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That could be a Bob Ross type "happy accident"
If I drink hoppy beers, I like them a little tamer anyway.
Not Hitting OG
- Thread starter Yontsey
- Start date
If I drink hoppy beers, I like them a little tamer anyway.
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That's likely it! We've all had numbers come out poorer than expected, but at 1060 it will still be fine beer!
The Boil-off & Dilution Calculator can be used to determine if the volume difference accounts for all of the gravity difference. Of course, the more accurate your volume measurements, the better. If you are just guestimating anyway, don't bother and chalk up the result. I meticulously measured everything when I first started brewing to dial-in my system and process. I no longer sweat the small stuff. (being off a few points can be a result of rough volume estimates alone)
Any gravity difference not accounted for could then be caused by efficiency expectations being off, grain crush, mash temp, mash time* (see below), mash pH, and even the grains themselves varying slightly from the average expected extraction built in to the calculator. That's a lot of variables.
Dial-in your system with very accurate volume measurements at each important step, and be sure to accurately measure *all* losses that don't make it from one step to the next. (dead space, hoses, trub, etc.) You should only need to do this a few times. That will help you establish *your* system efficiency.
Since you're doing BIAB, you can crush down to .024˝ if you like without any ill effects on the flavor, though I find below .030˝ can gum up a bag if recirculating with >50% Wheat, Rye & Oats. (depending on your bag material, and rice hulls won't help much here, but gentle scraping the sides of the bag does)
Get your Mash Temp right, and be sure to do a Mash-Out step. It doesn't have to be a 'rest', just slowly raising the temp to 168℉ is usually sufficient for me to increase viscosity and unlock sugars that are gummy and not homogeneously in solution. I do this after raising the bag while recirculating, and this usually buys me 3–5 pts. If I'm much lower than that from target Pre-Boil, I'll hold at 160–162℉ for about 10–20 minutes and that usually gets me in the ballpark.
I've yet to hit my numbers with flaked products, especially Oats, even with a Cereal Mash and/or Protein Rest steps, but I also wasn't doing Iodine tests at the time. (highly recommended) On the note of Iodine tests, I now mash until I'm done, not by time. But certainly, if you're close enough and happy with your gravity, carry on to the Boil as desired. Almost all of my mashes are at least 90 minutes from dough-in to pulling the grains. Some recipes take longer. (though I have started my dough-in cooler, and slowly ramping my temp up to my target, then holding as necessary. This gets me faster conversion and saves time as I'm using the ramp period which matters for propane as it is slow, probably not so much for electric systems.)
Get a pH meter if you don't have one. A decent meter can be had for $50. Be sure to calibrate it regularly and learn to rinse properly between measurements and solutions. Check pH 15min into your mash and adjust acid as needed to be in the 5.2–5.4 range. (at calibration temp) Optimum conversion happens in that range. If you are outside of it, and can't adjust, you'll just have to mash longer. I like Phosphoric 80% for this as it doesn't require large amounts for adjustment per batch, and I don't find Calcium is a problem as I always salt that to at least 100ppm anyway. It doesn't impart any flavor like Citric does, (especially sometimes in the quantities needed for Citric) though that may not be a problem for some styles like NEIPA.
Finally, I have found all of my beers (except NEIPA) are better with a 90 minute boil. (and I rarely use Pilsner malt) I just get better overall flavor and mouthfeel with 90 vs. 60. I find 60 minute boils to be lackluster and one-dimensional. For NEIPA, I do short 30 minute boils. The hops are going to be the star of the show, and the beer will be consumed quickly after carbing anyway. (4 weeks or less) Regardless of the boil time, I always shoot for a Level 4 'Vigorous' boil. That of course will affect boil-off rate, but I've dialed that in to account for volume loss, and built it back in at Strike. Here is an excellent visual on boil levels:
.
Since I'm using propane, I find it easier to hit Level 5 'Violent' or even the not shown Level 6 'Volcanic' where wort is physically leaping up off the surface and then dialing back to Level 4. This ensures a quick Hot Break and is easier to achieve then trying to work my way up slowly to Level 4. For electric systems, just start with 100% power, then figure out your %power to hit Level 4, and then use that to start with from then on. Of course, if you are pushing the volume limit of your kettle even before the boil, you'll have to use a slow ramp, and maybe even settle for a Level 3 Rolling Boil instead.
Whatever method you choose, be consistent with it, and dial-in your losses which will affect your system efficiency and Strike volume. That is, you need to establish a boil-off 'rate' for your preferred level of boil, this will be a figure over time like quarts(or gallons)-per-hour, which you enter in the BF Equipment Profile. From there, as you adjust Boil Time in the recipe, the Calc will adjust your expected boil-off losses for that batch and that will translate to suggested Strike Volume in the Water Requirements section. I find it takes about 5 batches to get a good average Boil-Off rate for a given system. The heat coefficient of the material the kettle is made of, the surface area to height ratio of the kettle, and the energy output (ex. BTUs) of the heat source all create variance for each system. Note, Boil-Off is affected by other non-controllable variables, such as ambient temp, humidity, and wind speed—unless you're boiling indoors and/or with a condenser lid. That's why it takes so many batches to dial-in a steady average. Be aware though, that from batch-to-batch, you *could* end up with a slightly lower/higher boil-off amount due to those uncontrollable factors but that should still be within the range you've measured over your initial batches. Even using a 'cookie cutter' electrical system may have enough variance to throw your numbers off a few points from what is 'expected'. (at least in personal experience)
Of course, none of the above may matter to you, in which case, Relax, Don't Worry, and Have a Homebrew!
Any gravity difference not accounted for could then be caused by efficiency expectations being off, grain crush, mash temp, mash time* (see below), mash pH, and even the grains themselves varying slightly from the average expected extraction built in to the calculator. That's a lot of variables.
Dial-in your system with very accurate volume measurements at each important step, and be sure to accurately measure *all* losses that don't make it from one step to the next. (dead space, hoses, trub, etc.) You should only need to do this a few times. That will help you establish *your* system efficiency.
Since you're doing BIAB, you can crush down to .024˝ if you like without any ill effects on the flavor, though I find below .030˝ can gum up a bag if recirculating with >50% Wheat, Rye & Oats. (depending on your bag material, and rice hulls won't help much here, but gentle scraping the sides of the bag does)
Get your Mash Temp right, and be sure to do a Mash-Out step. It doesn't have to be a 'rest', just slowly raising the temp to 168℉ is usually sufficient for me to increase viscosity and unlock sugars that are gummy and not homogeneously in solution. I do this after raising the bag while recirculating, and this usually buys me 3–5 pts. If I'm much lower than that from target Pre-Boil, I'll hold at 160–162℉ for about 10–20 minutes and that usually gets me in the ballpark.
I've yet to hit my numbers with flaked products, especially Oats, even with a Cereal Mash and/or Protein Rest steps, but I also wasn't doing Iodine tests at the time. (highly recommended) On the note of Iodine tests, I now mash until I'm done, not by time. But certainly, if you're close enough and happy with your gravity, carry on to the Boil as desired. Almost all of my mashes are at least 90 minutes from dough-in to pulling the grains. Some recipes take longer. (though I have started my dough-in cooler, and slowly ramping my temp up to my target, then holding as necessary. This gets me faster conversion and saves time as I'm using the ramp period which matters for propane as it is slow, probably not so much for electric systems.)
Get a pH meter if you don't have one. A decent meter can be had for $50. Be sure to calibrate it regularly and learn to rinse properly between measurements and solutions. Check pH 15min into your mash and adjust acid as needed to be in the 5.2–5.4 range. (at calibration temp) Optimum conversion happens in that range. If you are outside of it, and can't adjust, you'll just have to mash longer. I like Phosphoric 80% for this as it doesn't require large amounts for adjustment per batch, and I don't find Calcium is a problem as I always salt that to at least 100ppm anyway. It doesn't impart any flavor like Citric does, (especially sometimes in the quantities needed for Citric) though that may not be a problem for some styles like NEIPA.
Finally, I have found all of my beers (except NEIPA) are better with a 90 minute boil. (and I rarely use Pilsner malt) I just get better overall flavor and mouthfeel with 90 vs. 60. I find 60 minute boils to be lackluster and one-dimensional. For NEIPA, I do short 30 minute boils. The hops are going to be the star of the show, and the beer will be consumed quickly after carbing anyway. (4 weeks or less) Regardless of the boil time, I always shoot for a Level 4 'Vigorous' boil. That of course will affect boil-off rate, but I've dialed that in to account for volume loss, and built it back in at Strike. Here is an excellent visual on boil levels:
Since I'm using propane, I find it easier to hit Level 5 'Violent' or even the not shown Level 6 'Volcanic' where wort is physically leaping up off the surface and then dialing back to Level 4. This ensures a quick Hot Break and is easier to achieve then trying to work my way up slowly to Level 4. For electric systems, just start with 100% power, then figure out your %power to hit Level 4, and then use that to start with from then on. Of course, if you are pushing the volume limit of your kettle even before the boil, you'll have to use a slow ramp, and maybe even settle for a Level 3 Rolling Boil instead.
Whatever method you choose, be consistent with it, and dial-in your losses which will affect your system efficiency and Strike volume. That is, you need to establish a boil-off 'rate' for your preferred level of boil, this will be a figure over time like quarts(or gallons)-per-hour, which you enter in the BF Equipment Profile. From there, as you adjust Boil Time in the recipe, the Calc will adjust your expected boil-off losses for that batch and that will translate to suggested Strike Volume in the Water Requirements section. I find it takes about 5 batches to get a good average Boil-Off rate for a given system. The heat coefficient of the material the kettle is made of, the surface area to height ratio of the kettle, and the energy output (ex. BTUs) of the heat source all create variance for each system. Note, Boil-Off is affected by other non-controllable variables, such as ambient temp, humidity, and wind speed—unless you're boiling indoors and/or with a condenser lid. That's why it takes so many batches to dial-in a steady average. Be aware though, that from batch-to-batch, you *could* end up with a slightly lower/higher boil-off amount due to those uncontrollable factors but that should still be within the range you've measured over your initial batches. Even using a 'cookie cutter' electrical system may have enough variance to throw your numbers off a few points from what is 'expected'. (at least in personal experience)
Of course, none of the above may matter to you, in which case, Relax, Don't Worry, and Have a Homebrew!
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Should put that in your next novel.
I agree, i always mash till its done. Might be more than hour, if that was my target time.
Also, just a word of warning for those that haven't used 80% phosphoric, handle carefully! Use a syringe and clean anything it touches. It will burn your skin and holes in your clothes. God forbid, you get it in your eye
Yeah, I talk too much, especially when typing!Should put that in your next novel.
I agree, i always mash till its done. Might be more than hour, if that was my target time.
Also, just a word of warning for those that haven't used 80% phosphoric, handle carefully! Use a syringe and clean anything it touches. It will burn your skin and holes in your clothes. God forbid, you get it in your eye
And yes, heed that warning! My buddy got some splashed back in his eye and had to flush it with water for 15min. It wasn't pleasant.
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I had the same issue when I started biab, I have found that covering my lidded kettle with an old sleeping bag and letting it sit covered for 90 minutes put my numbers spot on
