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pilsner vs 6-row

Reason number umptysquat to use a roller mill instead of a pain-in-the-butt-to-adjust corona mill: Those six row kernels are indeed smaller. 

Ground stuff up for adjunct number two.  3# 6-row and 5# pils. Thing is adjusted great for the larger 2-row pils. But not the 6-row.  Hope it's crushed enough to do its magic on the 3# maize that will accompany it in the mash tomorrow.
 
Maine Homebrewer said:
76% efficiency (5.5g @ 1.050) so I guess the grind wasn't too bad.

Mash efficiency or total?

I always shoot for mid to low 70s for total eff.
 
Mash efficiency or total?

I always shoot for mid to low 70s for total eff.

I guess I don't understand the question.
3# corn + 3# 6-row + 5# pils -> 5.5g @ 1.050 = 76%

What's the difference between mash and total?
 
Mash efficiency is sugars extracted from the mash. Total efficiency is sugars into the fermentr... What you calculated.
I concern myself more with mash efficiency because it has more impact on beer quality.  I prefer to keep my mash efficiency down to 75% or so. Higher than that generally means that the sparge has gotten low enough to risk tannin extraction from the husks. So, I use more grain, stop the sparge sooner and add water to make my preboilvolume. 
 
tom_hampton said:
Mash efficiency is sugars extracted from the mash. Total efficiency is sugars into the fermentr... What you calculated.
I concern myself more with mash efficiency because it has more impact on beer quality.  I prefer to keep my mash efficiency down to 75% or so. Higher than that generally means that the sparge has gotten low enough to risk tannin extraction from the husks. So, I use more grain, stop the sparge sooner and add water to make my preboilvolume. 
So that's what Palmer's talking about with the commercial breweries vs us homebrewers, we can afford the extra grain, since we do it on such a small scale, so we can allow the efficiencies to be a little low.......<another AHA! moment brought to you by the experience and wisdom of Tom!> ;D
 
Maine Homebrewer said:
I like tannins in wine, and haven't ever noted them in my homebrew.

So do I. Tannins are a very large class of organic chemicals.  They have a very broad range of flavors. The tannin in barley husks ddon't aren't as nice as those in red wine. Husky, grainy, flavors as well as the stereotypical tea leave mouth puckering texture all come from sparging to too low of a gravity.  Too low is generally below 1.010, or a ph above 6.0. But, it's not really digital. They closer the runnings get to these limits the lower the quality of the resulting wort.

That's why not sparge makes such a nice beer. And, it's why the second or third beer in a party gyle brew aren't as nice as the first.
 
Maine Homebrewer said:
I also ordered a ten pounder of flaked maize. I've got plenty of noble hops on hand.  Figure I'll try my hand at an adjunct beer. Something light to enjoy after some yard work.

Thinking 1.035 - 1.040 starting gravity, 60% 6-row and 40% corn, Tettnanger hops, lager yeast. Will post the details as I work it out.

American piss, here I come!

I've been using a pound of flaked corn in my bleach blonde ale and it is getting brewed for the fourth time, third time with this grain bill, if that says anything!  I originally added the corn to lighten it up a bit and make it more appealing to BMC drinkers like my bro and our friend who always helps us brew.  Thing is, they're quickly becoming homebrew and craft beer lovers.  Big "D" bought a sixer of stone IPA today!  And liked it!  Bro is still mostly Busch for commercial but has drank plenty of every homebrew we've made.  So the reason for putting corn in has vanished.  However, the recipe remains good and is one of two "house brews."

I've used six-row once in a partial mash recipe, a couple pounds worth or so.  Couldn't really tell the dif with other similar recipes that used two-row.  From reading this thread I might try it when I want to make a maltier beer.
 
Well, I never followed up on this. Might as well.

I made two batches with the six-row. Both were good. 

One thing I noticed was it came out a lot more bitter than expected. Probably a combination of adjuncts and a low mash temperature. Next time less bittering hops. Otherwise it was great. Light in body but still some maltiness from decoction. Nice aroma from the dry hops.

Most definitely worth repeating.
 
Maine Homebrewer said:
Well, I never followed up on this. Might as well.

I made two batches with the six-row. Both were good. 

One thing I noticed was it came out a lot more bitter than expected. Probably a combination of adjuncts and a low mash temperature. Next time less bittering hops. Otherwise it was great. Light in body but still some maltiness from decoction. Nice aroma from the dry hops.

Most definitely worth repeating.

Good to hear you liked "the experiment" :)
R, Slurk
 
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