re: Homebrewing: In process thread

quote:

---

Boiling shouldn't affect your mash efficiency I wouldn't think. That's when you start getting in to your brewhouse efficiency.

---

It depends on what number you are comparing it to. Typically your mash efficiency percentage in recipes is geared towards the Original Gravity, not pre-boil gravity (since there are more factors in that). Lets see if I can lay it out correctly:

Hypothetically:
10 lbs of 2 Row should give me at 75% 5 gallons of wort at 1.050. Pre-boil I should have 7 gallons at 1.030. If i take a pre-boil reading and compare it to that 75% number I am going to be closer to 65% efficiency if I am comparing it to the recipe number. But once I boil away those extra 2 gallons I should be right on point for the 75% number.

I think I just typed a bunch of stuff out that was unnecessary. I don't use beersmith so I never know exactly what my numbers are supposed to be. But I think that mash efficiency is much easier to determine with OG at 5/5.5 gallons rather than looking pre-boil gravity.