What are you brewing?

[nzbrewer]

Since this is the most popular thread on the RealBeer.co.nz forum I thought I would start it here just to see what happens

[Mike Neilson]

If you use Pearl Malt 5/10% in the grist helps the malt charachter out big time M/O yeah sometimes I do it to beef it up but again not needed!!

[JoKing]

I just mashed in on this one. I added the following minerals:

2.4g of Baking Soda
2.5g of Chalk
1.7g of Epsom Salt
2.5g of Gypsum

With these salts added to New Plymouth water, I attained the following profile:

68ppm Ca++
13ppm Mg++
31ppm Na+
166ppm HCO3
80ppm SO4
7ppm Cl-
225ppm Total Hardness.

I was targeting London Water. When I mashed in, the pH was 5.6, so I added 3 grams of Lactic Acid which bought the mash pH down to 5.3. I was satisfied with that. I wont be adding any further minerals to the kettle, nor will I add any to the sparge water.

[Mike Neilson]

So what you brewing? I just Basicly used the same minerals with my Old Ale!! Less Bi carb as when I brewed that Porter it had 180ppm of bi carb!!

[JoKing]

It's that ESB. I probably had too much carbonate for the mash, but I was keen to get the HCO3 up to London stylez...

[Mike Neilson]

I thought you dont like chalky teeth?

[denimglen]

What is the water in the brew kettle like if you're not adding anything to sparge?

I'm adjusting water on all my beers now, I reckon it's a neglected ingredient, we all pay so much attention to yeast, malt and hops but most assume their water will be fine, there's only four ingredients in beer and I reckon they all need lots of attention.

My philosophy statement for the day.

[JoKing]

I don;t like chalky teeth at all mate! The HCO3 is spread out amongst the Baking Soda, and the Chalk - so hopefully it's not in your face... but it's important for it to be in there. But at the end of the day... HCO3 is HCO3. I think it comes down to quantity really I supppose. From what I've read, 50ppm is pretty acceptable.

What I base my calculations on is the final amount of water at the end of the boils - so, on this one, 24L. I add it all into the mash, because I assume that the sparging process will rinse this water into the kettle.

Adjusting the pH back is getting a bit anal, because I know that it would have been fine at 5.6.

[NVIOUS]

IBA


Total Grain (kg): 6.65
Anticipated OG: 1.062
Anticipated EBC: 20.8
Anticipated IBU: 136.9
Brewhouse Efficiency: 84 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes



5.70 kg. Gladfields Ale Malt
0.50 kg. Munich Malt
0.25 kg. Weyermann Caraaroma
0.20 kg. Weyermann Carapils



30.00 g. Southern Cross Pellet 14.30 60 min.
30.00 g. Pacific Gem Pellet 14.40 30 min.
30.00 g. Amarillo Pellet 8.20 10 min.
30.00 g. Cascade Pellet 5.80 10 min.
30.00 g. Pacific Gem Pellet 14.40 10 min.
30.00 g. Amarillo Pellet 8.20 0 min.
30.00 g. Cascade Pellet 5.80 0 min.
30.00 g. Pacific Gem Pellet 14.40 0 min.
30.00 g. Amarillo Pellet 8.20 Dry Hop
30.00 g. Cascade Pellet 5.80 Dry Hop
30.00 g. Pacific Gem Pellet 14.40 Dry Hop

[studio1]

tongue stripper! (whats an IBA?)

[NVIOUS]

Imperial Brown Ale
Thought I was going easy with the hops on this one! lol

[Reviled]

Bro im keen to try this when its ready.. Looks interesting! Reckon youll get a bit of blackcurrant from the Pacific Gem? Will probably be more of a reddish colour with the CaraAroma..

[NVIOUS]

Sweet as. You ever out these parts? Am hoping to some blackcurrant, first time that I have used it as a late hop addition. It is actually in the keg carbonated now. Brewed it a few weeks back but only got around to posting up the recipe last night.