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Alpha Amylase

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tony:
Perhaps i'm asking too much out of my equipment.

I have a real soft water profile  sulfate = 0mgl, calcium 3.7 mgl, magnisium .55 mgl, sodium 5.4 mgl, bicarbonate 5.5 mgl, hardness as CaCo3 11.5 mgl, chloride 12 mgl for my last water profile request from the city.

Carbonation is perhaps a bit low. I should bump up the level and try that.

It isn't that they taste clean, it's just they don't finish to what I perceive as a crisp beer, nearly devoid of an aftertaste.

majorvices:
I would bump your Calcium up to ~50, and maybe try to get your Cl to So4 ratio at 2:1 - then  if that doesn't get what you are after, flip it. That water is soft - perhaps a little too soft to give the flavor profile you are after. To my taste, Calcium Chloride (Cl) gives a malt "roundness" that, maybe it isn't "crisp", but it is pleasant. It "brightens" the beer similar to the way table salt brightens food. If you want the beer more hop focused then you will want Calcium Sulfate (So4) or "gypsum" to be forefront. Regardless, are your beers clearing up quickly? If you have low calcium levels that can cause the beers to have flocculation problems and can sometimes cause stubborn hazes.

This might not be your issue at all but it would be worth checking out. Also, is your pH checking out? If the pH is off that can cause the beer to taste flat.

Kaiser:
Do a Fast Ferment Test (Zymurgy Nov/Dec 2009 or http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Fast_Ferment_Test) on the pilsner wort. You want the FG of the finished beer to be the same as the FG of the FFT. This means that there are no fermentable sugars left in the beer and the beer is fully attenuated. Pilsners are generally fully attenuated and have an attenuation of 80-84%. Starting at 12 Plato this means they finish at 1.9-2.5 Plato.

You may also go away from a single infusion mash and use a step mash. 63C for 30 min, 65 C for 30 min and 72C for 30 min should give you a good attenuation.

Using artificial enzymes in mash and fermenter will have undesired consequences as the others already said. The FFT is your tool to check your fermentation performance.

Kai

tony:
Kai, I don't think I have trouble with my attenuation. They don't taste sweet or full
like an ale would.. just that it don't have the bite of a german lager.

 Major, my hops are fresh and I really don't want to add more calcium than I already do.
I add 1 tsp per mash for my 5 gallon tun.

That is also the reason I don't try a step infusion. Tun size is a bit restricted.
I may have to try an decoction.

Thanks guys, I have a few things to try now. The carbonation, I'll try on the lager I have lagering now.
The salts/decoction will have to wait until next week, if I get a chance to brew then. Perhaps on a future
brew I'll also up the bitter hops additions to see if that makes a difference.

tom:
Have you tried different malts?

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