OG too high following first all grain brew

Hi, I have just finished my first all grain brew using brewsmith2. I am high on OG 1052 against predicted 1042.

My batch sparging gave me 15.9L (small batch to start with) against a pre boil volume of 15.79L (so not too bad here)

Where it went wrong was that the end of boil resulted in a volume of only 10L against a 11.5L batch and the higher OG of 1052.

Let me also add additional information.

(I had problems with temperature for strike, batch, and sparging. The PT100 seemed to be low relative to the actual temperature despite checking with a mercury thermometer. I then rechecked against the temperature probe of the STC100 which I use for the beer fermenting fridge and it was a few degrees out. I then recalibrated within the PID controller for the boiler). i will only know whether this will solve some of the problems on my next batch.

I have attached "my equipment", "design" and "mash" profiles. (I live in the UK, and have made adjustments to BS2 according to standard practice making ale over here.)

Question: How can I tweak BS2 so that I am closer to the OG that BS2 predicts, without shortening the boil or adding water?

Many thanks in advance,
WM7793

Assuming these numbers are accurate, you seem to have been more efficient at getting the sugars out of the grain, since it expected 1.032 and you hit 1.042, at nearly the same pre-boil volume. 

So next time, you'd enter higher efficiency numbers, and BS2 would then calculate that less grain is needed to hit 1.032 pre-boil gravity. 

You'd have to check your original estimates of the evaporation losses, but if that was ten points (i.e., 1.032 up to 1.042) and you still gained ten points, but from 1.042 to 1.052, then the majority of your differences were pre-boil due to the higher efficiency. 

If you got that close on your evaporation losses on your first batch, consider yourself lucky and have a beer! 

Actually, it looks like you are not in too bad a shape.  You need to adjust your boil-off rate to match what your equipment gave you.  This change will result in BS2 calculating a bit more water to get to the pre-boil volume needed.

In terms of the gravity being high, you have 520 gravity points in your final wort [ (1.052-1)*1000* 10l ]

BS2 had predicted 483 gravity points [ (1.042-1)*1000*11.5l]

Difference is about 7%, which you should compensate for in your design efficiency (equipment profile).

Repeat this for another few brews and, if you are consistent in your process, it will bring BS2 to be much closer to predicting what your actual process will produce.

Thanks gents, for your help. As you can see I am still trying to get to grips with both the software and the process of making beer!

At the risk of sounding a little foolish, could you please explain the following:

A) "You need to adjust your boil-off rate to match what your equipment gave you" ( by how much for example?)
B) "Difference is about 7%, which you should compensate for in your design efficiency" (equipment profile). (again, by how much, and what exactly do I change, is it "brewhouse efficiency"?)

I really appreciate your time to talk me through this, It is all still very new to me.

Thanks again gents, and look forward to your replies.

Best regards,
WM7793

Your boil off rate was 3.93 l/h [ (15.9l - 10l)/90 min * 60 min], so you want to make this adjustment in your equipment profile

The efficiency you achieved was around 82% and your design was set at 75%.  This is also changed in your equipment profile. 

Once you have changed these numbers, redesign the recipe using the new equipment profile and see how your numbers fall in comparison to what you actually achieved.  They should be pretty close.

Thank you Oginme, I will check this out tomorrow, as its getting late in the day in the UK!

Best regards,
WM7793