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Author Topic: Beat down on a brew day  (Read 3399 times)

Offline Stevie

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Beat down on a brew day
« Reply #15 on: October 12, 2016, 07:31:01 am »
If your water is as void of minerals as you say, you should not have needed to add more alkalinity. You should have been solid with gypsum, Epsom, and calcium chloride. A little salt wouldn't have hurt.

Did you try to match the carbonate? If so, don't.

I brew with 100% RO that measure less than 10ppm. I only add alkalinity for dark beers. Beers with little or no crystal malts often need acid.

Offline Werks21

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Re: Beat down on a brew day
« Reply #16 on: October 12, 2016, 12:35:36 pm »
I did not try to match carbonate. but did use pickling lime to make things right per the program. I will share screenshots to get some feedback on my additions. I dont currently have any photo hosting site in use so I cant share screen shots right now but I will work to get some pics up soon.
Jonathan W.
Snohomish WA

Offline Stevie

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Re: Beat down on a brew day
« Reply #17 on: October 12, 2016, 12:56:47 pm »
Post your whole recipe, your existing water, and what salts were added for mash and sparge/kettle

Offline Werks21

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Re: Beat down on a brew day
« Reply #18 on: October 12, 2016, 02:46:42 pm »
Will try to get it done tonight after work
Jonathan W.
Snohomish WA

Offline Werks21

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Re: Beat down on a brew day
« Reply #19 on: October 13, 2016, 12:52:44 am »
Recipe: Sour Split batch   TYPE: All Grain
Style: Best Bitter
---RECIPE SPECIFICATIONS-----------------------------------------------
SRM: 13.8 SRM      SRM RANGE: 8.0-16.0 SRM
IBU: 33.8 IBUs Tinseth   IBU RANGE: 25.0-40.0 IBUs
OG: 1.045 SG      OG RANGE: 1.040-1.048 SG
FG: 1.013 SG      FG RANGE: 1.008-1.012 SG
BU:GU: 0.745      Calories: 151.6 kcal/12oz   Est ABV: 4.2 %      
EE%: 72.00 %   Batch: 10.00 gal      Boil: 13.46 gal   BT: 60 Mins

---WATER CHEMISTRY ADDITIONS----------------


Total Grain Weight: 16 lbs 13.0 oz   Total Hops: 3.50 oz oz.
---MASH/STEEP PROCESS------MASH PH:5.40 ------
>>>>>>>>>>-ADD WATER CHEMICALS BEFORE GRAINS!!<<<<<<<
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU         
15 lbs                Pale Malt, Maris Otter (2.5 SRM)         Grain         1        89.2 %       
1 lbs 8.0 oz          Caramel/Crystal Malt - 75L (75.0 SRM)    Grain         2        8.9 %         
5.0 oz                Chocolate Malt (420.0 SRM)               Grain         3        1.9 %         


Name              Description                             Step Temperature     Step Time       
Mash In           Add 25.71 qt of water at 161.5 F        152.0 F              60 min           
Mash Out          Add -0.00 qt of water at 168.0 F        168.0 F              1 min           

---SPARGE PROCESS---
>>>>>>>>>>-RECYCLE FIRST RUNNINGS & VERIFY GRAIN/MLT TEMPS: 72.0 F/72.0 F
>>>>>>>>>>-ADD BOIL CHEMICALS BEFORE FWH
Fly sparge with 9.30 gal water at 168.0 F

---BOIL PROCESS-----------------------------
Est Pre_Boil Gravity: 1.037 SG   Est OG: 1.045 SG
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU         
3.50 oz               East Kent Goldings (EKG) [5.00 %] - Boil Hop           4        33.8 IBUs     


---FERM PROCESS-----------------------------
Primary Start: 06 Oct 2016 - 4.00 Days at 67.0 F
Secondary Start: 10 Oct 2016 - 10.00 Days at 67.0 F
Style Carb Range: 1.60-2.50 Vols
Bottling Date: 20 Oct 2016 with 2.3 Volumes CO2:
---NOTES------------------------------------
Jonathan W.
Snohomish WA

Offline Werks21

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Re: Beat down on a brew day
« Reply #20 on: October 13, 2016, 12:58:14 am »
I did deviate from whats listed only for added acid. I added only .5ml lactic to sparge becaue I added 1.5 mL to mash to help out the PH situation and didnt want to use more than 1mL per 5 gallon

Cant get Image function to work so here is the URL

https://goo.gl/photos/PwLkc8Bdsv5tjhqv8

« Last Edit: October 13, 2016, 01:01:43 am by Werks21 »
Jonathan W.
Snohomish WA

Offline mabrungard

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Re: Beat down on a brew day
« Reply #21 on: October 13, 2016, 06:49:17 am »
If your water is as void of minerals as you say, you should not have needed to add more alkalinity

Incorrect! When you add a large amount of calcium salts, like used in the Pale Ale profile, you will need to supply some alkalinity to keep the mashing pH from dropping too low. But in most other cases, we don't need to add alkalinity.
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Offline Stevie

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Re: Beat down on a brew day
« Reply #22 on: October 13, 2016, 08:43:20 am »
I've never needed to add alkaline minerals when brewing pale beers with your Pale Ale profile. I DO need to add baking soda when brewing Janet's Brown to stay around 5.4

I assumed the OP was brewing a pale beer, but based on the recipe I can see why he needed alkalinity, he has a hefty amount of medium/dark crystal and a fist full of chocolate malt. Both of those will certainly drop the pH low enough to require adding lime or soda.

So after all that, still not sure why you missed your target pH by so much. I can maybe try to mimic later.

Offline Werks21

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Re: Beat down on a brew day
« Reply #23 on: October 13, 2016, 11:56:09 am »
Well thanks all for taking a look/working through this with me.
I Still have a few things to look into after thinking about it.
1. is there a newer water report out with different values
2. how much does my supply change throughout the year, and in what way? (its a reservoir)
3. did the stuff growing in my 4.00 change the PH of it?

I doubt the last one is it because there was no real deviation at calibration but I'm gonna get some fresh solution and bump the two against one another.

in case anyone reading this is a neighbor, my utility company, Silver Lake Water District buys their water from Everett (who uses water primarily from the Spada reservoir.)
Jonathan W.
Snohomish WA

Offline fmader

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Re: Beat down on a brew day
« Reply #24 on: October 14, 2016, 07:16:38 am »
Just a simple thought here... Only because I have done this before... Did you put the correct water volumes into Bru'n Water?
Frank

Offline Werks21

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Re: Beat down on a brew day
« Reply #25 on: October 15, 2016, 04:36:51 pm »
Just a simple thought here... Only because I have done this before... Did you put the correct water volumes into Bru'n Water?

I did check and foun a discrepancy but ran it through Brew'n water and it only moved the PH down .02

I did mix the chemicals together and store them in aluminum foil over night.
I mixed the mash additions less Pickling lime
pickling lime in a seperate foil pouch
Boil additions in another foil pouch

Could the Chemicals started reacting to one another and/or the foil and changed in a way that would alter their effect on the mash?
I have Zero chemistry knowledge so may be it a foolish question but it occurred to ask since im trying to get to the bottom of this.
Jonathan W.
Snohomish WA

Offline fmader

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Re: Beat down on a brew day
« Reply #26 on: October 16, 2016, 08:34:03 am »
Just a simple thought here... Only because I have done this before... Did you put the correct water volumes into Bru'n Water?

I did check and foun a discrepancy but ran it through Brew'n water and it only moved the PH down .02

I did mix the chemicals together and store them in aluminum foil over night.
I mixed the mash additions less Pickling lime
pickling lime in a seperate foil pouch
Boil additions in another foil pouch

Could the Chemicals started reacting to one another and/or the foil and changed in a way that would alter their effect on the mash?
I have Zero chemistry knowledge so may be it a foolish question but it occurred to ask since im trying to get to the bottom of this.

I can't account for the foil, but I put all of my salts in a ziploc bag ahead of time.
Frank

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Beat down on a brew day
« Reply #27 on: October 16, 2016, 12:35:34 pm »
I can't account for the foil, but I put all of my salts in a ziploc bag ahead of time.


Same here.
Jon H.