Efficiency and hop schedule

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Manngold
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Efficiency and hop schedule

Post by Manngold » Tue Dec 05, 2017 5:27 pm

Hi all,

Planning my first AG brew in a while. I use a Grainfather and have problems getting close to 70% efficiency (normally about 65%). To compensate I normally just chuck an extra 500 to 1Kg of grain (dependent on recipe). Should I also alter the amount of hops I use if I am using more grain, or is the IBU of the final product not impacted with a difference of gravity?

I am hoping to brew a London Bitter or ESB on Sunday. Lets say that I am aiming for 1042 and the increase in grain means I get 1050, should I also adjust the hops to account for that? Or doesn't it matter? Will the hops still be as present in a 1050 beer or will the increase in malt etc mask it? Does it matter on style of beer?

Sorry, a bit of ramble. Hopefully it is clear?

Thanks

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keith1664
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Re: Efficiency and hop schedule

Post by keith1664 » Tue Dec 05, 2017 6:36 pm

If you're using more grain to hit the intended gravity then your hop bill would remain the same, however if you were aiming for 1.042 and ended up at 1.050 you'd want to up the hops.

Here's more on the topic.

http://beersmith.com/blog/2009/09/26/ba ... ess-ratio/
In or near Norwich? Interested in meeting up monthly to talk and drink beer? PM me for details.

Manngold
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Re: Efficiency and hop schedule

Post by Manngold » Tue Dec 05, 2017 8:13 pm

keith1664 wrote:
Tue Dec 05, 2017 6:36 pm
If you're using more grain to hit the intended gravity then your hop bill would remain the same, however if you were aiming for 1.042 and ended up at 1.050 you'd want to up the hops.

Here's more on the topic.

http://beersmith.com/blog/2009/09/26/ba ... ess-ratio/
Thanks Keith. That was a good read. So, based on that, should I measure my pre boil gravity and then address the hop additions?

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keith1664
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Re: Efficiency and hop schedule

Post by keith1664 » Tue Dec 05, 2017 11:06 pm

If you're not sure what your pre boil gravity will be then it would be a good idea.
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Manngold
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Re: Efficiency and hop schedule

Post by Manngold » Tue Dec 05, 2017 11:16 pm

keith1664 wrote:
Tue Dec 05, 2017 11:06 pm
If you're not sure what your pre boil gravity will be then it would be a good idea.
Thanks. I guess because it is still a new system to me and my efficiency has been up and down I will do that.

Thanks for the advice.

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gr_baker
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Re: Efficiency and hop schedule

Post by gr_baker » Wed Dec 06, 2017 12:29 pm

Hi,

like you, I recently bought a Grainfather and, of the 8 brews I've made using it, my mash efficiency has varied between 63 and 85%. I'm yet to work out why this is the case but my approach has been to measure the SG after cooling and then dilute to the desired OG rather than the desired volume. This will result in some minor variations of IBU but I've decided it's simpler than trying to measure the preboil volume and SG.

Russell

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