Author: Andrew February 8, 2017

I brewed last weekend, and somehow my efficiency was way up.

YES HELLO!

I blame this on Bru'n Water – I tried it instead of Palmer's spreadsheet, and it told me to use a fuckton more acid. #homebrew pic.twitter.com/x2HOSn7udq

— Andrew Rohne 🍺🏃🍕 (@HamBrew807) February 4, 2017

According to BeerSmith, my mash efficiency is 87% and my overall brewhouse efficiency is 97%.  I don’t believe that second number at all, but the first is pretty damn important to me, and it is wildly better than what I’ve done in the past.

I took one of my last recipes – an IIPA where I got 60% mash efficiency – and took a look in Bru’n Water.  Using my water report found on the Internet and what I added based on Palmer’s spreadsheet, my mash pH was likely close to 5.68 after the 4 grams of gypsum and 1 mL of lactic acid. What I should have done was 4 grams of gypsum and 4.5 mL of lactic acid. That would have put my mash pH around 5.34.

Of course this could be a fluke.  I did mash in high (the strike water started at 158ºF, I stirred it down to 155ºF), so there could be that.  So there will be a part 4 and a part 5. One will be with a past recipe with a revised water adjustment profile, and another will be about my Ward Labs report… once I run a Ward Labs report!

Cheers!