Not hitting OG with BIAB system

[Sunfire96]

Your suggestions seem sound, so I’ll give both of these things a try. I already use and have to clean multiple vessels, so why not heat extra water for a sparge?
Just to try it, I’m gonna use unseasoned tap for my next brew - great water here!

Good luck! I used the method suggested by @Bubba Wade: grind grains as fine as possible, save some of your mash water in a separate pot/bucket. At the end of your mash, transfer your grain bag to this vessel with water around mash out temps (170F). Stir the grains and wait a few minutes while your first runnings wort heats up to boiling temps. Remove grains, squeeze bag if desired, add second runnings wort to boil kettle with the first runnings.

I usually check the mash at 45 minutes and if it hasn't converted enough, I'll let it go for 70-80 minutes. You'll get faster conversion in the alpha amylase range (155-160) but the wort won't be as fermentable due to increased dextrins and the body will be thicker.

 

[Megary]

As for crush, I’m running the grains through the mill twice, and getting plenty of flour. Working harder, cranking the mill by hand, just ‘cuz I enjoy the exercise. I could adjust for tighter gap, maybe only have to run grains through once?
As for water, I’m doing full volume mash, using amount dictated by recipe builder on this site. The mash seems not thick in the least, but maybe I could add a bit more.
I have always mashed for 60+ minutes, and Monday’s batch went 20+ minutes longer to accommodate lunch without positive effect. Usually, I mash around 152F-154F, dropping to ~148F-150F after an hour.
As for mash pH, I try to be in that 5.2-5.6 range.
Thanks for the input.

I'd be curious to see a picture of your milled grains as I think that is still the most likely cause of your decrease in efficiency.

I shred my grains to bits.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/forum...ith-homebrew-today.14431/page-131#post-161390

 

[Zambi]

That sounds like a new thread:
Show us your grains

 

[Herm brews]

I'd be curious to see a picture of your milled grains as I think that is still the most likely cause of your decrease in efficiency.

I shred my grains to bits.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/forum...ith-homebrew-today.14431/page-131#post-161390

This picture is the first brew here in Eugene, showing the crush using my new mill. What is not obvious from the picture is the amount of flour. Certainly not as much flour as your crush @Megary but there is flour in that pot.

 

[Megary]

Got it.

You could certainly try crushing finer and see where that takes you.
or...
Leave your crush right there and just adjust your recipes accordingly.

Either way works as long as you're consistent. And I don't believe that we can taste the difference in a couple of points of efficiency. I would just do whatever makes your hobby most enjoyable.

 

[Herm brews]

Got it.

You could certainly try crushing finer and see where that takes you.
or...
Leave your crush right there and just adjust your recipes accordingly.

Either way works as long as your consistent. And I don't believe that we can taste the difference in a couple of points of efficiency. I would just do whatever makes your hobby most enjoyable.

We can’t lose sight of that simple fact that this is a hobby, and so should in the end be enjoyable.

 

[Over The Cliff Brewing]

We can’t lose sight of that simple fact that this is a hobby, and so should in the end be enjoyable.

Amen to that!!

 

[Bubba Wade]

Good luck! I used the method suggested by @Bubba Wade: grind grains as fine as possible, save some of your mash water in a separate pot/bucket. At the end of your mash, transfer your grain bag to this vessel with water around mash out temps (170F). Stir the grains and wait a few minutes while your first runnings wort heats up to boiling temps. Remove grains, squeeze bag if desired, add second runnings wort to boil kettle with the first runnings.

I usually check the mash at 45 minutes and if it hasn't converted enough, I'll let it go for 70-80 minutes. You'll get faster conversion in the alpha amylase range (155-160) but the wort won't be as fermentable due to increased dextrins and the body will be thicker.

Yes, I use a method that's basically a BIAB with sparge. The rinse step recovers quite a bit of sugars.

 

[Herm brews]

Yes, I use a method that's basically a BIAB with sparge. The rinse step recovers quite a bit of sugars.

I’ll be employing that additional step the next time I brew. Hopefully, results will be stellar, and I’ll be a star (in my own little universe, anyway).

 

[GFHomebrew]

I’ll be employing that additional step the next time I brew. Hopefully, results will be stellar, and I’ll be a star (in my own little universe, anyway).

Yeah so I've found without a sparge i get 7~ % less efficiency a bit of a bump in OG I guess the main thing is consistency.
I used to chase high Brew house efficiency but these days I'm glad to reduce the % in trade off for a quicker brew day.

Good luck on your next batch Herm.

 

[TetersMillBrewing]

Just jumping back into brewing, don't have a lot of time during the summer. I do not use BIAB and there seems to be a lot of great recommendations already out. The thing I struggled with when I started using BF recipe editor was my efficiency rating which directly affects how BF calculates OG. I am still trying to get my efficiency rating nailed down, but hoover around 90% for my final brewhouse efficiency. One old school approach I have not seen mentioned is doing a simple iodine test to see if all your starches have been converted before you start your sparge.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Just jumping back into brewing, don't have a lot of time during the summer. I do not use BIAB and there seems to be a lot of great recommendations already out. The thing I struggled with when I started using BF recipe editor was my efficiency rating which directly affects how BF calculates OG. I am still trying to get my efficiency rating nailed down, but hoover around 90% for my final brewhouse efficiency. One old school approach I have not seen mentioned is doing a simple iodine test to see if all your starches have been converted before you start your sparge.

90% brew house exceptional!

I'm around the 77% BH No sparge biab here.
Best I've ever got was 87% with sparge but I'd say maybe a measurement error

 

[TetersMillBrewing]

90% brew house exceptional!

I'm around the 77% BH No sparge biab here.
Best I've ever got was 87% with sparge but I'd say maybe a measurement error

I brew with a HERMS system from Spike Brewing which really helps. 90% is on my good days when I am not rushed with the sparge and treat my water. On my lazy days it is closer to 80-85%. Still trying to figure out what went wrong on the Summer Wheat I made, it was 20 pts lower across the board.

 

[MaxStout]

I used to do a pour-over sparge, but I soon discovered that it only earned me a couple extra gravity points so I stopped doing it. I do squeeze the bag like it owes me money.

As @Herm brews pointed out, homebrewing should be enjoyable. Pro brewers try to squeeze every bit of efficiency out of their mash bill. We, as homebrewers, should embrace the fact that this isn't an exact science and sometimes the chips fall where they may. Sometimes I hit my numbers. Sometimes I don't and end up a few points high or low. In the end, I get beer. I'm more concerned with flavor and authenticity. If my brew is a little stronger or weaker...oh well.

 

[Bubba Wade]

I’ll be employing that additional step the next time I brew. Hopefully, results will be stellar, and I’ll be a star (in my own little universe, anyway).

I just want to note that this works well for small batches, just as BIAB is good for small batches. Lifting the grain bag from a 2.5 gallon batch and rinsing is pretty easy. Lifting from a 5 gallon batch gets to be a bit harder. I probably wouldn't use this technique if I were making 5 gallon batches or larger just due to the increased weight of the wet grain bag.

 

[Zambi]

100 % @Bubba Wade !
I normally use less than 2 kg grains in a brew. Even I can lift it and handle it

 

[Dornbox]

So interested in this as I just picked up a 35L Brewzilla for inside winter brewing.

So for a respectable efficiency in the mid 70s and up, a .035” is ideal for BIAB systems while a credit card gap is only around .05” correct? If I’m going to be changing my mill gap twice a year… I’m obviously going to need to get a new fancy 3 roller geared mill! Lol Also, are rice hulls advised at .035” or only if you go tighter? Thanks

 

[Minbari]

So interested in this as I just picked up a 35L Brewzilla for inside winter brewing.

So for a respectable efficiency in the mid 70s and up, a .035” is ideal for BIAB systems while a credit card gap is only around .05” correct? If I’m going to be changing my mill gap twice a year… I’m obviously going to need to get a new fancy 3 roller geared mill! Lol Also, are rice hulls advised at .035” or only if you go tighter? Thanks

I use rice hulls everytime. They are practically free and good insurance

 

[Daniel Parshley]

I mill twice as for some reason the mill doesnt run nicely if I make the gap smaller. I also mill by hand like @Herm brews.
I found quite a big difference by mashing longer. 3-4 hours or so. I found this out by accident. Something came up during mash and I had to let the wort sit longer than intended.
I sparge. A little
No extra things to clean as I use the bowl that had my crushed grains. I drain grains as much as possible in colander over pot with wort by pushing the bag.
Then bag goes to bowl. Add water, stir, squeeze. Liquid goes to pot, bag goes to colander. Repeat.
Unknown volume but I know I'll overshoot SG as I know volume of pot. Final correction of SG is with cold water when transferring to fermenter. It helps cooling.
I realise this is only possible because I do small batches, but so does Herm

I do something similar with small batches. After sitting for 1-2 hours, squeeze, rinse, repeat, and then refrigerate the wort over night. Only the clear liquid is used and the settled out part is thrown away. This step has greatly improved my brew.

Amazing how those batches get smaller the older I get.

 

[Donoroto]

So interested in this as I just picked up a 35L Brewzilla for inside winter brewing.

So for a respectable efficiency in the mid 70s and up, a .035” is ideal for BIAB systems while a credit card gap is only around .05” correct? If I’m going to be changing my mill gap twice a year… I’m obviously going to need to get a new fancy 3 roller geared mill! Lol Also, are rice hulls advised at .035” or only if you go tighter? Thanks

0.042" is a good all-grain grind, but if it's your mill, try a few settings (brew the same beer, only change mill settings) to see what works best.
There's a Brewzilla thread here someplace that has a lot of good advice. It took me a bit of time to get my process dialed in with my BZ35 but now it makes mashing - even step mashing - easy.