Why do we care about beer elaboration? The key to perfect recipes and quantity of grains
In the world of artisanal beer, efficiency is not only a number, but the heart of a good recipe. It is a thermometer of how much sugar we can extract from our grains, and therefore, how alcoholic and delicious the final drink will be. But, beyond the calculations, understanding how it impacts the process can make the difference between an average beer and a masterpiece.
The concept of sugar potential: the basis of any beer calculation
Each grain we use in the elaboration has a potential capacity to create sugar, which in turn will become alcohol and body in your beer. For example, a pale malt with a potential of 1,037 may seem only one number, but actually indicates the amount of sugar that each pound of grain can provide. To facilitate calculations, we transform that potential into points: we subtract the one, we multiply by a thousand, and voilash, we have those 37 points that you have probably seen in recipes.
Multiplying these points by the amount of grains and dividing by volume, gives us an idea of how intensely sugary our beer will be if everything goes perfect – a kind of recipe for perfection, or at least, for estimation.
Reality in the world of beer: between theory and practice
But, in real life, few recipes reach that mathematical perfection. Each step in the process has losses. The difference between the ideal and real points reflects how efficient your system was to extract and conserve those sugars, and why your beer can leave less strong or less sweet than expected.
What really does maceration efficiency mean? THE MASTER IN EXTEND SUGARS
To understand the world, we first have to understand how we extract those sugars. The efficiency of maceration is the percentage that we will achieve from the total potential of sugars during that stage. For example, if the total potential are 74 points with 10 pounds of malt, and we obtain an efficiency of 80%, we simply multiply: 74 by 0.8, and we obtain about 59 points, which indicate the severity in the pot before boiling.
Beyond the Mash: Total efficiency and losses throughout the process
Magic happens after maceration as well. Lost during the boiling, transfusions, trube and waste in cleanliness, all that further reduces the sugar content that really reaches our fermentator. There the efficiency of the complete system comes into play, known as the efficiency of the brewery or system. It is a broader indicator that reflects how much of that initial sugary load reaches the final fermentation.
In practical terms, if your system is capable of becoming a theoretical potential of 74% in final sugar, in the jug you will arrive with approximately 53% of the initial potential (when calculated with 72% efficiency). This is key to adjust your recipes and avoid surprises in the final measurements.
From theory to practice: how to take advantage and improve your efficiency
Good news is that, once you determine your real efficiency, you can turn it into a tool to plan future recipes. If you notice that your beer gravity is lower than expected, adjust that upward efficiency, and if you get stronger results, the casualties.
The trick is to register your data with precision, including volumes and weights, since small changes can alter the predictions a lot. In addition, for beers of high alcoholic content, efficiency usually decreases. The main reason is that more grain is used in relation to water, and, therefore, the extraction of sugars becomes less efficient.
What awaits us in beer innovation?
As science and technology advance, the possibilities of optimizing every step of the process multiply. From better malt to automated control systems, everything suggests that in the near future efficiency will be even easier to measure and maximize, helping artisanal brewers to improve their art more and more.
The key is to continue experimenting, learning from each lot and understanding that efficiency is not only a figure, but the door to a world of tastier, consistent and surprising beers.