Brewhouse Efficiency Calculator
Created by: Olivia Harper
Last updated:
Measure your extraction efficiency from grain potential to collected fermenter wort.
Brewhouse Efficiency Calculator
HomebrewingMeasure extraction performance from grain to fermenter
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What is a Brewhouse Efficiency Calculator?
A brewhouse efficiency calculator measures how much potential extract from grain actually makes it into your fermenter as usable gravity points. It captures the combined impact of mash conversion, lautering, kettle losses, and transfer behavior.
Efficiency tracking is essential for recipe predictability. When your real extraction rate is known, OG targets become easier to hit and grain bill planning becomes more accurate.
Efficiency Formula
Efficiency % = (Collected Points ÷ Potential Points) × 100
Collected points are computed from measured OG and collected volume: $(OG-1)\times1000\times Volume$.
Potential points come from grain weight and expected PPG. Comparing the two reveals system extraction performance as a percentage.
Example Calculation
If potential points are 450 and collected points are 315, brewhouse efficiency is 70%. That value can then be used directly in future recipe scaling.
Monitoring trend direction is as important as single-batch values. A drifting efficiency trend usually points to process changes that need attention.
Applications
Use this calculator to tune crush, sparging, mash practices, and transfer procedures. It is especially useful when changing equipment or moving between batch sizes.
Stable efficiency improves recipe reliability and reduces costly ingredient overcorrections.
Tracking Tips
Take gravity and volume measurements consistently with temperature correction to avoid noisy efficiency data.
Design recipes from a rolling average of multiple batches rather than one best-case run.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is brewhouse efficiency?
Brewhouse efficiency is the percentage of total potential grain extract that makes it into fermenter wort as measured gravity points. It reflects the full process, including conversion, lautering, kettle handling, and transfer losses. Because it captures real system performance, it is one of the most important inputs for predictable recipe formulation.
How is it different from mash efficiency?
Mash efficiency focuses on extract captured from mash and lautering stages, usually before kettle and transfer losses. Brewhouse efficiency includes everything through wort collection into the fermenter. That makes brewhouse efficiency lower in many systems, but often more useful for recipe design because it reflects actual fermenter outcomes.
Why track it?
Tracking efficiency improves OG predictability and reduces overcorrection in grain bills. If efficiency assumptions are wrong, recipes miss targets even when process execution seems fine. Keeping a rolling efficiency average and updating assumptions periodically makes recipe scaling more reliable and reduces batch-to-batch variability in strength and balance.
How often should I update my efficiency baseline?
Update it whenever process changes occur, such as crush adjustments, sparge strategy changes, kettle replacement, or major batch-size shifts. Even without changes, reviewing a rolling average every few brews is good practice. Frequent calibration keeps planning realistic and prevents drift from outdated assumptions.
Sources and References
- Palmer, John J. "How to Brew: Everything You Need to Know to Brew Great Beer Every Time." 4th Edition. Brewers Publications, 2017. Comprehensive coverage of brewhouse efficiency calculations and grain extraction principles.
- Fix, George. "Principles of Brewing Science: A Study of Serious Brewing Issues." 2nd Edition. Brewers Publications, 1999. Scientific analysis of mash conversion efficiency and process optimization.