Post #226 made 10 years ago
Hey Sean, first off I would suggest you get the latest version of BIABacus (1.3t). Second it doesn't really look like you are off by a whole lot, your kettle to fermentor loss was a bit lower than expected and you got an extra half litre into kettle after the mash, but fairly small discrepancies that I guess add up in the end. Those 2 things will most likely change on every brew depending on your grain and hop bill, unless you always have the same amount of KFL due to always draining kettle to tap level etc.

If it is consistently out by the same amounts after say 5 brews or so then maybe adjust KFL in section X. Also if you consistently are off by the same amount for boil off this can be tweaked there as well, however evaporation can vary quite a bit on each brew, especially if you boil outdoors. Also looks like you have 85% set for kettle auto efficiency in section X, not sure if you put that in there on purpose? The BIABacus will automatically adjust your efficiency based on your grain bill, since a higher gravity brew will generally be less efficient than a lower gravity one.

I'm no pro so perhaps one of the experts will correct me if I am wrong here on anything or give you some additonal advice...
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Post #227 made 10 years ago
I had to adjust my efficiency because I was over my OG by a fair amount the last 3 batches. If I don't adjust it I am pretty much 8points high. This changes everything from pitch rate to B/G ratio. I want from 75% to 90% overnight lol. I can't have that big of a change.

That being said how would I get it to adjust for the high efficiency with changing it? Having it set to 85% made my OG only 3 points high this batch.
Cheers!!

the Kegs: Kerry's Bock Baby!, Godd's E-Brown, Godd's ESB, Bitter Mister Mom,
In the Carboy: For the love of dunkel,
Up Next: Kerry's Bock Baby!(V1.1)
87 Gals beer - Running Total

Post #229 made 10 years ago
so the value I enter in the left cell will reduce my efficiency?? I need to raise it. So would I put negative numbers in there? that doesn't make sense lol.

Oh and I forgot to thx you Goulaingan. I'm glad you think my numbers aren't that way off. Maybe I'm just being too anal about it lol.
Cheers!!

the Kegs: Kerry's Bock Baby!, Godd's E-Brown, Godd's ESB, Bitter Mister Mom,
In the Carboy: For the love of dunkel,
Up Next: Kerry's Bock Baby!(V1.1)
87 Gals beer - Running Total

Post #230 made 10 years ago
I just tried it in version 1.3t, when you put say 5 in there the 'What you will use' section for grain actually shows lower amounts, so I believe MS was meaning to say this will raise the predicted efficiency, so to speak. The actual predicted efficiency figures don't change tho, the grain bill does.
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Post #231 made 10 years ago
goulaigan wrote:I just tried it in version 1.3t, when you put say 5 in there the 'What you will use' section for grain actually shows lower amounts, so I believe MS was meaning to say this will raise the predicted efficiency, so to speak. The actual predicted efficiency figures don't change tho, the grain bill does.
Yes this is what I want. I want my grain bill to go down so that my OG goes down because my eff is higher then the default.

So which cell is better to change the adjust auto or the set it to? And can someone tell me what the default auto is so I can raise accordingly?
Last edited by SeanGodd on 13 Feb 2015, 04:54, edited 2 times in total.
Cheers!!

the Kegs: Kerry's Bock Baby!, Godd's E-Brown, Godd's ESB, Bitter Mister Mom,
In the Carboy: For the love of dunkel,
Up Next: Kerry's Bock Baby!(V1.1)
87 Gals beer - Running Total

Post #232 made 10 years ago
As I said previously, the biabacus adjust efficiency based on the grain bill, because in real life a higher gravity brew will have lower efficiency than a lower gravity one. So change the left cell, because there is not a static default number for any efficiency... And in case you missed the first part of that post, you should get the latest version.
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Post #233 made 10 years ago
goulaigan wrote:As I said previously, the biabacus adjust efficiency based on the grain bill, because in real life a higher gravity brew will have lower efficiency than a lower gravity one. So change the left cell, because there is not a static default number for any efficiency... And in case you missed the first part of that post, you should get the latest version.
I just updated my next batch to the newer version. I hate that the default colour is EBC but what can ya do. It def gives me defferent numbers then the old one. I will try this with an added value of 5%.

Thanks for all the help.
Last edited by SeanGodd on 13 Feb 2015, 05:30, edited 2 times in total.
Cheers!!

the Kegs: Kerry's Bock Baby!, Godd's E-Brown, Godd's ESB, Bitter Mister Mom,
In the Carboy: For the love of dunkel,
Up Next: Kerry's Bock Baby!(V1.1)
87 Gals beer - Running Total

Post #234 made 10 years ago
Just downloaded PR1.3T. Working my way through it right now and the only recommendation I have so far is:

It would help immensely if a note was inserted into each cell to prompt the user as to what data is required and the restrictions to type of data (data validation) in that cell. If the cell is used to as part of a formula to calculate another cell, only digits should be allowed to be entered, no letters.

I am still going through the spreadsheet and it looks extremely comprehensive. However, small additions might make it much more user-friendly.

Oldgoat
OldGoat
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Post #235 made 10 years ago
I am attempting to build my first BIAB recipe in BIABacus. Each time I enter "Y" in Section G for "HOPSOCK", my quantity of grains is adjusted in Section C under "What you will use...", consequently changing all the volumes in Section K. Why is this? Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks in advance.

Oldgoat
OldGoat
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Post #236 made 10 years ago
OldGoat wrote:Just downloaded PR1.3T. Working my way through it right now and the only recommendation I have so far is:

It would help immensely if a note was inserted into each cell to prompt the user as to what data is required and the restrictions to type of data (data validation) in that cell. If the cell is used to as part of a formula to calculate another cell, only digits should be allowed to be entered, no letters.

I am still going through the spreadsheet and it looks extremely comprehensive. However, small additions might make it much more user-friendly.

Oldgoat
Thanks for taking the time to give some feedback OG and welcome to the forum :peace:,

One of the earlier versions of the BIABacus had such pop-up comments (and a lot of time went into them :dunno:) but they would only work properly in certain versions of Excel and on certain platforms. That is a very good example as to why the spreadsheet now contains no macros etc. - they simply don't work cross-platform.

On the upside, dealing with those limitations have forced some really hard thinking...

When we step away from the pre-release version, all those ? marks you can see at the top right of each section, will lead you to the appropriate help for that section so that will make things a lot easier.

Proper coding though will be the best way of making it ultra user friendly. Even without this, I hope that the BIABacus, either now or when the main help is finished, should be faster to learn to use correctly/safely than anything else even though it has far more power and flexibility than anything else.

As for the delay in the main spreadsheet release, BIABacus help and website structure, some reasons, but not all, are mentioned here. Having access to the behind the scenes stuff, I can tell you that making complex things simple is the goal of this site but doing it well is pretty mentally exhausting and very time-consuming. I haven't had time to contribute much behind the scenes for a long time but am trying very hard to get my head back into the game now.

:peace:
PP
OldGoat wrote:I am attempting to build my first BIAB recipe in BIABacus. Each time I enter "Y" in Section G for "HOPSOCK", my quantity of grains is adjusted in Section C under "What you will use...", consequently changing all the volumes in Section K. Why is this? Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks in advance.

Oldgoat
It will also change the amount of ingredients you require OG. What the BIABacus is saying to you here is that if you use a 'tea strainer' (a hop sock), you will be able to serve more clear tea than if you used loose-leaf tea. So, if you wanted to serve six cups of clear tea, you will need less ingredients and less water if you work with a tea bag or a tea strainer.

Make sense? This is just one part of the 'in-built intelligence' of the BIABacus.

:peace:
PP

P.S. More on the tea analogy.
Last edited by PistolPatch on 07 Mar 2015, 21:53, edited 2 times in total.
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Post #237 made 10 years ago
Oldgoat,
Nothing wrong with your observation - the hopsock retains almost all of the particulates that come from the hops, especially from the little hop pellets that occupy so much more volume at the end. The particles are removed when you pull the hopsock. The intent is to get a lot less trub and less KFL - therefore your target volumes all the way to VIP will be greater than if you skipped the hopsock and had to leave behind all the liquid that surrounded the crud.. That works backwards through the inter-related sections to adjust quantities at the start in "What you will use." This is one of the cool things the BIABacus does - you enter kettle size, recipe data, and what your target VIP is and adjustments happen with something as simple as the y or n in the hopsock field.
I see a hopsock as a way to get more beer out of the same kettle, but there are always other things to consider.
Using a hopsock, pay attention to the hop character of your beers over several batches, if you think there should be more hoppiness (3 or more taste components) you can add more hops of what you want to the hopsock. I find that I prefer the results when I add an extra 10 - 12% of some hops - it depends on the beer and personal tastes. Always make sure that the hopsock is big enough to allow full expansion of pellets and sufficient flow of liquid through it all in the hopsock to get what you want.from the hops.
PS -you can choose to squeeze the pulled hopsock if you wish, knowing that the smallest bits will then go back into the mother liquor.. You will have to account for them later, but it is a non-problem IMO.


Shore Points
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Post #238 made 10 years ago
I am going to respond to the three replies to my previous posts since I can't figure out how to respond to them individually (can that be done if I don't reply to a post immediately and other threads post prior to my reply?)

PistolPatch, Thanks for the response. Having built many spreadsheets in my time (although NONE as comprehensive and as obviously complicated as BIABacus) I know what goes into a good finished product. My hat is off to all who have put time into it. My recommendation was certainly not meant as criticism....my apologies if it appeared that way. Looking forward to the final cut. I am still learning my way around the spreadsheet and will master it with a few more BIABs under my belt.

As for the tea analogy, makes perfect sense. Never thought of it that way and I can understand how it would make a difference in all the volumes.

Shore Points, I have always used a hopsock (well, most of the time) for all of my brews. But for this first BIAB, I just reused the grain bag (lost my hopsock in a recent move). Unfortunately, I bought a "course" instead of "fine" bag and lost most of my hops into the boil anyway....so I really learned the tea strainer lesson on this one. I attempted to use a strainer/funnel going into the primary, but it kept getting clogged. I was running short on time (prior commitment) so just poured the entire volume into the primary. It is pretty dirty, but I have had to do this before. Although it will affect the desired outcome of the beer, it will still be very drinkable. I usually rack my beer at least three times for clarity anyway. In the end, it is all about learning and planning better. I have never been one to try to duplicate a beer perfectly. I almost always substitute ingredients, so this is just another variation that will make it interesting.

Thanks PP and SP for your insight and advice.

oldGoat
OldGoat
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Post #239 made 10 years ago
OG, didn't see anything there as criticism at all and I never mind it anyway ;).

I only get frustrated at the limitations that not being able to use macros etc imposes. As another example, an old version of the BIABacus even had a function where you could import and export recipes but, once again, it would only work properly in certain situations :evil:.

Oh, the hours :roll:.

:peace:
PP
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Post #240 made 10 years ago
OldGoat, it looks like you have experience in dealing with improving beer clarity with multiple rackings. I still rack to a glass secondary fermenter despite the oft mentioned added risk of infection on unnecessary transfers. Every transfer also costs time, equipment and cleaning, but sometimes I just have to do it.. I like to see what's going on and when it clears by itself. Why don't I use glass for the primary fermenter? Because the clarity is better if racked and my transfer losses are under control. My brief effort at filtration turned out like yours - clog after clog. With extra equipment (a large Büchner funnel, a vacuum source and diatomaceous earth), I know how I could filter successfully but that goes against the simplicity of doing BIAB. So we continue to rack. There are those who transfer from the kettle to a single fermenter and go from there to packaging - more power to 'em. My local HBS sells the coarse bag for BIAB and I think others will likely have the same problem you experienced.
I am with you on not striving for duplication. Some beers are better than others and the optimist in me says that I can make the next one better. :drink: brew on.
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Post #241 made 10 years ago
I guess this is a bit off topic, and I think everyone should do what works for them first and foremost, however, 'racking for clarity' I think is a bit of an oxymoron...

Have you fellas ever tried a single vessel fermentation to compare your clarity results? If you ever watch a beer as it clears, you will probably notice that yeast and sediment slowly dissipate towards the bottom of the vessel. So the top of the beer clears first, as the yeast and sediment slowly move toward the bottom rather than particles just falling straight to the bottom after a given time.

Now consider what happens when you rack the beer. The more sediment laden beer closer to the bottom of the vessel gets thouroughly mixed back in to the top portion in the next vessel, and it actually takes more time to clear...

Again, not saying you should or shouldn't rack, and to each their own, just wanted to give my two cents on why racking for clarity actually prolongs clarity.
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Post #242 made 10 years ago
Goulaigan,

My Siphon does not stir anything, and the day before racking, I tilt the ferment by placing a 3/4"/17mm board under one side.

If I leave my beer in the Yeast for more than 3 weeks, I get a Bitter taste, like the rind of Watermelon, and it Worsens as time Passes.

Most Brewery's I have Visited, Rack to Secondary after 36hrs to 48hrs when the O.G. has Dropped by 50%(Example 1.050 to 1.025), and then runs the beer thru a filter around 1.015 or less, and Carbonate/keg.

Of Course, they do Hurry.
Honest Officer, I swear to Drunk, I am Not God.
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Post #243 made 10 years ago
Thanks, Goulaigan,
I see your point - flocculation / precipitation leads to a gradient of particulates observed over time in the glass secondary, too. I also tip the opaque primary fermenting bucket the day before racking using a dictionary (remember them? Now an otherwise unused book). While the siphon doesn't stir the liquid in the primary, it does pick up the densest part of the gradient and turn it over in the secondary. The clock restarts for the fines to settle out. I will try a glass wide mouth carboy as primary and sole fermenter so I can see what I want to watch and later get it clean. The interesting numbers to compare will be the difference between VIF and VIP for each method. Luckily, the BIABacus has that covered.
Not to be annoying on this, but would later cold crashing in the secondary recover the settling time added by racking? Side-by-sides to see if getting it off the trub matters? I love the endless possibilities that go with brewing!
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Post #244 made 10 years ago
Exactly what I was trying to say SP, not saying there is no value in secondary use, just that IMHO it does not speed clarifying. I am with you on the endless possibilities, experimentation is second in fun only to drinking the results!!!
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Post #246 made 10 years ago
All, sorry I am just now getting involved in this discussion.

Goulaigan, If you have the time, space and equipment to practice it, rack will definitely improve clarity. I understand what you are saying and agree with you to a certain degree if you are racking only to a secondary....but even then, I have had improved clarity in my beers. It is all in the delicate handling of the fermentation vessel (carboy, bucket, whatever) and the siphon. I was fortunate to have plenty of time, space and equipment to rack to my heart's content. As I stated in my previous post, I usually rack three times. However, I have racked as few as one time, bottling or kegging directly from primary. And I have done it as many as eight times for experimentation. I have attempted filtering my beer as well, pushing it under pressure from one keg to another through a primary and secondary filter. What a nightmare! Tried that only once, then got rid of the filtering system. (Not the same system Joshua just posted).

Bottom line, in my experience, the more times you rack the clearer the final product will be. Of course, we can all argue the benefit or futility of racking so many times. It doesn't really make the beer "better" unless a person defines "clearer" as "better". And it does increase the possibility of contamination. I sure don't mind drinking beer I can't see through but I enjoy seeing what I can do to it to make it "different"...not necessarily "better". I've always been a 'seat-of-the-pants" brewer and this was just another area for me to play with. Through my 18 years of brewing, I am only just now starting to really understand some of the variables in brewing since I have had to downsize and I have started doing BIAB (and learning how to utilize the BIABacus). And I will not be racking like I used to. I will keg straight from the primary due to my lack of equipment and space.

Additionally, I used to cold-crash to further clarify my beer. On the final rack, I would move it from my fermentation chest freezer (maintained at 67 degrees) to my keg freezer (maintained at 34 degrees). This did a couple things. 1. It caused most remaining suspended particulates to drop to the bottom of the fermenter. 2. When I transferred my beer to the keg and applied Co2, the beer was already at a perfect temperature to absorb a much greater quantity of the Co2 than if it was at 67 degrees and still had to cool.

Just as a side note, back in 2012 I brewed a Barleywine (I have shared it on Beersmith Cloud - "4 Hog's Breath Barleywine 1.0") that I racked four times. Although I didn't hit my expected OG, I still surpassed my expected ABV because it fermented all the way down to 1.000 (which was actually the reason I racked this one four times...the SG kept decreasing). I could never figure out why it did this. Some folks said it was because I rack so much and kept disturbing the yeast, but this has never happened to any of my other beers (including my other barleywines). At least, not to this degree. Maybe someone smarter than me can explain why this happened.

Just my two cents (might have been three or four....sorry).

OldGoat
OldGoat
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Post #247 made 10 years ago
Post Script: After reading Goulaigan's most recent post, I realize I misread or misunderstood your point. Racking multiple times definitely does not SPEED the clarifying process. But it does accomplish it...with much more time invested. Sorry for the very long post that backed up your point...

OldGoat
OldGoat
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Post #248 made 10 years ago
Good Post OldGoat!!
I forgot to mention, that when you Rack the beer, there is an Up-Side/Down-Side.

Down-Side: Unless you have filled the Secondary with CO2, the Beer is Exposed to Oxygen. This can Restart Fermentation.

Up-Side: Unless you have filled the Secondary with CO2, the Beer is Exposed to Oxygen. This can Restart Fermentation.

Maybe, this is why I prefer the Beer from a Secondary.
Honest Officer, I swear to Drunk, I am Not God.
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Post #249 made 10 years ago
Joshua, thanks. Good point. Although I started purging the secondaries/tertiary etc...with Co2 a couple years ago, the barleywine in question was brewed before I discovered that process. So I was reintroducing oxygen during every racking! (and you could tell because a lot of my beer oxidized prior to my purging process) But, just to put it all on table, this barleywine was the only one that ever finished at 1.000... So the question as to why remains.
OldGoat
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Post #250 made 10 years ago
OldGoat, High starting Gravities have trouble Dissolving oxygen due to the Sugar Content.

WineMakers(High O.G.) use open fermentation and stir/agitate the Must, every few hours, to introduce More air into the Must, as fermentation proceeds.

When the yeast are dead and finished, they cannot process Oxygen, and Oxidation of the beer occurs....The Down-Side.
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