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"Total efficiency" help

Trapae

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I need some help on efficiency calculations?  Trying to figure out what total efficiency is in recipe design and how to calculate it.
Here's the story: I have been using recipe design for the last five all grain brews, but using my mash efficiency number ( as calculated using mash tab) for total efficiency.  All of my numbers including original gravity have been coming out really close.  The only problem was that my pre-boil gravity was always low but my post boil original gravity was always right on.  I therefore reasoned that my estimated boil off rate was wrong.  So I actually measured my boil off rate and it turned out to be 1.75 gallons per hour instead of 1.25 which is what i had been originally using in my profile.  I changed this value in my equipment profile but now looking back on my prior recipes and using the new/correct profile, all of the grain/hop percentages and OGs are wrong when they were originally right on.  So now i think the total efficiency is wrong.  Then I realized in the right lower part of the recipe design if i put in measure OG and measured batch size, it gives me a measured efficiency.  When I use this value for total efficiency and go back and look at all the other recipes, the numbers now turns out correct.  What I think happened was my falsely low boil off values were offsetting my falsely high total efficiency?
Does this sound correct, and is that how to calculate tot efficiency by looking at measured efficiency in the right lower part of the recipe design?

Thanks
 
Trapae said:
So now i think the total efficiency is wrong.  Then I realized in the right lower part of the recipe design if i put in measure OG and measured batch size, it gives me a measured efficiency.  When I use this value for total efficiency and go back and look at all the other recipes, the numbers now turns out correct.  What I think happened was my falsely low boil off values were offsetting my falsely high total efficiency?
Does this sound correct, and is that how to calculate tot efficiency by looking at measured efficiency in the right lower part of the recipe design?

In short, yes. You use your actual measurements to modify your profile. That's how BeerSmith can then accurately predict your recipe specs.

What you're referring to is BrewHouse efficiency. It's given some explanation here: http://www.beersmith.com/forum/index.php/topic,8579.0.html

Brewhouse efficiency is simply the percentage total sugars available that actually get into the fermenter.

Here is a working calculation for BHE. It's simple and direct and will get you into the ballpark for BeerSmith predictions.

BHE = (Sg x BV) / (Pg x GW)

BHE: Brew House Efficiency
Sg: Wort Specific Gravity, post chill (or post boil)
BV: Batch Volume, as measured in the fermenter
Pg: Potential gravity of grain (found by double clicking the ingredient, but 39 is a good starting number)
GW: Grain Weight

This formula simply divides the gravity points yielded into the fermenter by the total gravity point potential of grain (or extract or sugars) used.

As with all gravity calculations, the specific gravity 1.0 is dropped (1.040 becomes 40).
 
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