Post
by Fil » Sun Jan 11, 2015 12:17 am
there are quite a few brew apps for both pc and mac some free and some with a price tag, they will all work out an estmated FG based on a recipe AND an efficiency estimate.
your mash efficiency will be an estimate until you have mashed a few brews and determined your actual efficiency once you have the procedure with a minimal temp drop over the duration sorted. And the Mash start temperature and temperature loss during the mash are two factors that can influence the mash as well as the mash density and the job you do doughing in. there are 2 enzymes at work during the mash one prefers a higher temp, and the other lower, one will reduce larger sugar chains and the other smaller,I think amalayse Beta will chop the big sugar and alpha the smaller sugars, tho cld be wrong.. , a steady mash temp circa 67C with a 1-2degree C drop over 90 mins (0 wld be best hehe) should promote a good mix of sugars for most beers using modern grain, giving you an efficiency in the mid to hi 70%'s or higher range, when starting out estimating low say 65% should ensure the beers strong enough to ferment out over 3.2%
The other major factor in hitting targets for both volume and gravity is the boil off rate of your kettle, again something best determined by experience.
imho and others may disagree when starting out focus on the gravity as the primary target, volume i think is less important, if you brew a few pints more or less than expected its better than risk brewing something too strong or not strong enough to achieve a shelf life..
using a dipstick durring the boil should give you an indication of how the brew is progressing, if boiling off too much you can add some hlt liquor or turn down the heat.
ist update for months n months..
Fermnting: not a lot..
Conditioning: nowt
Maturing: Challenger smash, and a kit lager
Drinking: dry one minikeg left in the store
Coming Soon Lots planned for the near future nowt for the immediate
