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Brewhouse Yield and Efficiency

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  • Brewhouse Yield and Efficiency

    What is the difference between Brewhouse Yield and Brewhouse Efficiency?

  • #2
    Originally posted by Dheeraj View Post
    What is the difference between Brewhouse Yield and Brewhouse Efficiency?
    BH yield signifies a collected quantity and BH efficiency is a percentage, (what you have actually collected vs the maximum potential). Yield is required to determine efficiency. BH efficiency accounts for all processing losses up to the fermenter.

    Example - you mash 225kg of malt (200 pale, 25 Munich) for a basic recipe. You end up collecting 900L of wort @ 1.064 specific gravity (15.7*P). Your yield is 900l and your efficiency would be about 84%. In a less efficient setup, say 75% @ 900l, would get you a 1.057 specific gravity (14*P). Maximum potential (100%) would be 900l @ 1.076 (18.4*P).

    This can be adjusted for a few ways, by water or by malt. In the example above, the 75% efficient brewhouse will need to add approximately 25kg more malt to achieve the same gravity/volume ratio as the 84% efficient brewhouse. This assumes you still want to collect 900l. You could reduce your collection volume and increase to the target gravity either by collecting less low-gravity wort, or more commonly by boil evaporation.

    Say you’re at an average of 100Rs per KG, that’s 2500Rs ($35 USD) per batch pure profit given up to efficiency loss (compared to an “average” 84% efficient brewhouse). 92-94% efficiency is premium, so you can see how the investment in better equipment can pay off. That is a margin I generally argue is better spent on premium ingredients.

    Perhaps it’s a great day and you’ve just adjusted your mill properly. Maybe you just cleaned your lauter screens and amazingly you overshoot your projected 900L @ 84% efficiency. Instead of a 1.064 (15.7*P), you’re up to 900l @ 1.071 (17.3*P) a 93% efficiency. No problem, just add water. This is where your working capacity comes in. Do you have enough kettle volume to fit the added water? Fermenter volume? Do you add water pre-boil or post? Do you have “clean” water to add? Can you take advantage of the maximum potential? If not, you have a tough choice between dumping the extra profit and making a higher ABV product.

    You can measure efficiency in a number of places, but typically conversion, extraction, post-boil, and total BH efficiency are the common spots.

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