I usually get 82% pretty consistently. I meddled with the process a bit yesterday, mashed longer than normal, added some of the dark grains late in the mash, got fed up with recirc and incorporated a dunk sparge instead, etc. One or more of these factors must have bumped my efficiency. I’m pretty sure it was the mash time. Usually I only mash 45 minutes, but yesterday it was more like 70-something.
My last brew day I mashed 143* for 45 minutes… the ramped up to 158* for another 45 minutes… I rinsed at 170*, and wasn’t rushing at that either, and my conversion was up over 95%… Dave, I will go with mash time… Sneezles61
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Son and I doing an ESB and a Sasion. Strike water for the ESB is heating as I type this! Rally!
Just brewed a SMaSH beer last sat. Down in the basement bubbling away used hothead for the yeast.
Brewed a 10 Gallon Rye IPA (13 gallons) on Saturday.
Batch A - IPA Base Beer (Pale, Rye, Cara-Red) - Drained 6 gallons at 60
Batch B - DIPA - Added more Hops, Corn Sugar, Steeped Grains (Added 15 minutes to boil)
Works for me…
Multi-temp Mashed with my daughter.
Held her interest until Mom took her out shopping.
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Let me know how it turns out.
I have yet to make a good tasting Red.
Whats your mash schedule? I do BIAB and usually do 142* for a half hour… then ramp up to 158* for another half… Last time I went for 45 minutes each… Then spent a bit more time rinsing at 170*… My efficiency went bonkers… Sneezles61
Doing a Caribou Slobber extract this morning. Using Muntons standard ale yeast for the first time. I forgot to order WY 1332 for the Slobber and Midnight Porter.
I had the yeast on hand for an emergency. One pack was 4 years old and the other two packs 8 years old. Rehydrated and pitched into a 1.5 liter “shaken not stirred” starter. Six inch krausen within 12 hours so I think the yeast is still good to use.
Happy I can do this indoors. Just warmed up to -5°F out there.
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Dry yeast is a beast! Not long ago I used dry yeast that was over 6 years past the good date. Started right up! Wish they would come out with a greater selection and keep the prices down. I would use it exclusively.
Warm and sunny here today, seems about right for brewing a hefe this weekend…a year round beer here. Tinkering a bit with my usual adding a touch of German(Weyermann) melanoidin malt for a bit more oomph and an intentional underpitch with a single smackpack of 3068.
Brewed 10 gallons Amber Czech lager 5 gallon hopped with Saaz and 5 gallons hopped with Grüngeist hops.
Where did you pick up your grüngeist hops?
I did some light beer hopping with that 1 once I got and its going to be a good one to get more of… I wonder when that would be? Sneezles61
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I dough in at 104 (Underletting) for 20m for glucans.
122 for 15m (as I had Rye Malt) for Protein Rest
140 for 30m (beta), 158 for 20m (Alpha) and
The Mash Out At 170 for 10m.
Not saying this is all required, lol,
Just experimenting now that I can…
Having some fun with it.
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5.5 gallons of 19th century stock ale. OG 1.118, 125 IBU. Fermented with the good ole whitbread standby, S-04. I figured that after talking about how S-04 wasn’t well suited for high gravity beers, I had better try to prove myself wrong. We shall see! The beer took off like a rocket, but my furnace went out on day 3, and the beer got down to 52°F. Perfect recipe for a stalled fermentation. But she warmed up, swirled the fermenter, and it seems to be steadily bubbling away, with a bit less vigor.
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Fascinating! Pre finished, short term lagering… ale! 
I sampled my “97” IPA last night… very tasty… 9%, with 7 oz cascades, dry hopped… Sneezles61
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So I been working on few projects in brewing this year. Today I’m testing out my designed sour mash tun. Brewing a mash tun sour Belgian wit letting the the lacto take over for 8 to 12 hours in the the mash tun holding temps about 119 degree.
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I’m curious, what’s your reasoning for doing a sour mash as opposed to souring the wort?
I havent brewed since jan 10 
Got the goods…just of the cold and snow.
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Been doing alot of reading and studying of old styles and brewing practices. The sour mash dates back to the beginning of brewing so I wanted to run some experiments with sour mashing. I designed this mash tun with with a heat source to maintain the temps and also co2 purge port.
