but I'm not sure if I hit it or not because I broke my thermometer while adding the grains. For my Target 2.25 gallon batch, I started with 4 gallons of water in the pot. Heated the water and added my grain and let it sit overnight. The next day I suspended the grain bag over the pot while I boiled and added my hops. Every time I saw the bag start to drip, I squeezes it with 2 large pot lids again. That seemed to work for me.

 

[greybush]

One thing that helped me was my mash thickness. I start with a full volume of water and I don't add any water at any time. I brew 5 gallon batches, and I typically start with between 7.5 and 8 gallons of water. This volume includes water that will be lost to the grain and boil-off, and I am left with 5.5 gallons to go into the fermenter. I don't do any sparge of any kind, just squeezing the bag, and I get around 75% efficiency

I try to get my water to grain ratio up to 2.75 quarts of water per pound of grain.

 

[dmtaylor]

If you sparge, your efficiency will shoot up. Try mashing in with 2.5 gallons, then sparge with 2 gallons. And voila!

 

[rtracer]

I have always happily gotten 73-74% with my brews. I go to morebeer and just run the grains thru the mill 2x, drain and squeeze bag

 

[No_Nrg]

I have always happily gotten 73-74% with my brews. I go to morebeer and just run the grains thru the mill 2x, drain and squeeze bag

I second this. I also run the grains through twice and crush fine (also at the same Morebeer store in Palo Alto I might add ).

I do a full volume mash with no sparge and squeeze the bag like it owes me money. I typically hit around 70% efficiency.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

when I had my time with brew in a bag I think it was 4 years strait I would mash with just an inch of water above the grain while recirculating with a pump then dunk sparge in clean water, sometimes twice if needed and i regularly had 80% Brew house efficiency, not mash efficiency, brew house and thats what most people are going by

 

[rtracer]

I second this. I also run the grains through twice and crush fine (also at the same Morebeer store in Palo Alto I might add ).

I do a full volume mash with no sparge and squeeze the bag like it owes me money. I typically hit around 70% efficiency.

Nice, though....Concord store for me :rockin:
I buy 50lb bags, adn just go in to mill and buy specialty grains

 

[plepper]

I just did a batch on the 27th double ground my grain, used a new digital thermometer and squeezed the hell out of the bag. Brewers Friend shows:
Conversion: 81.7%
Brew House: 92% 33.9 ppg very happy

 

[Lazarusnz]

I crush my own grain using a credit card gap and mash with full volume. I typically stir a couple of times during the mash and dunk the bag in the wort like a tea bag while heating to mashout. Using this method I'm consistently getting 73% brew house efficiency which I'm very happy with. It's great knowing you can hit your numbers every time