#BEERSMITH 3 MASH EFFICIENCY FULL#
#BEERSMITH 3 MASH EFFICIENCY PLUS#

It was a rough process as I had no automation, no sophisticated temp control, no recirculation, and no pumps.

When I first switched to all-grain I had a really simple 3-vessel batch sparge system that was just about as efficient as my current electric BIAB setup. Getting predictable results from batch to batch is what makes you a more consistent and better brewer. The time savings, less cleaning, and ability to produce great beer allows them to enjoy the hobby for what it is, making and drinking great beer. I hear about more and more homebrewers who have scaled way back from complex systems and moved to BIAB with no regrets. A more important thing for homebrewers to understand is WHAT their overall system efficiency actually is so they can replicate and more easily predict results, such as hitting your original gravity. Higher efficiency means higher margins and fewer ingredients required to produce the same product. Grain is cheap, so a few extra pounds is usually a matter of a few extra dollars per batch.Įfficiency matters for commercial breweries trying to profit off of their product. Most homebrewers compensate for lower efficiency by simply brewing with additional grains.

#BEERSMITH 3 MASH EFFICIENCY PLUS#

Efficiency is just a measure of wort losses from equipment plus how effectively your system extracts sugars from grains. Efficiency Doesn’t Really Matterīrewhouse efficiency does not matter in terms of producing high-quality beer. Sparging isn’t going to make or break your beer, but your fermenting vessel very well may. BUT you can achieve just as good of a final product with a simple system like brew in a bag (BIAB), and that’s the truth. A well dialed in RIMS/HERMS will make great wort with increased repeatability, precision/control, and will get the most out of every last bit of grain put into it. The problem lies in the misconception that higher brewhouse efficiency and more complex systems make better beer alone. It has truly become the hobby within the hobby and it satisfies the engineer that lives in all of us. If you love the process and the building behind it, more power to you. Now I’m in no way disparaging guys who have top-of-the-line 3-vessel systems and love the process of making beer as a commercial brewery does. I mean who wouldn’t want a small-scale brewery in their home? Well, the truth is there are lots of ways to effectively make wort, both simple and complex, but really only one way to make great beer, and that’s through a well-executed cold-side process. I’ll be honest, I fell victim to the love affair of constantly researching and dreaming of the flashy 3 vessel systems with automation, pumps, and everything you could dream of. If I Could Turn Back Time…(I know you just channeled Cher)įermentation was always an afterthought for me.If you don’t take to homebrewing or fall off the hobby wagon, you’re left with the sting of all this equipment you no longer have any use for. But let’s be realistic, most people have more common sense than to invest $2,500 right out of the gate in hopes a hobby will be a hit for them. It’s the literal price you pay by cautiously approaching any hobby really. The problem with this progression is you end up buying a lot of equipment twice. You start small, invest little by little as you grow with the hobby, and if you’re like me and love it, you eventually graduate to more advanced equipment with all sorts of features, bells, and whistles.

Dipping your toe into the homebrewing hobby is a double-edged sword.

#BEERSMITH 3 MASH EFFICIENCY FULL#

If I could go back in time and wave a magic wand and erase every bit of brewing equipment I’ve purchased in the past and start over with a clean slate and full wallet, I’d be one happy brewer. The more I reflect on my homebrewing journey, the more I realize how much I wish I would have shifted the majority of my time, focus, and money to the cold side of the process-fermenting and packaging. I recently teased this topic on r/Homebrewing and got a tremendous amount of feedback and mostly agreement from homebrewers of all levels. The path to better beer is through better fermentation practices. Any experienced homebrewer will give you the same advice.

Beersmith 3 mash efficiency