35% efficiency!

[Brewer #334773]

Hey all!!

Long time reader, first time poster.

I need help understanding why my efficiency is so horrific. Its been several brews now where ive missed my OG by more than 10 points. Some times more than 20 points!

I just brewed the below recipe, and my pre-boil gravity was a shocking 1.020 when i was expecting somewhere around 1.040 or higher.

I am using the Grainfather G30 and I have a few theories. They are:

1. A 65 degree mash is pretty low, but when you're taking the reading from the bottom of the grainfather, you're getting the hottest point. So with the counterflow on, the rest of the mash could be closer to 60 degrees, resulting in an extremely slow mash.
2. I didn't mash long enough
3. My sparge temp was around 75 degrees but when i poured it onto the perferated plate, it seemed to go straight through, which seemed odd?
4. My pH was ~4.8 which is quite low, could that have affected it?

Its driving me mad and its resulting in a number of wasted brews, so any advice would be fantastic!

Water volume

Mash Water: 17.15 L

Sparge Water: 11.1 L

Total Water: 28.25 L

Boil Volume: 24.88 L

Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.021


Mash

Mash In — 65 °C — 60 min

Mash Out — 76 °C — 10 min


Malts (4.55 kg)

4 kg (86%) — Gladfield Malt Gladfield American Ale Malt — Grain — 5 EBC

200 g (4.3%) — Avangard Munich Malt, Germany — Grain — 18.7 EBC

150 g (3.2%) — Blue Lake Maltings Gladfield Rolled Oats (BLM) — Grain — 5.5 EBC

100 g (2.2%) — BESTMALZ BEST Caramel Pils — Grain — 5 EBC

100 g (2.2%) — Gladfield Malt Gladfield Supernova Malt — Grain — 115 EBC


Other (100 g)
100 g (2.2%) — Briess Rice Hulls — Adjunct — 0 EBC


Hops (200 g)
10 g (30 IBU) — Eclipse 17.2% — First Wort

30 g (8 IBU) — Eclipse 17.2% — Boil — 0 min

40 g (10 IBU) — Eclipse 17.2% — Aroma — 20 min hopstand @ 75 °C

120 g — Eclipse 17.2% — Dry Hop — day 8


Hopstand at 75 °C


Miscs
0.73 g — Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) — Mash

1 items — Campden Tablets — Mash

1.21 g — Epsom Salt (MgSO4) — Mash

5.1 g — Gypsum (CaSO4) — Mash

2.3 ml — Phosphoric Acid 85% — Mash

1 items — Campden Tablets — Sparge

0.47 g — Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) — Sparge

0.78 g — Epsom Salt (MgSO4) — Sparge

3.3 g — Gypsum (CaSO4) — Sparge

1 items — Whirlfloc — Boil — 10 min


Yeast
1 pkg — Fermentis US-05 Safale American 81%


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[Zambi]

That's a real low efficiency!
Maybe the crush of your grains? Could you post a picture?
pH, mash temperature and malted grain choice look fine to me

Maybe something in your water? Maybe you could use RO water for one batch to check?

What temperature do you pitch your yeast at, and what fermentation temperature?

 

[GFHomebrew]

Yup maybe a crush issue that's an anomaly.

 

[Minbari]

Between grain crush, ph and temp. Temp that low will have an effect for sure. How long did you mash and how did you check to see if it was done?

 

[The Brew Mentor]

Couple things maybe...
Raise the mash temp
Check your grain crush.
Make sure your main base malt is highly modified. I'm unfamiliar with Gladfield. ( Try Briess)
Get PH up to 5.2-5.4
Also, maybe 1/2 the amount of metabisulfite.

 

[Zambi]

I missed the metabisulphate!
Learned something new. I don't use campden tablets as I don't have chlorinated water.

To OP: have you had a water analysis done?
And are the many water additions really nevessary?

 

[dmtaylor]

Usually the answer here is the crush.

The other high percent of the time, it's a measurement error. How are you measuring SG? Have you calibrated your hydrometer or refractometer in plain water? Did you measure OG at room temperature or was the wort still hot? Have you calibrated your mash thermometer in both boiling water to ensure it reads about 100C and in ice water to ensure it reads 0C? Have you calibrated your pH meter? If so, describe your calibration process.

If you are using inaccurate gauges, you'll get inaccurate readings.

But if your pH was truly 4.8 as you say, that's a problem. But I think a measurement error is more likely. Probably multiple.

That, and the crush. Probably both.

 

[Donoroto]

Campden: half a tablet is more than enough for both mash and sparge together.
Grain crush: Your comment about the sparge just flowing through leads me to suspect insufficient crush.
I am not sure that water affects efficiency that much.

By the way: Welcome!

 

[Craigerrr]

Sounds like a silly question, but we're the grains crushed?

 

[Sandy Feet]

My efficiency is bad, but in the low 60s. Agree with the question above about the crushed grains. I you don't think your temperature readings are accurate, it is cheap enough to buy a thermometer with a long handle for brewing. It is what I use.

 

[The Brew Mentor]

Is the op a ghost?

 

[Ward Chillington]

How'd the beer taste and what kind of ABV diff you get Shirley? @Brewer #334773 ?

 

[Craigerrr]

Surely Shirley will be back...

 

[Donoroto]

Surely Shirley will be back...

Most certainly, and quit calling me Shirley!

 

[Craigerrr]

Most certainly, and quit calling me Shirley!

Certainly

 

[Mark Farrall]

It's possibly annoyingly basic, but the two things I'd start with are how are you getting your grains crushed and can you post a picture?
Second is have you tested that your whatever you're using to measure temperature?

I'm unfamiliar with Gladfield.

Gladfield's a relatively large small maltster from New Zealand. The American ale malt is a standard highly modified malt. The supernova is a crystal I think. I use their grains in a lot of my beers. Nothing unusual to mash with.

 

[The Brew Mentor]

It's possibly annoyingly basic, but the two things I'd start with are how are you getting your grains crushed and can you post a picture?
Second is have you tested that your whatever you're using to measure temperature?


Gladfield's a relatively large small maltster from New Zealand. The American ale malt is a standard highly modified malt. The supernova is a crystal I think. I use their grains in a lot of my beers. Nothing unusual to mash with.

Thanks @Mark Farrall

 

[Sandy Feet]

Most certainly, and quit calling me Shirley!

Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?

 

[WesBrew]

Sir, these lights keep blinking out of sequense.

 

[Donoroto]

Sir, these lights keep blinking out of sequense.

The red zone is for loading and unloading only. There is no stopping in the blue zone.