Messages

1

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Color pickup from dark beer yeast slurry

« on: May 22, 2013, 04:38:59 PM »

I observed a color change in a beer I racked onto darker beer yeast cake.  It can happen.

2

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: My Water Report

« on: May 21, 2013, 07:49:16 AM »

The ionic content is probably close enough that one could consider it pilsen like.  The bicarbonate would have to be neutralized, but the rest of the ion content is quite low.  That is not to say that a brewer should brew with it as-is. 

Do recognize that chloride is not the same as chlorine.  A well water would probably not have chlorine in it, but could easily have chloride.  I'm surprised not to see any chloride in this report, but its possible.  And since there is no chloride, the sulfate/chloride ratio is meaningless in this case.  Until the water has significant concentrations of both ions, their effect on flavor is negligible.  I recommend that the sulfate/chloride ratio is most applicable when the chloride concentration falls between 25 and 100 ppm. 

3

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: My Water Report

« on: May 19, 2013, 08:50:36 AM »

Its not the ratio, its the difference in the cation and anion totals.  You are good to go.  That is a lightly mineralized water and it doesn't take much to throw the difference off. 

4

Equipment and Software / Re: Those little red cans of Oxygen

« on: May 17, 2013, 08:12:00 PM »

I have read some dissolved oxygen info. Haven't bought into the idea for homebrew level yet. One side by side study I saw had three one gallon bottles of identical wort and yeast. One was not aerated at all, one was shook for two minutes, one was oxygenated for two minutes. All three made beer. The non aeration was slow and obviously under attenuated. The shook one started faster than the O2 one but the shook and O2 samples finished about the same.

I don't shake, I pour back and forth between buckets until the froth reaches the brim. Takes about three pours, less than a minute. There may be some science that proves O2 is better, but my low tech method works plenty good for me. Plus one less expense and piece of equipment to clean.

Unfortunately, you are playing with fire.  Everyone of those pours is introducing more airborne microbes into your wort.  If you don't have a big enough yeast pitch, you will be severely infected.  As it is, you are probably slightly infecting your beer.  Oxygenation is more sterile and therefore safer.

5

Commercial Beer Reviews / Re: New Belgium Rolle Bolle

« on: May 16, 2013, 02:36:11 PM »

I had a glass at a local pub a few weeks ago.  I didn't know it was fruited, but it is a pleasant drinking, light beer.  Its not very memorable, but I'd have another.

6

Equipment and Software / Re: Those little red cans of Oxygen

« on: May 16, 2013, 02:32:47 PM »

I easily get 15 to 20 batches per bottle, but I use an in-line aerator setup and infuse the wort slowly.  I also make a 1.5 L starter for ales and 3 L starter for lagers, so my need for oxygenation may be slightly less urgent than those who underpitch.  I typically see activity within 4 hours.

7

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: not all RO water created equally

« on: May 15, 2013, 04:25:52 PM »

I realized that the default alkalinity and water profile loaded in brunwater may not match what my RO water profile really is (i have sent off a sample to confirm my hypotheses), and was therefore ending up more acidic than i wanted in my mash.

Yep! The RO profile in Bru'n Water represents the result when sodium-laden, high alkalinity water of my city's water system is run through the system.  Therefore, the ending sodium and bicarbonate content may be a little higher than another system might produce with another water.  This result is not surprising. 

I am surprised that 16 ppm bicarbonate that is represented by the stock RO profile altered your observed pH results that much, but I suppose its possible. 

By all means, do replace the various ion concentrations from your testing results in the water table that is at the bottom of the Water Adjustment page.  All of those ion concentrations in that big table that are in those blue colored cells are changeable.  If you don't like the amount of sodium or whatever ion in any of those profiles...change them based on your experience.   That way you aren't limited to those stock profiles.  The profiles were left changeable so that your preferences could easily be implemented.  Just remember, if you change an anion, you will have to adjust one of the cations in the same direction to get that adjusted profile to balance.  Don't create a new profile that doesn't balance.  The water table reports the anion and cation totals so that you can see when the profile is rebalanced.

Enjoy!

8

All Grain Brewing / Re: Iron in Water

« on: May 14, 2013, 08:04:29 AM »

Apparently, Miller's book has mis-quoted the iron value.  The limit of 0.3 ppm is an aesthetic standard that EPA has established as a Secondary Standard.  Those secondary standards are not enforcable by law, but serve as goals for water quality.  In the case of iron, the typical water drinker can start to taste the iron (blood-like) flavor and there is the potential for the iron to cause staining on plumbing fixtures. 

The water in this case may not have enough iron to be percieved in practice.  If it still tastes good to you and your drinkers, then its OK.  Just recognize that it might be a problem at the reported level.

9

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Cleaning Corny and dispense tubing after Berliner Weisse

« on: May 10, 2013, 10:24:36 AM »

There is no worry with ANY* organisms on equipment that is small enough to be boiled.  Hoses, taps, fittings, etc that can fit in a boil pot will be free of any contaminants after boiling.  The problem comes with larger vessels that can't be boiled.  Then you have to rely (hope) that a sanitizer can do its job. 

*  OK thermophylic organisms might not be eradicated through boiling, but they are not typically a problem in the brewery.

10

All Grain Brewing / Re: Mosaic/Martin IPA

« on: May 08, 2013, 05:11:29 PM »

What? I was expecting that there was a hop variety named Martin!

11

All Grain Brewing / Re: 2 beers, 2 yeasts, same nasty sulfur smell and taste

« on: May 08, 2013, 09:09:20 AM »

One great trick to remove sulfur from beer is to run the beer through a line of copper. You can even take a copper pipe and stir the carboy/bucket/keg.

I heard on BrewStrong that if added post-fermentation, copper can be a catalyst in oxidation reactions.

I think you are better off with having the copper contact at a pre-fermentation stage.  That way, the yeast will consume all the dissolved copper and keep it out of your finished beer.  The does its work with the sulfur almost immediately, so it will have done its work before the yeast gobble it up. 

12

Equipment and Software / Re: Cleaning Mills- Barley Crusher

« on: May 04, 2013, 06:04:10 PM »

I'm not sure that a mill needs to be cleaned after each use.  I just leave my rollers dusty.  I suppose that blowing them off with compressed air would be nice, but I haven't seen the need yet.  You definitely don't want to get anything wet.  That will foster the corrosion process. 

13

All Grain Brewing / Re: Negative Bicarbonate in Bru'n Water

« on: May 04, 2013, 06:00:50 PM »

Of course, there is no such thing as negative bicarbonate in chemistry.  But in Bru'n Water, its just an indicator of added acid in the water. 

Since a positive bicarbonate concentration is neutralized by malt acids, a negative value just indicates that it is adding to the overall acidity of the mash. In the case of a low acidity mash grist (mostly base malt), there is a need for the mashing water to provide additional acidity (negative bicarbonate in the case of Bru'n Water's convention) to reduce the mash pH to an acceptable level.   So in the case of that Steam Beer, the negative bicarbonate indicator is not a problem. 

Enjoy!

14

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: PH adjustment?

« on: April 29, 2013, 11:01:21 AM »

Sure.  It turns out that the minimum alkalinity level achievable through boiling is around 50 ppm as CaCO3.  That equates to about 61 ppm bicarb.  If the boiling is a little incomplete, then the level may be higher (say 80 ppm bicarb).  So 60 to 80 ppm is a typical range. 

This bicarb reduction also reduces calcium.  The formula for decarbonization by boiling is shown on the Water Knowledge page of the Bru'n Water website. 

So with the revised Ca and HCO3 concentrations, you can enter those values in Bru'n Water and that will allow you to estimate the new acid amounts for that decarbonated water.  What you are doing is creating "boiled" water profiles that are similar to those included in Bru'n Water, but this one is based on your tap water quality.

15

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: PH adjustment?

« on: April 29, 2013, 09:21:13 AM »

Any suggestions on how long to boil to precipitate some of that bicarbonate out?  I do use phosphoric however It never changes my PH in my HLT with my water profile. I assume that there is just to much bicarbonate and it is buffering the acid to much.

Although any period of boiling should drive all CO2 from the water and cause all the precipitation, there are plenty of sources that state that 20 minutes is required to remove the maximum possible.  One of these days, I'm going to have to test that for myself.

I am assuming that you are using 10% phosphoric.  Its so dilute that it would seem like its not doing anything.  Get some real phosphoric from Duda Diesel, 75 or 85% strength.  That is far cheaper than buying the diluted stuff from the LHBS.  However if the dilute stuff is all you have, just add more.  Bru'n Water will tell you that you are going to have to add a lot of that strength acid to provide the neutralization.