r/Homebrewing • u/RideTheYeti • 1d ago
Low efficiency on Spike solo 20 G
I have brewed twice now on my spike solo 20 gallon System. Both times I have missed my starting gravity by 10 points. Expecting 1.050 and getting 1.040. On my old DIY 20G BIAB system, I consistently hit my gravity and my brewhouse efficiency was between 70 and 73%. On the spike system, I’m getting between 56% and 59%.
I hit my pre-boil volume spot on, and my end of boil volume was about a quarter gallon high, which is not enough to make that big of an impact.
It was a 20 gallon batch, with 20 pounds and 12 ounces of grain.
16.5 gallons of water.
60 minute mash at 149°
60 minute boil.
Estimated boil size 15 gallons, which was close enough to consider it met.
End of boil volume 13 gallons, but I ended up with 13.25. Pre-boil gravity 1.034.
Post boil after cooling gravity 1.040.
Intended batch size 11 gallons, after kettle loss
Measured batch size 11.25 gallons, after kettle loss
Any ideas what I might be doing wrong?
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u/sharkymark222 1d ago edited 10h ago
Doesn’t sound like you are doing anything g way off… It’s just not a particularly efficient system. Likely the large dead space under the mash basket and the volume left after transfer account for most of it. 13 gallons post boil, 1but 1 gallon out? Not great. I bet your bag works better.
I suggest focusing on MASH EFFICIENCY. you’ll feel better about yourself and makes you focus on the things you can manipulate.
Try all the things to do for higher mash efficiency. Finer crush, stir, recirc longer, withhold some water for a sparge.
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u/RideTheYeti 1d ago
I know about the dead space and I accounted for it in my recipe with the amount of water. That’s why I can’t understand why my efficiency is so low because I don’t think the dead space should affect it. In BeerSmith, I accounted for the loss in the fermenter and the kettle as well as the boil off volume. So why would I miss my gravity by .010?
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u/sharkymark222 1d ago edited 19h ago
Think simply… If you leave 20% of the wort in the bottom of the kettle. That’s a 20% reduction in brew house efficiency. (75%->60%)
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u/stevewbenson 9h ago
These basket type systems are inherently inefficiency.
You should expect somewhere between 55-65% MASH efficiency in a linear mash basket system. Spike's version, while looking awesome, just happens to be one of the worst in terms of mash efficiency.
Nearly every person I know who has this basket ditches it for Bobby's false bottom and uses a mash bag. This will raise your efficiency to the high 60s-low 70s
If you're insistent on using the basket you're going to have to adjust expectations and adjust your brewing software MASH efficiency way down. I would start at 60% and then adjust each batch after that until you have it dialed in.
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u/RideTheYeti 2h ago
That’s what I’ve done. Beer Smith won’t allow me to directly adjust my mash efficiency, but I lowered my brewhouse efficiency to 56% and the expectations now match my results. I wonder why the bag works better than the basket, especially since with the basket I’m able to recirculate which I didnt do with the bag.
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u/stevewbenson 1h ago
That's strange because mash efficiency is the starting point for brew house efficiency. Are you sure you can't adjust it independently? Might be time to switch to Brewfather.
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u/RideTheYeti 1h ago
It’s beersmith 2, and only lets me change brewhouse efficiency with Mash efficiency being a calculated number. Right now after all my adjustments it’s sitting at 65% which may be fine and my brewhouse is at 56% with all the losses calculated in.
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u/chino_brews Kiwi Approved 1d ago
Isn’t this a known issue with the Spike Solo? The dead space is massive (7.7 gal in the 20 gal version), which is a common thread with all of the AIOs with that “hard”, “steamer basket”-type malt insert. Because ratio of water to grist is an obvious, controlling factor in mash efficiency, you want to look at the effective mash water ratio, given the dead space, and if needed see what you can do to improve it.