mixing mash

[OHNOITSSTEVEMO]

I have been hitting low OG’s in my recipie. I have figured out all the exact water loss etc and plugged them in to my calculators. The defaults were pretty close so it didn’t change much. I’ve been sticking to the same recipe so I can figure out exactly what changes when I try something different. I switched from fly sparing to batch sparging. Didn’t change much for me. I’m going to try to mix a little longer when I add my grains to the mash tun to see if Mabey I’m getting dough balls “if that’s the correct term”. And Mabey. Not getting me all the conversion. My recipe is a heavy recipe with 17lbs of grain so it’s possible I’m not mixing well enough?

Sorry for the long version. Any suggestions on technique or tools

 

[philjohnwilliams]

Yes, dough balls is the correct term, and it is a possible reason for low OG. How much lower than your predicted OG are you getting? I have found that some grains , Marris Otter being one, are more prone to gorming dough balls than others.

 

[thunderwagn]

What are your numbers? How far off are they? Dough balls would be evident in your mash. If you're stirring, you should see them I would think, and they could play with your numbers a bit, but you mentioned heavy. What do you mean by that? Heavy grain bills/higher gravity beers typically produce lower efficiency. That could be playing a part here. Really need to post up more info.

 

[ChicoBrewer]

Been there.

Please post your recipe. At least the grain bill and mash schedule including temperatures. Also what you expected the OG to be and what it turned out to be.

Assuming All Grain a couple of things could be going on here.

• The conversion may not be complete. How long are you mashing and at what temp? An iodine test is a tool to let you know when conversion is complete
• Your efficiency expectations may be way off. You may need to adjust your recipe for a lower efficiency and add more base malt.

Extra stirring is likely not the answer

 

[OHNOITSSTEVEMO]

 

[OHNOITSSTEVEMO]

 

[ChicoBrewer]

When I plug your grain bill in I get an OG of 1.073 at 72% efficiency which isn't far off from the 168 you are getting. What recipe builder are you using?

 

[OHNOITSSTEVEMO]

Brew log. Also. My specific equipment info would be built in to that. Probably not making that big of a difference tho. Assuming yours is right. I’m getting 1.068. Is that an exceptible variation from a recipie or is that still a need to do something different?

 

[ChicoBrewer]

It looks OK. There are a couple of things you can do to get your OG up.

1. Increase your efficiency. I don't know anything about your equipment but it looks like you are batch sparging a lot like I do. Maybe others can give tips here.
2. Set your efficiency to what it actually is and increase your base malt (the Maris Otter) to get the OG up to where you want it.
3. When you are done mashing add DME to get the OG up to where you want it.

I use method two. I target kettle efficiency and right now I am getting 79%. Brew house is 67%.

My efficiency gets better as I tweak my process. ​

As my efficiency gets better I adjust base malt in my recipes as needed.

Bottom line is don't fret about it too much. just throw in more malt and as you get better adjust . . .

 

[OHNOITSSTEVEMO]

Ok. Thanks for the advice. Do you think I should switch recipie builders or just adjust to what I’m using

 

[OHNOITSSTEVEMO]

Thanks to everyone who replied

 

[Head First]

Thanks to everyone who replied

You can temporarily use this recipe builder for free for a bit. Give it a shot. It works quite well and all your recipes will be saved cloud style. The calculators integrate well and there are constant upgrades. Not that expensive to join either.

 

[GFHomebrew]

Your hitting the right fermentor Volume? Just adding more liquor will dilute your sugars more being a bit under can really screw your figures.

 

[BOB357]

View attachment 4736

That's 18.15 lbs. of grain and less than 19 qts. of strike water. Way too thick. You definitely need to get it up to at least 1.25qt./lb.
Ideally, you should shoot for somewhere close to 50% of you wort coming from the first runnings. Looks like you're currently only getting about 1/3 without counting any dead space in your MLT.

At 1.04qt./lb. your entire mash is very close to being a dough ball

 

[Hawkbox]

I do a lot of batch sparging and generally get in the 70-75% range, you are running rather thick as Bob mentions. A no sparge is an option but I do take a hit on that too, but to get a better mash ratio it might be something to consider. You'd still end up around 68-72% but it would be a hell of a lot easier to stir in.

 

[OHNOITSSTEVEMO]

Thank you. Yes I get the exact amount of boil volumn and fermenter volumn As calculated I mean perfect! Just my gravity readings are off