Brewing efficiency

benjaH

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Hi brewers!

I'm new in this art and in every recipe description it's mentioned the efficiency of the batch. I hope someone can explain to me what exactly "batch efficiency" refers to. Thanks a lot and cheers!
 
It means the amount of sugar you got divided by the total theoretical sugar in your mash. And if you are a beginner, it's not something to be too concerned about. Concentrate on sanitation and good fermentation control - batch efficiency (otherwise known as brew day efficiency) isn't that important.
 
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There are two types of efficiency brewers are concerned with. Mash,efficiency is the percentage of available sugars (often referred to as potential), that are extracted from the grist during the mash/lauter process and run into the boiler. The one you see in recipes is Brewhouse (batch) efficiency and refers to the percentage of available sugars that make it into the fermenter. This is important when trying to closely match the results of a recipe.
 
I'm new in this art
If you're new, you'll likely be doing plenty of extract brews. If that's the case, efficiency won't come into the equation at all since all the sugars you need are already taken care of. When you start to do all-grain brewing you'll need to have an idea of the efficiency of your system and process so you can follow a recipe and know whether your resulting ABV will be closer to 4% or 6%, for instance.
 
The diagram (found here: https://docs.brewersfriend.com/faq/brew-sessions#brewsessions5) helped me more than any other to understand the different efficiencies.

upload_2019-11-6_14-41-28.png
 
When brewing another brewer's recipe, you can match your efficiency against their's. This comparison will tell you whether you need a little more or a little less grain than the recipe calls for hit the same specific gravity. Tracking your efficiency also helps you to spot a hidden change (good or bad) or measure an intentional change to your process. As a new brewer, it should be near the bottom of your Things-To-Learn list
 

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