New Albion was a beer brewed in Sonoma, California that is heralded as an important beer in the growth of the craft beer movement in the U.S. Wikipedia:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Albion_Brewing_CompanyI’m thinking about brewing the New Albion recipe that user Chino Brews has posted about, using his recipe / notes found posted on Brewer’s Friend:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/84387/new-albion-ale-cloneIt is basically a 2 row and Cascade SMaSH.
I want to replicate the brewery practices as best I can. I need some help about the water and mash pH.
Chino’s notes say: “The water profile was Napa water hardened with Gypsum to a level of 350PPM hardness, per Don Barkley.”
I live in the Valley of the Moon Water District just outside Sonoma (about the same sources) and my 2015 Ward Labs report shows this:
pH 8.5
TDS Est 183
EC 0.31
Cations 3.4
Anions 3.8
Sodium 22
Calcium 24
Magnesium 16
Potassium 1
Total Hardness 127
Nitrate 0.1 (SAFE)
Sulfur (SO4-S) 5 (x 3 = 15 SO4)
CO3 3.4
HCO3 199
Chloride 5
Total Alkalinity 168
Questions:
Would they have added gypsum or calcium chloride, or both? I assume just gypsum, right?
Using the Bru’n Water spreadsheet, and 100% adding Sonoma water, and this all 2 row grist, I’d have to add so much gypsum and/or CACL2 to lower the mash pH that the hardness goes WAY above the 350 ppm hardness in the recipe notes, what gives?
Keep in mind this was in the 1970’s at the first micro brewery.
I know I could add acid malt or lactic or phosphoric acid but the history does not indicate they used that.
I could dose in RO water but I doubt the brewery had such a set up.
What am I missing?