Thinking of giving up brewing.....

[Piscator]

I recently made a batch of bitter, and was very surprised when using BeerEngine to check my figures, that I had made 100% mash efficiency

Not quite believing it, I have checked both the calibration markers in my boiler and my hydrometer and both things are spot on.
Scales check out okay too.

I have just bottled the batch this morning and managed to get EXACTLY 40 x 1 pint bottles filled
No great feat you may think, but normally the 23ltr mark on my FV gets me about 36 - 38 bottles.

Oh and the beer tastes absolutely excellent too with a nice dose of caramalt and dark crystal - single hopped with a generous amount of Willamette througout and smelling really marmaladey.

Don't think I could manage any better if I tried - maybe I should just quit now.........


Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh - I just need to try and do it again!

[gnorwebthgimi]

Troll!!!

[Piscator]

Troll!!!

[dedken]

I've never managed to better my first AG...... be warned.

[Piscator]

I've never managed to better my first AG...... be warned.

I don't work that quickly, it's taken nearly 7 years of AG brewing just to be able to get the right number of bottles out of a batch

I'm really chuffed with my water treatment now though which seems to make a big difference, I've been tweaking it steadily for 18 months now and am happy with what I have arrived at, and also find that a wet mash helps as well. (at least 3:1)

My secret weapon though is my new sparging device - a chinese takeaway foil tray with some holes poked in the base

I had been steadily creeping upwards from 85% but changing to the foil tray sparger seems to have made the biggest difference

[Tinkerer]

Congratulations on achieving perfection Does that mean you will be setting the efficiency in Beer Engine to 100% from now on?

I'm up for hearing more about the foil tray technique - is it laid directly on top of the grain bed or somewhat above it? I keep telling myself that efficiency isn't that important but I'm secretly disappointed when my calculations keep coming out at the average 75%

Mind you, if I hit 100%, it would seriously dent my motivation too, so I'm trying to empathise

[Bribie]

Quite some time ago I had a gorgeous girlfriend 20 years my junior, but she loved golf and I'd rather spend a few hours in the third circle of Hell than play the silly thing. However to ingratiate myself (the things we do) I went to a public golf course with her and learned the mysteries of drivers and no 5 irons and putters and shyte. Of course I was abysmal but gradually improved. The next weekend we went back and on the third hole I drove a beautiful shot with the clubby wooden thingo which landed not far from the edge of the smooth mowed bit called a green? I think?. However this mowed bit incorporated a few little hills round the edge so I couldn't actually see the hole. However I selected a no 5 iron I think it was (or no 7 whichever is the shorter range tool) and whacked it. The ball flew in a beautiful curved trajectory and yes yes yes, plopped onto the mowed bit and as we ran over to the top of the wee hills we could see it roll to the edge of the hole, teeter a bit and PLOP.

"Done my golf... " Never went back again and shortly afterwards she left me for an older man anyway. Congrats with the beer by the way -

[Piscator]

Congratulations on achieving perfection Does that mean you will be setting the efficiency in Beer Engine to 100% from now on?

I'm up for hearing more about the foil tray technique - is it laid directly on top of the grain bed or somewhat above it? I keep telling myself that efficiency isn't that important but I'm secretly disappointed when my calculations keep coming out at the average 75%

Mind you, if I hit 100%, it would seriously dent my motivation too, so I'm trying to empathise

Hi Tinkerer,

I'm not sure could replicate my method again exactly, but it was a mixture of laying it directly on the grain bed and moving it around about 3-4 inches from the surface to get even coverage. My coolbox mashtun is the Tesco one, which is quite tall and thin compared to a Thermos one, which is why I think the foil tray gave reasonable coverage.

I dont think I'll bank on 100% again!

Quite some time ago I had a gorgeous girlfriend 20 years my junior, but she loved golf and I'd rather spend a few hours in the third circle of Hell than play the silly thing. However to ingratiate myself (the things we do) I went to a public golf course with her and learned the mysteries of drivers and no 5 irons and putters and shyte. Of course I was abysmal but gradually improved. The next weekend we went back and on the third hole I drove a beautiful shot with the clubby wooden thingo which landed not far from the edge of the smooth mowed bit called a green? I think?. However this mowed bit incorporated a few little hills round the edge so I couldn't actually see the hole. However I selected a no 5 iron I think it was (or no 7 whichever is the shorter range tool) and whacked it. The ball flew in a beautiful curved trajectory and yes yes yes, plopped onto the mowed bit and as we ran over to the top of the wee hills we could see it roll to the edge of the hole, teeter a bit and PLOP.

"Done my golf... " Never went back again and shortly afterwards she left me for an older man anyway. Congrats with the beer by the way -

I can quite relate to a lack on interest in golf, as a young kid I got chased off a pitch and putt course by a crazed bowie wielding greenkeeper who was shouting something about making divots in his geen and various dire personal threats.
I didn't get my deposit back and it's never really interested me since then