Calculating a grain bill from percentages
Calculating a grain bill from percentages
I was trying to work this out last night...
Say I have a recipe with a target OG of 1045 where the malts are listed as, say, 80% pale, 15% crystal, 5% chocolate. For a given wort volume (say 25 litres for the sake of argument), how do I then calculate the weight of each malt required?
I assume I need to know the potential fermentable sugars extracted from each malt during mashing and the brewhouse efficiency after which point it's relatively simple maths, but the "usual suspects" for supplying malts don't seem to provide much information by way of the first. Do people use some sort of average figure for each type of malt?
James
Say I have a recipe with a target OG of 1045 where the malts are listed as, say, 80% pale, 15% crystal, 5% chocolate. For a given wort volume (say 25 litres for the sake of argument), how do I then calculate the weight of each malt required?
I assume I need to know the potential fermentable sugars extracted from each malt during mashing and the brewhouse efficiency after which point it's relatively simple maths, but the "usual suspects" for supplying malts don't seem to provide much information by way of the first. Do people use some sort of average figure for each type of malt?
James
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Re: Calculating a grain bill from percentages
As a starting point a beer of 1.045 OG will need about 4.5 kilos of grain.
You can then use Graham Wheeler's beer engine to work out the fine details. You'll find the GW beer engine on here at: JBK Links>brewing calculators>Graham Wheeler's original beer engine calculator.
JBK links is at the top of the page, by the way.
Have fun!
Guy
You can then use Graham Wheeler's beer engine to work out the fine details. You'll find the GW beer engine on here at: JBK Links>brewing calculators>Graham Wheeler's original beer engine calculator.
JBK links is at the top of the page, by the way.
Have fun!
Guy
Re: Calculating a grain bill from percentages
+1 for beer engine (other software such as Brewfather is available)
It also depends on your system's mash and brewhouse efficiencies as well, these can be worked out by plugging in a recipe you've brewed previously into said software and adjusting the efficiencies until the numbers match your actual OG and volume. Ideally for Mash efficiency you need a Pre-boil gravity and volume but you can probably take a rough punt using Brewhouse efficiency to get you in the right ball-park...
(if you have no data to use, then try the defaults and make a note of what you actually get out and adjust for next time)
With Beer Engine you can put in the manufacturer's data (LDK, moisture content, etc.) in the grain editor and it will do the maths for you. Brewfather has most commercially available malts saved into it with typical data values so you can skip this step, but I've always used Beer Engine and trust the values that come out of it (Brewfather can be radically different in terms of IBUs, extract, etc.). The colour indicator on Beer Engine however is not especially accurate so I tend to ignore that value...
It also depends on your system's mash and brewhouse efficiencies as well, these can be worked out by plugging in a recipe you've brewed previously into said software and adjusting the efficiencies until the numbers match your actual OG and volume. Ideally for Mash efficiency you need a Pre-boil gravity and volume but you can probably take a rough punt using Brewhouse efficiency to get you in the right ball-park...
(if you have no data to use, then try the defaults and make a note of what you actually get out and adjust for next time)
With Beer Engine you can put in the manufacturer's data (LDK, moisture content, etc.) in the grain editor and it will do the maths for you. Brewfather has most commercially available malts saved into it with typical data values so you can skip this step, but I've always used Beer Engine and trust the values that come out of it (Brewfather can be radically different in terms of IBUs, extract, etc.). The colour indicator on Beer Engine however is not especially accurate so I tend to ignore that value...
Re: Calculating a grain bill from percentages
Looks like I might have to "borrow" my daughter's Windows laptop then ![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
James
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)
James
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Re: Calculating a grain bill from percentages
Perhaps I've misunderstood something. In your first post you explained how to find the BeerEngine link which, assuming I have the right one appears to be a .exe file and therefore will only run on Windows? Or am I confused?
James
James
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Re: Calculating a grain bill from percentages
Depends,you can run some .exe files on linux, macs and supposedly also on android,you just need some wine https://www.winehq.org/and therefore will only run on Windows? Or am I confused?
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Re: Calculating a grain bill from percentages
Aha! I have just discovered that https://github.com/jimbob88/wheelers-wort-works is an update of BeerEngine written in Python that should run on Windows, MacOS or Linux. I shall download that and give it a whirl.
James
James
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Re: Calculating a grain bill from percentages
Best of luck! I hadn't realised GW's Beer Engine would only run on Windows.
I also hadn't realised some people don't use Windows! My IT knowledge is minimal.
Guy
I also hadn't realised some people don't use Windows! My IT knowledge is minimal.
Guy
Re: Calculating a grain bill from percentages
No problem. Your answer did at least push me down a path I wasn't even aware existed.
James
James
Re: Calculating a grain bill from percentages
With Beer engine just enter volume and gravity. Add the ingredients as percentages and hey presto it will give you the weights as well.
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1. Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip
It's better to lose time with friends than to lose friends with time (Portuguese proverb)
Alone we travel faster
Together we travel further
( In an admonishing email from our golf club)