I always chill the sample in a cocktail shaker that I place in a bowl of ice water. The readings are always taken at less than 70 degrees (my hydrometer is calibrated for 60 degrees, but Brewer's Friend makes a temp. correction, usually only affecting the value by one point).

I still don't think my question is clear. I appreciate all the advice and info about improving efficiency and dialing in a process that works. But my question is not about improving efficiency, but understanding how to interpret the Brewer's Friend calculations: Why does Brewer's Friend tell...

I assume you mean "Default batch size" in the "General Settings" part of the profile? Then, yes, it's set for the same batch size as this recipe (2.5 gal).

My gravity going into the fermentor was fine, but the volume ended up being low (and thus brewhouse efficiency was low). But I don't see how that would help explain why my pre-boil volume and gravity targets were met without my efficiency target also being met. I'm not trying to fix my...

Yes, it's set to BIAB, and using my BIAB equipment profile.

I have a brew session where the numbers don't make sense to me. Here's what I think is the relevant info from the recipe (it's BIAB if that matters): Efficiency: 70% (ending kettle) "Starting boil volume" under Water Requirements: 2.88 gal (it's for a 2.5 gal batch) "Recipe based estimate"...

At that link, it says the volume used for conversion efficiency is "how much mash water was used (do not count grain absorption or mash tun dead space)." I.E. not the amount of wort that made it to the kettle. With BIAB, you don't have dead space, but you still have grain absorption, so I think...

As others have said, good beer has been made in lots of different ways. I think the much more important consideration is your enjoyment. Beginners are often advised to start with extract before "graduating" to all-grain. That makes it seem like 1) all-grain is better and 2) all-grain is...

I was thinking the same thing, because they talk about the OG of the beer, which seems irrelevant after fermentation is complete. But I think what really matters here is the specific gravity of the gyle (b/c it's from the same batch, it's the same as the OG of the beer). Higher spec. gravity...

Sounds like a nice process improvement. I like the idea of being able to add it earlier to reduce the risk of hop utilization issues like Nosybear mentions. I had forgotten that after hot break, my risk of boil over is pretty low anyway. Thanks Ozarks Mountain, Nosybear, and Brew Mentor for...

I must be dense, but I don't understand why the wort would be more concentrated while the hops are in it. With a 2.75 gallon, 90 minute boil, I think I would have 2.5 gallons with 60 minutes remaining (when the first hops go in). With my alternate plan, I'll start with 2.5 gallons, boil off...

Sorry, wasn't clear. This is my fourth all-grain batch. I brewed extract 20 years ago and have recently gotten back into it, but with small batches and all-grain because it's more fun for me. A bigger pot isn't in the cards in the short term. I've already played around with the water...

I'm not worried about hop utilization, because my recipe has the first hop additions at 60 minutes, so I'll just put the first hops in after the wort comes back up to the boil and then boil for 60 minutes. Am I missing something?

My next batch uses 75% Pilsner malt and I'd like to do a 90-min boil, instead of my normal 60-min, to get rid of some DMS. The extra 30 minutes means more boil-off losses, so I plan to use more water. Problem is that I don't want to take the extra risk of a boil-over. So, my thought is to add...