SRJHops
Why did the rabbit like NEIPA's so much?
I have read conflicting things about mash thickness and efficiency. One source said that to improve efficiency I should mash thicker, while another source (see below) says a thinner mash increases the yield.
Yesterday I mashed a big Belgian Quad and got abysmal efficiency, around 55% (I usually get at least 70%). While I usually shoot for 1.75 qt/lb water for the mash, for that one I did 1.28 qt/lb because it was pushing the limits of my tun/system. Now I wish I would have increased the water to 1.75 qt/lb at least. I even mashed for two hours...
So why would folks suggest that a thicker mash could improve efficiency? I did see a post that said to mash thick so you can collect more sugar during the sparge. That did not make any sense to me, unless perhaps the person was fly sparging? I batch sparge. So I'm thinking if I can get most of the sugar from the first runnings, then top off with sparge water, that's a good way to go...
Here's the article saying a Thinner mash is better: Mashing, Thick or Thin? - Brewer's Friend
Would it have been a good idea to mash my Quad at 1.75 qt/lb or even 2 qt/lb?
Yesterday I mashed a big Belgian Quad and got abysmal efficiency, around 55% (I usually get at least 70%). While I usually shoot for 1.75 qt/lb water for the mash, for that one I did 1.28 qt/lb because it was pushing the limits of my tun/system. Now I wish I would have increased the water to 1.75 qt/lb at least. I even mashed for two hours...
So why would folks suggest that a thicker mash could improve efficiency? I did see a post that said to mash thick so you can collect more sugar during the sparge. That did not make any sense to me, unless perhaps the person was fly sparging? I batch sparge. So I'm thinking if I can get most of the sugar from the first runnings, then top off with sparge water, that's a good way to go...
Here's the article saying a Thinner mash is better: Mashing, Thick or Thin? - Brewer's Friend
Would it have been a good idea to mash my Quad at 1.75 qt/lb or even 2 qt/lb?