Hey guys. I have brewed 5 or 6 2.5 gallon stovetop batches. On all of them my O.G. has been at least 6 points low. I have read about the reasons I might be having low efficiency.... So yesterday I tried a 90 min mash instead of 60 to see if that would get me some more points. After I lifted the grain bag and let it drain I was .3 gallon short of my anticipated water level so I put the grain bag in a bucket and sparged until I had enough to meet the correct level. Does this logic make sense?
In the biabicus there is a section:
Prelauter gravity:-Am I correct that you take this reading before lifting the grain bag?
Gravity into the kettle: My GIK was supposed to be 1.051. I designed my recipe to have a 1 gallon dilution before the boil. I diluted 1 gallon and I got 1.049. I assume that The GIK accounts for the dilution??? If it does I was only 2 points off and pretty much on point.
End of boil gravity: My final gravity came out to 1.054 and it was supposed to be 1.067. This is the farthest I have ever been off! I really thought I was pretty much on point. The only thing I can think of is that GIK doesn't account for a planned dilution there for I ended up 13 points off. Any Ideas?
Metalhophead
Post #2 made 10 years ago
Hi
The PLG that is now known as GIB (gravity in to Boil) it is taken after the grain bag is removed and before the boil. Are you holding back water because your pot is too small? Are you using the hydrometer temp correction tool on the BIABAcus? Iv never used dilutions myself so can really answer your question but I think posting your file may make it a bit easier for an experianced BIABer to answer.
The PLG that is now known as GIB (gravity in to Boil) it is taken after the grain bag is removed and before the boil. Are you holding back water because your pot is too small? Are you using the hydrometer temp correction tool on the BIABAcus? Iv never used dilutions myself so can really answer your question but I think posting your file may make it a bit easier for an experianced BIABer to answer.
Post #3 made 10 years ago
My goodness metalhophead, where have you been for the last ten months?!!!! It only seems like yesterday since we heard from you. Of your 46 prior posts, I think I and a few others spent many hours answering them - good on us!
And it is great to see you have a few brews under your belt and feel comfortable coming back here to get the 'goods'
.
I'm going to answer your question here and in the other thread as well but [EDIT: ramble, ramble sorry Fred. Pleased to see though that you 'got my drift.]
...
I really like balli's answer above. They are the first points to consider and it is the primary post to acknowledge.
If responding to balli doesn't answer the problem and the continual discrepancy is correct, then there is a major evaporation error going on here such as leaving the lid on during the boil.
PP
And it is great to see you have a few brews under your belt and feel comfortable coming back here to get the 'goods'
. I'm going to answer your question here and in the other thread as well but [EDIT: ramble, ramble sorry Fred. Pleased to see though that you 'got my drift
.]...
I really like balli's answer above. They are the first points to consider and it is the primary post to acknowledge.
If responding to balli doesn't answer the problem and the continual discrepancy is correct, then there is a major evaporation error going on here such as leaving the lid on during the boil.
PP
Last edited by PistolPatch on 05 Mar 2014, 20:07, edited 1 time in total.
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Post #4 made 10 years ago
Balli,
It looks like I was using the older biabacus. I will go with the new one from here on out. I have been away for ten months so I missed the update. I used a refractometer to take the reading. I took the reading after my dilution so I guess the temp was 140 to 150 degrees farenheit. I gotta research refractometer temperature corrections apparently.
I will post my file tomorrow. I dont have it at home. I designed the recipe with the dilution before the boil because I thought I thought later water additions weren't as optimal.
Metalhophead
Metalhophead
It looks like I was using the older biabacus. I will go with the new one from here on out. I have been away for ten months so I missed the update. I used a refractometer to take the reading. I took the reading after my dilution so I guess the temp was 140 to 150 degrees farenheit. I gotta research refractometer temperature corrections apparently.
I will post my file tomorrow. I dont have it at home. I designed the recipe with the dilution before the boil because I thought I thought later water additions weren't as optimal.Metalhophead
Metalhophead
Post #5 made 10 years ago
Fred, thanks for your work in the other thread and what I said there applies here as well. Luckily, I needed to do far less of an edit here - lol.
On a re-read I see that balli and myself missed one thing...
You asked if GIK (now GIB) accounts for dilution before the boil. It does.
Anyway, the more BIABacus file you can post that include your actual volumes and gravities, the better. I'm a bit worried that we are all missing something major here.
PP
On a re-read I see that balli and myself missed one thing...
You asked if GIK (now GIB) accounts for dilution before the boil. It does.
Anyway, the more BIABacus file you can post that include your actual volumes and gravities, the better. I'm a bit worried that we are all missing something major here.
PP
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Post #6 made 10 years ago
ok guys I finallyyy got some time to fricken concentrate. Here is my Galaxy recipe. Lets see. I was supposed to hit 1.067 OG and i unfortunately got 1.054. :( FML. I strongly feel that my mash temp is not the problem. I used two thermometers and I mashed for 90 min. I have done several partial mashed and always hit the O.G. My best guess is that my volumes are off? I made a dipstick and measured out the levels with a measuring cup. When I pour in 3 gallons of spring water it lines up right with my dipstick. I suppose I can try and remeasure everything. I have a hop scale now I guess I could weigh cups of water or something.
1. When I pulled the bag and drained it my volume came out to 2.55 gallons. It was supposed to be 2.92 so I sparged the bag in a bucket and filled until I reached 2.92 gallons. Then I added the 1 gallon dilution.
2. I took a refractometer reading at this point and I got 1.049 which was within two points of GIK 1.051. The water was likely 130 or 140 degrees f soooo I'm guessing I need to do a temp correction. I will research that.
3. In section O i'm not sure why my expected gravity is 1.054. Shouldn't it say 1.067?
I hope I explained this clearly. Thanks guys.
Metalhophead
1. When I pulled the bag and drained it my volume came out to 2.55 gallons. It was supposed to be 2.92 so I sparged the bag in a bucket and filled until I reached 2.92 gallons. Then I added the 1 gallon dilution.
2. I took a refractometer reading at this point and I got 1.049 which was within two points of GIK 1.051. The water was likely 130 or 140 degrees f soooo I'm guessing I need to do a temp correction. I will research that.
3. In section O i'm not sure why my expected gravity is 1.054. Shouldn't it say 1.067?
I hope I explained this clearly. Thanks guys.
Metalhophead
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Post #7 made 10 years ago
Does your VIF (volume into fermenter) match the BIABacus? If you have more volume, that would account for the lower gravity (just seems an obvious question to ask).
Section O is just taking the value you typed in "M" EOBG.
Section O is just taking the value you typed in "M" EOBG.
G B
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
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Post #8 made 10 years ago
Mally,
I started my boil with 3.94 gallons and it boiled down to exactly 3.05 just like the biabacus predicted. The biabacus did incorrectly predict how much wort after I pulled the bag and drained. It was .3 or .4 gallons low. This has been consistent with every batch. Before this batch I didn't sparge to make the correct volume I just added my dilution water and boiled from there. This time I thought I was being smart and sparged to get the GIK levels correct.
Metalhophead
I started my boil with 3.94 gallons and it boiled down to exactly 3.05 just like the biabacus predicted. The biabacus did incorrectly predict how much wort after I pulled the bag and drained. It was .3 or .4 gallons low. This has been consistent with every batch. Before this batch I didn't sparge to make the correct volume I just added my dilution water and boiled from there. This time I thought I was being smart and sparged to get the GIK levels correct.
Metalhophead
Post #9 made 10 years ago
Could the fact that the dimensions of my brewpot don't quite line up to exactly 5 gallons? I've measure several times but the biabacus says its only 4.84 gallons even though its a 5 gallon (19 liter pot) Just a thought....
Post #10 made 10 years ago
I guess it could MHH but don't really know 
One thought occurred to me, do you or did you mashout?
The extra steps in mashout help with conversion (marginally higher GIK), but there is a possibility you would get more wort out of the grains due to the less viscous nature of hot liquids. Quite whether the difference betweeb 60C wort & 80C wort accounts for much who knows?
One thought occurred to me, do you or did you mashout?
The extra steps in mashout help with conversion (marginally higher GIK), but there is a possibility you would get more wort out of the grains due to the less viscous nature of hot liquids. Quite whether the difference betweeb 60C wort & 80C wort accounts for much who knows?
G B
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
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- SVA Brewer With Over 100 Brews From Great Britain
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Post #11 made 10 years ago
I did not. I certainly will next time, but I wont factor it into the recipe. I would love to overshoot my gravity just once! If I do then I can just dilute it more at the end. It looks like my next beer will be a petite saison with a very low ABV. All of my beers have been pretty big up until now.
Metalhophead
Metalhophead
Post #12 made 10 years ago
Okey dokey Fred. Let's teace through this...
Some quick general stuff.
1. Yes, you were right to do your diution before the boil if you wish to have the highest quality. We will come back to this below though.
2. Refractometers can be unreliable. I no longer use mine as it throws too many wild readings. Some guys swear by them. I also swear by mine but not in a good way. They are great for getting the average sugar content of a field of grapes by taking a sample of many grapes but a single tiny sample on a brew? Especially on your first brews, get a mug-full of hot wort, cover it in plastic wrap and let it cool in a sink of cold water and then take your reading using a hydrometer.
Btw, some refractometers are marked as ATC (Automatic Temperature correction" but I think that is a gimmick. I mean, how long does a 3 ml sample take to adjust to ambient?
3. BIABacus volume measurements are correct. Many vessels though are labelled incorrectly. I have a plastic jug here that holds 3 litres but is marked that it holds 4 litres - seriously. Trust basic maths before a product label.
4. You said above, "In section O i'm not sure why my expected gravity is 1.054. Shouldn't it say 1.067?" If you delete your 1.054 in Section M, then Section O will change back to 1.067. What the BIABacus is doing, is updating/over-riding estimated figures with any actual figures you record. Make sense?
Your Gravity Problem
Firstly, small brews are very hard to measure well. Even normal size batches lack a decent level of accuracy.
Secondly, you mentioned that you had done five batches and they were all under gravity. We really need to see the numbers on all five batches as working from one file is almost useless. I'll have a crack though...
Uh oh. Hold on!!!...
See in Section P? There is a major discrepancy between EIK and EOBE. This tells me that there is most likely an error in your measurement process. Theoretically, EIK and EOBE should be the same. (In real life, our actual measurements will never add up exactly but you should be getting closer than that.
So, to get any further than this we will have to see your other files (if you still have them) and/or hear a lot of detail about when and how you are taking your readings. For any reliability, you need to take three sets of volume and gravity measurements on a brew when trying to find a numbers discrepancy.
Also, study in detail, Some Common Reasons for a Low Efficiency Reading. Double-check everything.
....
As an aside, measuring VIF can be a bit dodgy. If you have bathroom scales, consider using them to weigh your wort. I'll add a thing fot this in the next BIABacus release.
....
That's all the help I can give you here Fred until the above issues are addressed. That took exactly an hour to write (lost a bit of time on a browser crash) so make sure you don't race through the above. It could take an hour or two of your time to address everything above.
Go and get a beer and see what you can come up with,
PP
P.S. A too fine a bag could be another source of a too low a gravity problem but it's silly of me to write this until we get more info or numbers from you Fred.
Some quick general stuff.
1. Yes, you were right to do your diution before the boil if you wish to have the highest quality. We will come back to this below though.
2. Refractometers can be unreliable. I no longer use mine as it throws too many wild readings. Some guys swear by them. I also swear by mine but not in a good way. They are great for getting the average sugar content of a field of grapes by taking a sample of many grapes but a single tiny sample on a brew? Especially on your first brews, get a mug-full of hot wort, cover it in plastic wrap and let it cool in a sink of cold water and then take your reading using a hydrometer.
Btw, some refractometers are marked as ATC (Automatic Temperature correction" but I think that is a gimmick. I mean, how long does a 3 ml sample take to adjust to ambient?
3. BIABacus volume measurements are correct. Many vessels though are labelled incorrectly. I have a plastic jug here that holds 3 litres but is marked that it holds 4 litres - seriously. Trust basic maths before a product label.
4. You said above, "In section O i'm not sure why my expected gravity is 1.054. Shouldn't it say 1.067?" If you delete your 1.054 in Section M, then Section O will change back to 1.067. What the BIABacus is doing, is updating/over-riding estimated figures with any actual figures you record. Make sense?
Your Gravity Problem
Firstly, small brews are very hard to measure well. Even normal size batches lack a decent level of accuracy.
Secondly, you mentioned that you had done five batches and they were all under gravity. We really need to see the numbers on all five batches as working from one file is almost useless. I'll have a crack though
...Uh oh. Hold on!!!...
See in Section P? There is a major discrepancy between EIK and EOBE. This tells me that there is most likely an error in your measurement process. Theoretically, EIK and EOBE should be the same. (In real life, our actual measurements will never add up exactly but you should be getting closer than that.
So, to get any further than this we will have to see your other files (if you still have them) and/or hear a lot of detail about when and how you are taking your readings. For any reliability, you need to take three sets of volume and gravity measurements on a brew when trying to find a numbers discrepancy.
Also, study in detail, Some Common Reasons for a Low Efficiency Reading. Double-check everything.
....
As an aside, measuring VIF can be a bit dodgy. If you have bathroom scales, consider using them to weigh your wort. I'll add a thing fot this in the next BIABacus release.
....
That's all the help I can give you here Fred until the above issues are addressed. That took exactly an hour to write (lost a bit of time on a browser crash) so make sure you don't race through the above. It could take an hour or two of your time to address everything above.
Go and get a beer and see what you can come up with
,PP
P.S. A too fine a bag could be another source of a too low a gravity problem but it's silly of me to write this until we get more info or numbers from you Fred.
Last edited by PistolPatch on 07 Mar 2014, 19:10, edited 1 time in total.
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Post #13 made 10 years ago
Alrighty. I finally got some time to read through this and concentrate. Sometimes its like doing homework! Here is my belgian wit I brewed a year ago? Wow. It looks like my VIK is about a liter under the biabacus's estimate. That has def been consistent with all my brews only in the last one I sparged to get up to the correct volume. I can still do that, but I guess that doesn't solve the problem why i'm a liter under...I will remeasure my diptick. When I pull the bag I sit it on a colander and let it drain and I squeeze the dickens out of it and I'm still a liter low. There is nothing else I can do there right?
On my galaxy ipa my evaporation rate was .89 gallons instead of the estimated 1 gallon. Should I adjust my evaporation rate? I checked another recipe and the evaporation rate was about the same. Alright I'm off to a beer event in Washington DC! later guys
Metalhophead
On my galaxy ipa my evaporation rate was .89 gallons instead of the estimated 1 gallon. Should I adjust my evaporation rate? I checked another recipe and the evaporation rate was about the same. Alright I'm off to a beer event in Washington DC! later guys
Metalhophead
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Post #14 made 10 years ago
A few things FRed...
Your VIK isn't 1 L under,it's only 0.5 L so ignore that.
Your evaporation rate really has nothing to do with efficiency but it being so low begs the asking of two questions...
1. Are you doing a good rolling boil?
2. Are you boiling with the lidd off your kettle? (I asked this before.)
Back to the low gravity thing (which looks to be a low efficiency thing), in my last post, I asked several questions but still haven't had an answer so atm, I seem to be putting more work (time and thinking) into solving your problem than you are
. What do we do about that Fred? Remember above I asked,
More homework Fred,
PP
Your VIK isn't 1 L under,it's only 0.5 L so ignore that.
Your evaporation rate really has nothing to do with efficiency but it being so low begs the asking of two questions...
1. Are you doing a good rolling boil?
2. Are you boiling with the lidd off your kettle? (I asked this before.)
Back to the low gravity thing (which looks to be a low efficiency thing), in my last post, I asked several questions but still haven't had an answer so atm, I seem to be putting more work (time and thinking) into solving your problem than you are
. What do we do about that Fred? Remember above I asked, All the above post gives me is one set of readings as the only gravity reading is an EOBG one.So, to get any further than this we will have to see your other files (if you still have them) and/or hear a lot of detail about when and how you are taking your readings. For any reliability, you need to take three sets of volume and gravity measurements on a brew when trying to find a numbers discrepancy.
More homework Fred
,PP
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Post #15 made 10 years ago
3 things I have come to appreciate since starting BIAB and becoming a member here.
1: Never trust a measuring jug for accuracy... weigh 3 ltrs of water ( 3 litre = 3kg) and calibrate your jug that way
2: Put your samples in the freezer for 5 -10 mins and bring them down to about 20c before doing a gravity test, I have found with excessively high temps of a sample that I would sometimes get varied readings on different software calculators.
3: Have trust in the Lord
, faith in the BIABacus spreadsheet 
, and belief in the guys here 
1: Never trust a measuring jug for accuracy... weigh 3 ltrs of water ( 3 litre = 3kg) and calibrate your jug that way
2: Put your samples in the freezer for 5 -10 mins and bring them down to about 20c before doing a gravity test, I have found with excessively high temps of a sample that I would sometimes get varied readings on different software calculators.
3: Have trust in the Lord
, faith in the BIABacus spreadsheet , and belief in the guys here I used to spill more than I drink these days!
-
- From Australia
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Post #16 made 10 years ago
Okie dokie. I do have a good rolling boil, though it takes a hell of a long time to get there. I do keep the lid on until I reach my boil. Once I start adding hops I take the lid off. After researching refractometer heat corrections I now believe my GIK gravity was incorrect. Mine was a cheap on from ebay I fear. I did not cool the wort when I put the drop on my refractometer. However the wort was cooled to ambient when I took my final gravity. I'm going to go back to the old hydrometer and cool the samples in the freezer. I've been taking all of my volume samples with a dipstick like i've said. I'm gonna make another one by weighing the water..
I dont have my numbers in any of my old files except that witbier I posted. I did discover however that right before I got married I brewed an all centennial ipa and I did hit my O.G. Though I believe I reached it by diluting a little less than a gallon instead of the full gallon I was suppose to. I could post that one but I think the only useful info is that I was still .08 gallons over my EOBV-A. So I'm always a little above the biabacus estimate. I will make certain to take all three sets of volume and gravity measurements with a hydrometer and with cooled samples. I think I'm going to get this one right.
Metalhophead
I dont have my numbers in any of my old files except that witbier I posted. I did discover however that right before I got married I brewed an all centennial ipa and I did hit my O.G. Though I believe I reached it by diluting a little less than a gallon instead of the full gallon I was suppose to. I could post that one but I think the only useful info is that I was still .08 gallons over my EOBV-A. So I'm always a little above the biabacus estimate. I will make certain to take all three sets of volume and gravity measurements with a hydrometer and with cooled samples. I think I'm going to get this one right.
Metalhophead
Post #17 made 10 years ago
Arghhhhh. So my wife and I weighed a half gallon of water. (4.17 pounds). I used my electronic hopscale. We weighed the jug and pushed TARE. When we got to 4.17, the water was probobly a centimeter past the two quart (half gallon line) If thats accurate my dipstick is wayyyy under the correct measurements because I measured it before with the two quart line on the measuring bowl. That would be so far off that it doesn't seem possible. Should I still go with these measurements and see what happens? It would seem that adding more water would lessen my efficiency more..
Metalhophead
Metalhophead
Post #18 made 10 years ago
Good to see you getting stuck into it Fred ,
Okay, one litre of water weighs one kilogram so this means, that 0.264 US gallons will weigh 2.205 lbs. Therefore one US gallon will weigh 8.35 lbs. Therefore 0.5 US gallons will weigh 4.17 lbs. So, your maths is correct. It's hard to tell from your post though how much your dipstick is out.
I'm really confused though. Is your kettle a stock pot? If so, then in Section K, all the heights are written there. You don't need a dipstick at all, just a metal ruler.
So, next step is to calibrate your kettle properly. Get a metal ruler and suss out Section K of the BIABacus. Double-check with your scales and then let's see where we stand.
PP
P.S. Make sure you reply to matato's post here please.
,Okay, one litre of water weighs one kilogram so this means, that 0.264 US gallons will weigh 2.205 lbs. Therefore one US gallon will weigh 8.35 lbs. Therefore 0.5 US gallons will weigh 4.17 lbs. So, your maths is correct. It's hard to tell from your post though how much your dipstick is out.
I'm really confused though. Is your kettle a stock pot? If so, then in Section K, all the heights are written there. You don't need a dipstick at all, just a metal ruler.
So, next step is to calibrate your kettle properly. Get a metal ruler and suss out Section K of the BIABacus. Double-check with your scales and then let's see where we stand.
PP
P.S. Make sure you reply to matato's post here please
.
Last edited by PistolPatch on 11 Mar 2014, 17:49, edited 1 time in total.
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Post #19 made 10 years ago
PP,
Alright man I figured this all out. I remeasured my stock pot with a measuring tape instead of a ruler and I found my measurements were slightly off. I'm pretty much right on at 5 gallons (19l) now. I figured out how Section s works with the ruler measurements. Just To check it I weighed out the water again and 1 gallon matched the biabacus's estimate. My dipstick's measurements were slightly off. I'm gonna roll with the biabacus's volumes next time. I'm gonna repost my file to show the changes made. I'm doing a small amount of dilution so I can get 3 gallons instead of 2.5. I thinkkk I should be able to boil 4.22 gallons.
I'm gonna try and help some other people. I know you want me to give back and I heard that. I'm trying. If you could maybe point me in the direction of people you think I can assist that would be cool too. Thanks dude.
Fred the Metalhophead
Alright man I figured this all out. I remeasured my stock pot with a measuring tape instead of a ruler and I found my measurements were slightly off. I'm pretty much right on at 5 gallons (19l) now. I figured out how Section s works with the ruler measurements. Just To check it I weighed out the water again and 1 gallon matched the biabacus's estimate. My dipstick's measurements were slightly off. I'm gonna roll with the biabacus's volumes next time. I'm gonna repost my file to show the changes made. I'm doing a small amount of dilution so I can get 3 gallons instead of 2.5. I thinkkk I should be able to boil 4.22 gallons.
I'm gonna try and help some other people. I know you want me to give back and I heard that. I'm trying. If you could maybe point me in the direction of people you think I can assist that would be cool too. Thanks dude.
Fred the Metalhophead
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Post #20 made 10 years ago
Good on you Fred ,
Let's see how you go on your next brew but take a lot of measurements sets because I think there is a problem going on here.
And thanks for offering to pass the info on
. As for advice on this, here is what I reckon...
Reply to the My First Post Thread when you can.
Look for something in the first post that relates to you. If possible get the new member heading in the right direction. And, if the new member hasn't received a response within 12 hours, see if you can say hello anyway. The more people get involved in that thread, the better.
Keep your local region active or make it active.
Anything interesting happening in your area? Post them here. Once again that helps create a community.
Click on View Unanswered Posts
That's towards the top left of your screen. I hate seeing anything lying there unacknowledged for more than 24 hours. It should be less. There is usually something that anyone here should be able to reply to. Whether it is acknowledging what a great rig they have set up or letting them know which part of the forum to search might help them out.
Do a Quick Search on Behalf of the New Member
I'd hate to see this site being one which tells people to do a search. Occasionally you'll find a lazy person but not often on this site. People here want to learn but often have no idea what to even search for. You pointing them to an existing post that might answer their question is probably the most "efficient" thing you could do for new and old members.
...
That's probably enough I reckon. The main thing is to ensure that if you notice someone getting lost or unacknowledged you do your best to get them looked after. Experienced and older forum members here will not mind you sending them a PM saying, "I think you might be able to help this brewer," if you find yourself out of your depth.
If everyone could just do number one above, that would be excellent!!!
PP
,Let's see how you go on your next brew but take a lot of measurements sets because I think there is a problem going on here.
And thanks for offering to pass the info on
. As for advice on this, here is what I reckon...Reply to the My First Post Thread when you can.
Look for something in the first post that relates to you. If possible get the new member heading in the right direction. And, if the new member hasn't received a response within 12 hours, see if you can say hello anyway. The more people get involved in that thread, the better.
Keep your local region active or make it active.
Anything interesting happening in your area? Post them here. Once again that helps create a community.
Click on View Unanswered Posts
That's towards the top left of your screen. I hate seeing anything lying there unacknowledged for more than 24 hours. It should be less. There is usually something that anyone here should be able to reply to. Whether it is acknowledging what a great rig they have set up or letting them know which part of the forum to search might help them out.
Do a Quick Search on Behalf of the New Member
I'd hate to see this site being one which tells people to do a search. Occasionally you'll find a lazy person but not often on this site. People here want to learn but often have no idea what to even search for. You pointing them to an existing post that might answer their question is probably the most "efficient" thing you could do for new and old members.
...
That's probably enough I reckon. The main thing is to ensure that if you notice someone getting lost or unacknowledged you do your best to get them looked after. Experienced and older forum members here will not mind you sending them a PM saying, "I think you might be able to help this brewer," if you find yourself out of your depth.
If everyone could just do number one above, that would be excellent!!!
PP
Last edited by PistolPatch on 13 Mar 2014, 19:10, edited 1 time in total.
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Post #21 made 10 years ago
Hi everyone. I brewed my Petite Saison last night. I came up 5 points short of my O.G. :( I'm pretty depressed about it. I did a 90 minute mash and at one point the temp went down to 145, but that was toward the end of the mash and I brought it back up on the burner. I used the Biabacus ruler measurements for my volumes. I hit my mash volume right on. I did a ten minute mashout and pulled the bag, let it drain and squeezed it pretty good. Just like my other brews I was still under the volume I was supposed to be at. So I sparged with a few cups of water and squeezed some more and got up to the proper level. Then I added the .5 gallons my recipe had built in. At this point my boil volume was spot on, but after cooling my sample my GIK was 1.034 which was 3 points below the estimate. So I proceeded to boil for 60 min and once again my VAW was was .15 gallons to much (.5 liters). I took another sample and cooled to room temp and got a F.G of 1.041 (which is what I should have had after another .5 gallon dilution.) At this point I decided to leave the beer as it was at the correct gravity, though I guess it will be a little hoppier than intended. I really don't know what else I can do to reach my predicted O.G. My only guess is the fact that my level is always low after pulling the bag and my ambient volume is always a little high is causing me to be off. :(
Metalhophead
Metalhophead
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Post #22 made 10 years ago
Fred, I've spent a lot of time on this thread but I'm really not getting enough feedback so I don't know where you are at and what you have checked or changed. For example...
Did you do a mash-out as mally suggested?
Did you use the hydrometer rather than the refractometer?
I can't tell from your posts whether you have even read and checked the elven things listed in the link that I posted in post #12 above. I can see several things of those 11 factors that definitely could be your problem. Check every one and report back.
Finally, in that file you posted, there aren't enough measurements. When you have an efficiency problem,you must measure volume and gravity at every opportunity you can so as to confirm the reading.
... On another note, my last post here said how you can contribute to the forum time-wise. You haven't acknowledged or acted upon that post and that is fair enough to a degree. You obviously don't have time to spare to contribute to the site but we can't keep working on a one way street here Fred. You've done 62 posts here now and nearly all of them have been replied to with a lot of time and thinking. I think we are way past the time where you should become an Enthusiast by making a decent donation to the site. (It would have to be a massive donation to cover my time alone that I have given you but no one expects that here.) A financial donation is really just a way of making a gesture that you acknowledge and appreciate what is being given freely to you here.
Look after the site and make sure you read what is written carefully. I'd put money on your problem being one of the eleven I mentioned 8 posts ago.
PP
Did you do a mash-out as mally suggested?
Did you use the hydrometer rather than the refractometer?
I can't tell from your posts whether you have even read and checked the elven things listed in the link that I posted in post #12 above. I can see several things of those 11 factors that definitely could be your problem. Check every one and report back.
Finally, in that file you posted, there aren't enough measurements. When you have an efficiency problem,you must measure volume and gravity at every opportunity you can so as to confirm the reading.
... On another note, my last post here said how you can contribute to the forum time-wise. You haven't acknowledged or acted upon that post and that is fair enough to a degree. You obviously don't have time to spare to contribute to the site but we can't keep working on a one way street here Fred. You've done 62 posts here now and nearly all of them have been replied to with a lot of time and thinking. I think we are way past the time where you should become an Enthusiast by making a decent donation to the site. (It would have to be a massive donation to cover my time alone that I have given you but no one expects that here.) A financial donation is really just a way of making a gesture that you acknowledge and appreciate what is being given freely to you here.
Look after the site and make sure you read what is written carefully. I'd put money on your problem being one of the eleven I mentioned 8 posts ago.
PP
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