Hey guys! I brewed a batch of this beer yesterday as my second all grain brew.
It was only my second AG batch, so I'm a bit rusty and still trying to figure things like my efficiency, boil-off rate, MLT/Fermenter loss, etc.
Anyway, I overshot my efficiency a lot and I ended up topping up with .75 gallons in the fermenter. I just want to know if if I did the right thing and how I should correct for it next time. I don't have Beersmith in front of me so I'm not 100% sure on these numbers: I was shooting for 6.5 gallons of pre-boil wort @ 1.043, but I got 6.5 gallons @ 1.050 with a batch sparge (strike water, drain, sparge, drain, sparge, drain). I input the recipe at 72% and Beersmith says I got 88% efficiency. I didn't know this until about halfway through the boil because I was waiting for my sample to cool in the fridge. When I siphoned from the kettle to the carboy, I ended up with ~4.9 gallons, instead of the 5.5 I was shooting for. So I boiled off 1.6 gallons -- is that possible? My intended gravity was 1.050 and I got 1.058. I used the dilution tool and it told me to add .75 gallons to correct things. So in the end, I believe I have 5.65 gallons @ 1.050.
Note: I took the preboil gravity while the wort was still pretty hot, like 120F, and made the appropriate correction. However, I understand this still may be wrong? The post-boil hydrometer sample was @ 68F, which is consistent with the initial overshooting. Then again, I apparently boiled off 1.6 gallons. Maybe I need to double check the volume markings I made on my carboy. I measure the volume in my kettle with a yardstick and some math.
I know the addition of water will affect my hop utilization, but to what extent? Do you think I made the right call? Also, what do I do better next time? Should I input my recipe at 85% efficiency?