[narcout]

With a 50 mg/l dose of SMB, my sodium was only 12 ppm (I brew with distilled water).

[Big Monk]

The Na thing is a red herring. The amount added with even the full dose of NaMeta is very small.  A tight system, with a modest 30-40 ppm dose of NaMeta is only adding ~7.2-9.6 ppm of Na.




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[ynotbrusum]

The first thing I noticed was the low aroma in the wort with this approach.  I took a sample Vienna Lager and carbed it up at a very "green" stage prior to lagering, but it still tasted very good.  I can't wait to try the finished product.  I have 2 spunding valve sets of parts coming soon, so that is my next step in going LO.  Stainless IC or CFC may be on the horizon but that may have to wait until the time is right for the budget on that one.

[natebrews]

Did you taste the wort when you were running it off?  If so, did you notice any differences?

I ordered a spunding valve today (from AIH, about 32 bucks w/ gauge shipped).  I've done it before but manually blowing some pressure off every hour or two while it finished up.  The valve will be a better option.

[narcout]

Got this kegged last night.  Gravity sample tasted very good.  I think there was a bit of sulphur in the nose, but I could have been imagining it.  Looking forward to tasting the finished product...



I don't have the valve set to actually release any pressure, but I thought it would be a fun way to track the progress of the secondary fermentation.

[natebrews]

So I finally pulled a sample of the low ABV pale ale I brewed a few weeks back using as much LODO religion as I could muster. 

Tasting the beer, it has a sharpness or prickle on the tongue that I can only compare to a soda.  I suppose it would compare closely with orange soda or maybe just the impression I get off seltzer water (which I find sharp and displeasing).  I'm curious if this could be a symptom of too much SMB at the beginning of the process dropping the pH too much.  The mash pH was right on (5.3) but I didn't take a reading on the finished beer....maybe I should go do that. 

I tried dropping a few grains of baking soda in there to pull the pH up a bit and that may have mitigated it a bit but it wasn't gone.   

Has anyone else had this experience?  I'm curious if this brew might be more susceptible due to the low ABV/malt quantity that made up the beer to begin with (3.8% ABV).  Aside from that, it tastes good.

[homoeccentricus]

I brewed a lodo American blonde, under 4% ABV, dryhopped. I did not have the sensation you describe. Never measured the pH of the final beer.  And sulphur does not smell/taste like that I think.

[natebrews]

It isn't sulphur, I have dealt with that plenty of times in my lagers.  There still a fair amount of yeast and particulates coming out (since it is the first pull after the thing was put in the fridge), so maybe it has to do with those bits.  That will be apparent once it clears up in a few more pints. 

[The Beerery]

Astringency?

[natebrews]

I usually associate astringency with the excessively drying end of the tasting experience.  This is right up front when it first hits the tongue.

[The Beerery]

I usually associate astringency with the excessively drying end of the tasting experience.  This is right up front when it first hits the tongue.

Over-carbonation?

Over-carbonation and low pH?

[natebrews]

Definitely not over carbonation, but low pH is where my gut is pointing.  Since the SMB will lower the pH as it reacts, I was wondering if that could be the culprit.  I used 4.5 camden tabs in 8.5gal on no-sparge strike water, so it didn't seem like I was going excessive or anything.

[homoeccentricus]

Definitely not over carbonation, but low pH is where my gut is pointing.  Since the SMB will lower the pH as it reacts, I was wondering if that could be the culprit.  I used 4.5 camden tabs in 8.5gal on no-sparge strike water, so it didn't seem like I was going excessive or anything.

Will lower pH with 0.06 per Low Oxygen Brewing Quick Reference Sheet.

[natebrews]

Right, so that seems like a fairly modest change to me.  Also, I thought that fermentation tended to want to end at a certain pH, rather than just be a certain shift (yeast dependent and all that).  According to the test strips, the pH of the finished beer is maybe 4.4.

[brewinhard]

Right, so that seems like a fairly modest change to me.  Also, I thought that fermentation tended to want to end at a certain pH, rather than just be a certain shift (yeast dependent and all that).  According to the test strips, the pH of the finished beer is maybe 4.4.

Hey Nate,
On a side note involving mash pH, I brewed an American Blonde earlier this summer that came in at a very low 5.08 mash pH (measured room temp). The resulting beer did not have that taste sensation you are describing, but maybe your pH was even lower than that?