Mashing Efficiency

[Old Bloater]

Hi there

You'll probably say this is normal but I have some questions over my mashing technique.

Heres yesterdays brew:

Maris Otter 4.5 kg
Crystal malt 120 gms
Wheat malt 120 gms
Mash volume at 150 degrees - 14 litres
Sparged with 14 litres

Collected about 25 litres but og of last run offs was still about 1004 (hydrometer adjusted for temperature), didn't dare try to extract any more as this would have given too much wort.

Added 500gms sugar to boil and og this morning for 23 litres was about 1046.

Does this all seem right?

I use a coolbox mashtun and spinny sparge at about 80 degrees C

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

OB

[retourrbx]

I am going to be rather anal and say that the figure for pale is more likely 290... thats the data I got from Fawcetts

[retourrbx]

64% - excellent

Get some pH buffer from hop n Grape for ease - going to try it myself after new year

[Northern Brewer]

Mash volume at 150 degrees - 14 litres

Are you suggesting that you used 14 litres of liquor to create your mash? If so then your temperature seems to be way out.

150F = 65.56C. Whilst I would expect to use about 14 litres of liquor for the quoted amount of grain, I would have this at 73C (173.4F), which would start the mash at 66.6C (151.9F). I am probably misunderstanding you though.

On another note, with you in Ulpha, Charlie at Milnthorpe and me in Sedbergh, maybe we need to forming a local club!

[Old Bloater]

Ok thanks for all of that. Looks like PH is the thing to look at.

s 64% a reasonable efficiency without ph fiddling?

Incidentally the strike heat was about 12 degrees higher giving a finishing mash temp of approx 150.

A question about ph, I presume that's the ph after the grain has been added (not just the ph of the water) is it? Do you have to do a bit of fiddling with a small batch to get the treatment correct so you then know for future brews?

Cheers
OB

[retourrbx]

Cumbrian water is fairly soft I would say...