Using % in recipe development

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by GeeL, Dec 5, 2015.

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  1. GeeL

    GeeL Initiate (0) Aug 27, 2008 Massachusetts

    I've been brewing a while, but I usually use already made recipes, and modify them for my taste and to individualize them a bit.

    Sometimes I see a recipe that uses %s. This confuses me. For example, if someone says do 75% US 2-row, 10% crystal 80, 10% brown malt, and 5% pale chocolate. (I don't know if that's a real thing, I just came up with it).

    How do you start? Is it % of the overall weight of grains? If so, how do I know what overall weight I shoot for? Or, is it some % of OG or FG?

    Thanks.

    This came about because I'm brewing a milk stout, and I've read that the lactose should be 5-13%. 5-13% of what? Overall grains? So if the grains weigh 12.5 pounds, I use between .6# and 1.6#?
     
  2. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Yes.
    Yes.

    Cheers!
     
    GreenKrusty101 likes this.
  3. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,043) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    That would depend on your batch size, mash efficiency, and on what OG you are shooting for. Software helps. For example, if building a recipe in BrewCipher, you would enter your desired OG and the proportion* of each grain, then hit the Scale button.

    *Actually, using your example, you'd enter 75 lbs US 2-row, 10 lbs crystal 80, 10 lbs brown malt, and 5 lbs pale chocolate. This provides the proportions of the grains, and the macro will resize to hit your target OG.
     
    Eriktheipaman likes this.
  4. GeeL

    GeeL Initiate (0) Aug 27, 2008 Massachusetts

    I just remembered this is explained in "How to Brew" by John Palmer. I'll not waste your time and read that.

    (however, I wouldn't mind a quick overview from y'all if you don't mind...)
     
  5. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,043) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Here's the problem with saying something like "5% Lactose." A pound (or whatever) of lactose will always provide the same amount of sugar to the kettle. But the sugar/dextrin contribution of a pound of, say, US 2-Row, depends on your mash efficiency. So if someone gives you a recipe that says to use 5% Lactose (or any other ingredient that isn't mashed), ask what mash efficiency they assumed for the mashed grain bill. One you know their mash efficiency, you can determine what actual weight of lactose they were using to hit their OG (where lactose was 5% by weight). Then... keeping the lactose weight (not %) constant, vary the mashed grain bill weights (given your mash efficiency) until you hit the target FG.
     
  6. hoptualBrew

    hoptualBrew Initiate (0) May 29, 2011 Florida

    Each grain in particular has a certain potential sugar yield (http://howtobrew.com/book/section-2/what-is-malted-grain/mash-efficiency) ... So you should first decide what original gravity you want to target using your average Brewhouse efficiency and then you will know how many PPG total you need. Then you can get a better idea of what % base malt you need and whatever specialty grains your using.

    Personally, I construct recipes based on taste and worry about gravity later. I will tinker in a malt bill and if I want the gravity to be lower, I subtract all grains out at the same ratio (-10% of each grain).
     
  7. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand Pooh-Bah (5,291) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Did you say this right? I'm with @GeeL and have wondered the same thing about percentages. You use an example that has 100 pounds of grain, but that amount likely would produce a 20-gallon batch (just a guess), but that proportion of grain in any total weight of those grains should give you the same OG, so that figure is not a variable. I'm not an all-grain brewer thus I don't use the software, but it would seem to me that somewhere you have to specify 5-gallons and then the software will tell you how many pounds of each grain. Or did I misunderstand your reply?
     
  8. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,043) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Yes, you do have to specify the batch size.
     
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  9. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    If you are doing this anyway, then just do as JackHorzempa suggests above. 5-13% is not exactly a small range. I think what I am saying is don't overthink or overcalculate. Cheers
     
    JackHorzempa likes this.
  10. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Just call me Jack; no need for formality here!:slight_smile:

    Cheers!
     
  11. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    It would be nice if some of the beerware would let you put in your batch size and percentages and have the program kick out some weights. @VikeMan Does Brewcipher do this, or have any plans do do this? :slight_smile:
     
  12. wspscott

    wspscott Pooh-Bah (1,934) May 25, 2006 Kentucky
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Brewcipher does take percents and spit out weights.

    Enter your gravity (target OG), batch size and then in the "lbs" column enter percentages instead of weights and push the "scale" button. Works great.

    @VikeMan really put some effort in this spreadsheet, thanks again
     
    inchrisin and ghostinthemachine like this.
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