by warra48 » Thursday Aug 19, 2010 11:44 pm
We're not comparing the same thing?
What BeerSmith measures as "Efficiency into Boiler" is the percent extracted of the theoretical maximum sugar to be extracted from the various grains. I call that mash efficiency or extract efficiency.
So, let's assume you are correct in saying all fermentable starches will convert to 76% fermentable sugars. That point is arguable, as different malts, malting methods, kilning methods etc will lead to variable potential extracts, but we'll assume you are correct.
What I'm saying is my mash normally extracts around 90 to 95% of all available sugars.
In your terminology that's between 68 to 72%.
Not a bad result for a strung together small 3 vessel home brew set-up, surely?
We're talking about the efficiency in extracting all the potential sugars available from the mash, whether fermentable or not. That's the whole purpose of the mash. We know not all sugars are fermentable, that's why we use specialty malts to add sweetness, body, mouthfeel, etc etc.
You're talking about the potential extract available as fermentable sugars only, as far as I can tell.
I'm tired, I'm going to bed, and I will not argue this further. I'm comfortable with my figures, they tell me what I want to know. I'm a small scale home brewer, and I have no desire to compare myself with commercial brewers. End of argument for me. Case closed.