What's your MASH conversion effeciency

[BandonBrewingCo]

I'm consistently hitting about 80% with an excellent crush, was wondering what other people are getting. I do full volume (no-sparge) BIAB.

If yours improved, please share with us what you did (finer crush, better PH control, etc).

 

[RM-MN]

In my opinion, if you are getting 80% mash efficiency you don't have an excellent crush. That would be a very good mash efficiency for a conventional mash tun where a stuck mash or sparge are something to worry about but with BIAB you can crush much finer and approach 100% mash efficiency.

 

[BandonBrewingCo]

In my opinion, if you are getting 80% mash efficiency you don't have an excellent crush. That would be a very good mash efficiency for a conventional mash tun where a stuck mash or sparge are something to worry about but with BIAB you can crush much finer and approach 100% mash efficiency.

I've inspected my crush very closely and found lots of empty husks, loads of flour and particles, and any time I thought I found an intact husk, it disintegrated while rubbing between my fingers. I mash at 65°C and always shoot for under that to be safe with strike water temp. My last mash PH was 5.66 which isn't too bad so maybe I need to inspect the crush further.

 

[schematix]

I get 100% mash conversion efficiency.

I’ve done this with a wide range of crushes.

It’s really about hitting the right temp steps so you burst all the starch granules and get them into solution.

A hochkurz style mash with a mashout will get you there. Takes about 2 hours all together.

 

[brewbama]

How are you measuring mash efficiency? With BeerSmith?

 

[mpmccann]

I just brewed a 10 gal. batch of "Cream of 3 Crops" yesterday and when I checked my calculated mash efficiency, BeerSmith said it was over 100%. I want to say it was something like 116%. Is that possible? I never really tracked this before but I thought it was interesting to say the least. I hit all numbers perfectly and the beer is chugging away this morning. Also, I do not do BIAB I use a 3 vessel system...

 

[jimmyjusa]

My batch yesterday i got 75% efficiency, i did full volume no sparge with a 90 minute mash. This was my first time doing full volume, first time with this bag, second biag ever for me.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I've only done one BIAB batch, but my calculation had me at 59% efficiency. I figured that by adjusting the efficiency % in my brewersfriend recipe until the recipe OG matched what my actual OG ended up being. I ordered the grain crushed online, so not sure if it was low due to crush or my process. I would guess moreso on me.

Edit: nevermind, I think this calculation is for brewhouse efficiency. You guys are discussing mash efficiency. I screwed up my pre-boil gravity reading by measuring with hot wort so I don't think I'll ever know what my mash efficiency was for that first batch.

 

[brewbama]

I just brewed a 10 gal. batch of "Cream of 3 Crops" yesterday and when I checked my calculated mash efficiency, BeerSmith said it was over 100%. I want to say it was something like 116%. Is that possible? I never really tracked this before but I thought it was interesting to say the least. I hit all numbers perfectly and the beer is chugging away this morning. Also, I do not do BIAB I use a 3 vessel system...

That’s why I asked how mash efficiency was being calculated. BeerSmith uses Brewhouse efficiency and calculates Mash efficiency from it. I am not too sure about this calculation. Mash efficiency should be based on potential from each grain used vs what is actually obtained.

 

[mpmccann]

That’s why I asked how mash efficiency was being calculated. BeerSmith uses Brewhouse efficiency and calculates Mash efficiency from it. I am not too sure about this calculation. Mash efficiency should be based on potential from each grain used vs what is actually obtained.

Yeah I was wonder the same thing when I saw 116% mash efficiency. I actually came in 2 points higher then my expected gravity, (1.048 as opposed to 1.046) and I was about 1/2 gal. over on my estimated final Vol. I did a 90 min. mash and 90 min. boil, mash pH was 5.30 everything was pretty spot on. So since I came in over just a bit, I figured that this somehow might be why the mash efficiency was so high? IDK... Lately I had been struggling with my Volumes coming out correctly so this time I tried one of the stock equipment profiles; one that closely matched my equipment. The only thing I changed was batch volume to 10 gal., boil time to 90 min., and mash time to 90 min. I hit my numbers on this one better then most batches in the recent past. I think I will stick with this equipment profile and see how things progress.

Oh yeah, my brew house efficiency was like 75%...

 

[myndflyte]

Did a batch this weekend, BIAB with full volume mash, and got about 91% conversion with a brewhouse of 80%. My last few batches have been near or over 90% so I've been pretty happy about that.

 

[BandonBrewingCo]

Edit: nevermind, I think this calculation is for brewhouse efficiency. You guys are discussing mash efficiency. I screwed up my pre-boil gravity reading by measuring with hot wort so I don't think I'll ever know what my mash efficiency was for that first batch.

pretty sure there are correction calculators out there

That’s why I asked how mash efficiency was being calculated. BeerSmith uses Brewhouse efficiency and calculates Mash efficiency from it. I am not too sure about this calculation. Mash efficiency should be based on potential from each grain used vs what is actually obtained.

I use brewer's friend for the calculation.

 

[Blackdirt_cowboy]

I do full volume no sparge mashes. I get 99-100% mash efficiency every time. I have the gap on my roller mill set to .020 and I adjust pH to 5.3-5.6 depending on the style of beer.

 

[brewbama]

I do full volume no sparge mashes. I get 99-100% mash efficiency every time. I have the gap on my roller mill set to .020 and I adjust pH to 5.3-5.6 depending on the style of beer.

I also do no sparge full volume mashes and adjust pH but I do not get mash efficiency that good. My mill setting was a bit wider so I just adjusted it down.

 

[jimmyjusa]

I'm trying to figure out the manual calculations but unsure if it should be using strike water volume or the wort retrieved after the mash. So far i figured you take your grain pounds divided by volume to get your adjustment. You multiply the max ppg to that to get max gravity at 100% efficiency, then one you have that you take your worts gravity and divide it by the max to get your efficiency.

 

[brewbama]

I'm trying to figure out the manual calculations but unsure if it should be using strike water volume or the wort retrieved after the mash. So far i figured you take your grain pounds divided by volume to get your adjustment. You multiply the max ppg to that to get max gravity at 100% efficiency, then one you have that you take your worts gravity and divide it by the max to get your efficiency.

Here’s an explanation:
https://blog.eckraus.com/calculating-improving-mash-efficiency

 

[jimmyjusa]

Here’s an explanation:
https://blog.eckraus.com/calculating-improving-mash-efficiency

Thank you, so i multiplied use the wort amount after the mash to calculate then. That shows my efficiency was 75.5% for my batch yesterday. This was with a single crush from lhbs and i didn't check ph as this was my second time doing grain so I'm trying to get a baseline first.

Question on ph, do you check it before adding grains, right after you mix it in, or do you wait 5 minutes or so to get an accurate reading?

 

[brewbama]

I wait about 15 minutes, take a sample, pour it thru a strainer to remove any grain in the sample, let it cool to room temp, then measure pH.

 

[tegman]

I hit 90% Mash Efficiency on Sunday. No sparge with adjusted PH. I think I can still go tighter on mill gap. Guess I gotta brew again to find out.

 

[jimmyjusa]

This weekend i had an 81% efficiency with a partial volume mash then i poured water over the bag to get up to volume (10 gallon kettle and doing 9 gallon pre boil batch to make a split double batch. Last brew was full volume and i believe around 85%.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

By the looks at some of these replies and mega efficiencies, I think the definition of "mash efficiency" needs to be clarified. Then a short review of the math for mash, lauter, and brewhouse efficiency, to see what the numbers *really* are

 

[jimmyjusa]

For my two sets of percentages listed above, those are my preboil wort numbers I'm using and i use brewer's friend calculator. I will do preboil wort volume and gravity as well as post boil volume and gravity to confirm or verify.

 

[pretzelb]

By the looks at some of these replies and mega efficiencies, I think the definition of "mash efficiency" needs to be clarified. Then a short review of the math for mash, lauter, and brewhouse efficiency, to see what the numbers *really* are

I would agree with this. Used to be the formula from braukaiser was what was considered a good starting point.

 

[North_of_60]

My last BIAB, no sparge, squeeze the bag mash efficiency was 84% with a total efficiency of 75% as calculated on BS3.

My mash efficiency improved when I bought my own mill and set it at .025”.

 

[schematix]

Mash Efficiency: 100% (0.035" gap, Hochkurz mash every time)
Lauter Efficiency: 80-85% depending on how much grain (no-sparge)

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Mash efficiency for me is always over 95% for a good reason.....I keep mashing until my efficiency reaches at least 95%! I also Hochkurz mash (0.030 gap). For those with mash efficiency issues, try having a rest at about 160. It really helps (and also gives great head on your beer).

Don't use BS for mash efficiency. Some quick and dirty maths you can use is:

Mash efficiency = Measured Points of Gravity / (Total Grain Mass x ppg / Volume of mash) x 100
(use pounds for mass and gallons for volume)
ppg can be an estimate and will fall between 33 and 38. An all base malt beer will be 37 to 38. A typical APA with a bit of crystal and carapils will be about 36 to 37. A beer with 25% specialty grain might be as low as 33 to 34.

To get a more accurate ppg (hence a more accurate %efficiency) you need to average out for each specific grain and it's % contribution to the grist, but the quick and dirty method will get you in the ballpark for most beers.

 

[Blackdirt_cowboy]

My numbers are calculated by brewers friend. They are typically:

Mash efficiency - 100%
Pre-boil efficiency - 85-90% (no spare)
Ending kettle efficiency - 75-80%
Brewhouse efficiency - 75-80%

 

[BandonBrewingCo]

Mash efficiency for me is always over 95% for a good reason.....I keep mashing until my efficiency reaches at least 95%! I also Hochkurz mash (0.030 gap). For those with mash efficiency issues, try having a rest at about 160. It really helps (and also gives great head on your beer).

Don't use BS for mash efficiency. Some quick and dirty maths you can use is:

Great post, loads of info to mull over!

1. How long does it normally take you to reach 95%?
2. Do you raise to 160f/71C after you hit 95%, or after a set time?
3. Is this known to be wrong?

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Great post, loads of info to mull over!

1. How long does it normally take you to reach 95%?
2. Do you raise to 160f/71C after you hit 95%, or after a set time?
3. Is this known to be wrong?

For most beers, I mash at 62C then 71C. The length of the 62C rest depends on the fermentability that I want. 20mins to half and hour is about average. I then raise to 71C over 10 mins. I leave it there for half an hour. Most of the time, I've already reached 95% or greater efficiency by then, if I haven't (which would normally be a channelling or pH issue) I'd leave it a while longer.

I don't know how BS calculates mash efficiency, but with brewers saying it gives them greater than 100% mash efficiency I'd prefer to calculate it for myself.

 

[Shackleford_rusty]

No sparge 65%
Batch sparge 75-77%
Fly sparge 80-85%
Mill gap is set for. 028ish
These are all with 60 minute mashes

 

[Horseflesh]

I have to mash for 90 minutes to hit 72% mash efficiency and 68% brewhouse efficiency. (BeerSmith numbers.) Any less than 90 minutes and I’m leaving sugar in there. I can watch gravity climb and level off if I take frequent refractometer readings.

Doing a quick pour over sparge seems to make no difference.

I do a slow recirculation, and always adjust pH. Whether I stir a lot or let it sit makes no difference in efficiency.

I’m double milling at the LHBS.

I think I need a mill. Other people with my same system have much higher numbers. (And some are low like me.)

 

[VTX1300]

Consistently hit 90%+ conversion efficiency (Brewers Friend Calculator). Crush at .022"

 

[RM-MN]

I have to mash for 90 minutes to hit 72% mash efficiency and 68% brewhouse efficiency. (BeerSmith numbers.) Any less than 90 minutes and I’m leaving sugar in there. I can watch gravity climb and level off if I take frequent refractometer readings.

Doing a quick pour over sparge seems to make no difference.

I do a slow recirculation, and always adjust pH. Whether I stir a lot or let it sit makes no difference in efficiency.

I’m double milling at the LHBS.

I think I need a mill. Other people with my same system have much higher numbers. (And some are low like me.)

I think you need a mill too. If the mill at your LHBS is set too coarse you get low efficiency. If whole grains fall through, they will fall through a second time. With BIAB comes the ability to deal with a fine crush which then allows for a shorter mash and greater mash efficiency. Since you have the ability to deal with the fine crush you should take advantage of it.

I can't put a dollar figure on what my time is worth when brewing is a hobby but my typical mash is now 30 minutes and my brewhouse efficiency exceeds 80% with that short mash. That means I have to adjust recipes so I use less grain and it doesn't take too many batches before that reduced grain bill pays for the mill. I also buy my base malt in 55 pound bags which also cuts the cost.

 

[Blackdirt_cowboy]

Best thing I ever did for mash efficiency was get my own mill. Second best thing I did was water chemistry. And that’s a distant second.

 

[Genuine]

I’m usually around 91-98% conversion depending on Brewers Friends predictions. Ive had it as high as 102%.

 

[balrog]

I use Braukaiser efficiency calcs , always getting near ~97% "conversion" efficiency. Since I don't have the specs on pppg ea grain I buy, I know I'll not be 100% accurate. Overall or brewhouse eff is 72 with wheat-heavy grists, 80 with barley grists. I corona mill as tight as I can and BIAB with Wilser bag, 45m typical mash, stir once half way through.

 

[Dhm8484]

Just did a amber ale and got 107%ish conversion. Used 4 different websites all around the same. Turned gap on mill to .025.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

Can someone post a link to all this new common core efficiency math? Large scale commercials are still spending millions in technology to hit the low 90's. I'm stuck in the high 80's. With some new math, we can all kick a$$ and feel better

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Can someone post a link to all this new common core efficiency math? Large scale commercials are still spending millions in technology to hit the low 90's. I'm stuck in the high 80's. With some new math, we can all kick a$$ and feel better

Are you talking about brewhouse efficiency, or mash efficiency? Both commercial microbreweries (3300L and 1400L systems) that I've spend some time in run in the low 90's for brewhouse efficiency.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

Pick one. Mash, Lauter or BH. I'm just LMAO wondering how people are calculating these values. I'm obviously using a whole different set of equations