[narvin]

Yeah, it is

He's using a tablespoon which is right around 30g, but some of that will be left in the mash.  Still, there should be plenty of sulfate.

The salts used for water adjustment range from 1.8 - 4.5 grams per teaspoon, according to Palmer, so I doubt he used 30g.  Maybe 10 - 15 g.

Also, the morebeer description doesn't look quite right.  Why is carbonate in there?  I think they mean Chloride.

[wamille]

I appreciate everyone's contribution to my beer education.  This forum alone is worth the price of being an AHA member!  

Regarding the mineral content of my tap water... I'm in Seoul, South Korea and I don't read or speak Korean, so I don't know what the composition of the city water is here.  I work on the military base, so I don't interact a lot with Koreans or speakers of the language.  I'm sure I could find out though if I took the time to do so.  What I've done in the meantime is use reverse osmosis water I buy in 2.5 gallon plastic jugs from the commissary, which to my knowledge has no mineral content.  So I've been adding 2 teaspoons of Burton Salts to my mash water assuming that was enough.  If I'm way off, please feel free to correct me as my knowledge of water chemistry as it relates to brewing is quite limited.  Would it be wrong of me to presume I am a bit off on my mineral content for a hoppy, crisp tasting IPA?  Most of my beers seem like they don't have that edge to them that I'm looking for... in fact, the beer I'm trying to clone is the Green Flash Imperial IPA which has a beautiful hoppy crispness to it.

Thanks for all the help again.

[tschmidlin]

Yeah, it is

He's using a tablespoon which is right around 30g, but some of that will be left in the mash.  Still, there should be plenty of sulfate.

The salts used for water adjustment range from 1.8 - 4.5 grams per teaspoon, according to Palmer, so I doubt he used 30g.  Maybe 10 - 15 g.

Ok, I'm probably off.  I was basing it on the density of the salts, and didn't account for the shape and size of the grains which will leave a lot of air there.  My bad.

[tschmidlin]

Regarding the mineral content of my tap water... I'm in Seoul, South Korea and I don't read or speak Korean, so I don't know what the composition of the city water is here.  I work on the military base, so I don't interact a lot with Koreans or speakers of the language.  I'm sure I could find out though if I took the time to do so.  What I've done in the meantime is use reverse osmosis water I buy in 2.5 gallon plastic jugs from the commissary, which to my knowledge has no mineral content.  So I've been adding 2 teaspoons of Burton Salts to my mash water assuming that was enough.  If I'm way off, please feel free to correct me as my knowledge of water chemistry as it relates to brewing is quite limited.  Would it be wrong of me to presume I am a bit off on my mineral content for a hoppy, crisp tasting IPA?  Most of my beers seem like they don't have that edge to them that I'm looking for... in fact, the beer I'm trying to clone is the Green Flash Imperial IPA which has a beautiful hoppy crispness to it.

I would worry less about the salt additions, and work on drying out the beer.  What is your OG/FG?

[wamille]

My OG was 1.082... FG was 1.014... off the top of my head.  It turned out to be a 8.6% ABV beer.

[tschmidlin]

If the top of your head is accurate, that's really good attenuation.  I was going to suggest a pinch of yeast nutrient for the trace elements, but maybe it's not necessary.

I'm going to have to go back to my idea of cutting the crystal.  Or carbonating the beer more, as someone suggested.   Or maybe both.   

What 2-row are you using?  An American 2-row will give you more crispness than an English one IME.

[wamille]

I use Rahr 2-Row from Canada... bought a 55-lb bag of it from Williams.

[tschmidlin]

Given that, I'm back to cutting the crystal or adding carb.  Maybe someone else has some other ideas.  It would help to taste it of course, but that's not really an option

[wamille]

Is the Rahr 2-Row more malty than standard 2-Row?

[tschmidlin]

I generally use Briess, and I've heard mixed things about Rahr.  Then again I've also heard mixed things about Briess,so that doesn't mean anything.  I think Rahr and Briess should be very similar, but someone else may have a different opinion.  I don't think it's about your malt at this point.   

[euge]

I generally use Briess, and I've heard mixed things about Rahr.  Then again I've also heard mixed things about Briess,so that doesn't mean anything.  I think Rahr and Briess should be very similar, but someone else may have a different opinion.  I don't think it's about your malt at this point.   

Jeez tom. 

[bluesman]

Your attenuation is really good so that's not an issue.  As was said, I also would not only try increasing the carbonation but also the hopping rate. A higher perceived bitterness will lend a "feeling" of crispness. I think these two things in combination will give you what you are looking for.

[mabrungard]

I use Rahr 2-Row from Canada... bought a 55-lb bag of it from Williams.

This brings up that high degree of fermentability for Rahr 2-row that I brought up recently.  A brewer here in Indy reports that he tends to get the same high degree of fermentability when using this base malt, regardless of the mashing temperature.  He says he controls the fermentability of the wort by adjusting the percentage of crystal and less fermentable grains in the grist.

Hmm...

[narvin]

My OG was 1.082... FG was 1.014... off the top of my head.  It turned out to be a 8.6% ABV beer.

Even with good attenuation, you're left with a lot of maltiness in an 8.6% beer.  I would definitely sub in some sugar for a crisper beer when making an imperial ipa.

[bluesman]

My OG was 1.082... FG was 1.014... off the top of my head.  It turned out to be a 8.6% ABV beer.

Even with good attenuation, you're left with a lot of maltiness in an 8.6% beer.  I would definitely sub in some sugar for a crisper beer when making an imperial ipa.

A big +1 to that.