Kayos

Recipes 

My beer was plagued by a weird metallic taste since going AG and using tap water from a new city water source. I finally narrowed it down to the water. I had to do a 9:1 RO : tap and added the acid malt, CaCl and gypsum as recommended. since doing this, my any hop flavor is gone, my eff% is under 50% (used to be 70%)- BUT the metallic flavor is gone. I have boiled down to under 4g batches to get the right OG. Which results in it's own weird off-flavors

HELP?!?!

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Being Dealt (kegged): Carbed Crystal light lemonade for the boys, Delta Bravo IPA, Applewinder
Primary: Climbing stout
Primary #2: ESB
Big Blind: Pucker Bitter
Small Blind:
Tasty Remembrances: White 'N Nerdy, Dynamite Red (Hop bursted), APA, The Bonaduce (irish Red), runners stout, ridgeback brown,
from my big ass computer sitting on my floor

DrJerryrigger

Recipes 

Are you checking your mash pH? If so, what's going on with it? If not; you really should be.

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making (C6H10O5)n- into C12H22O11 and then into C2H5OH, and then getting drunk

Kayos

Recipes 

I always heard the strips aren't worth it and the meters are expensive. I used the 5.2 stabilizer last time and it didn't make a difference. I will try the strips next batch.

__________________
Being Dealt (kegged): Carbed Crystal light lemonade for the boys, Delta Bravo IPA, Applewinder
Primary: Climbing stout
Primary #2: ESB
Big Blind: Pucker Bitter
Small Blind:
Tasty Remembrances: White 'N Nerdy, Dynamite Red (Hop bursted), APA, The Bonaduce (irish Red), runners stout, ridgeback brown,
from my big ass computer sitting on my floor

Kayos

Recipes 

I could really use some help here, guys....I am brewing tomorrow and have gone back and forth on what to do. It has to be the water changes. Could I have too few minerals in the primer? I'm going to make a stout tomorrow and think I'll try about 3/4 RO to 1/4 tap.

__________________
Being Dealt (kegged): Carbed Crystal light lemonade for the boys, Delta Bravo IPA, Applewinder
Primary: Climbing stout
Primary #2: ESB
Big Blind: Pucker Bitter
Small Blind:
Tasty Remembrances: White 'N Nerdy, Dynamite Red (Hop bursted), APA, The Bonaduce (irish Red), runners stout, ridgeback brown,
from my big ass computer sitting on my floor

ajdelange

Recipes 

It's pretty hard to screw up a stout and one made with mostly RO water plus calcium chloride plus calcium sulfate if you want the hops punch (per the Primer) should be fine (don't use sauermalz for a stout). If you can't make a good beer using the Primer guidance then there is something wrong besides the water. Beyond that we really can't tell you much about what to do with your water unless we have an analysis.

Kayos

Recipes 

AJ, you recommended a 9:1 to make the primer for me when I gave the analysis after talking about how "metallic" tasting my beers have been. The metal taste is gone, but so is my efficiency and the hop flavor. That's the only change I made. You don't mention ca. sulphate in the primer. Would that help? Thoughts?

__________________
Being Dealt (kegged): Carbed Crystal light lemonade for the boys, Delta Bravo IPA, Applewinder
Primary: Climbing stout
Primary #2: ESB
Big Blind: Pucker Bitter
Small Blind:
Tasty Remembrances: White 'N Nerdy, Dynamite Red (Hop bursted), APA, The Bonaduce (irish Red), runners stout, ridgeback brown,
from my big ass computer sitting on my floor

certaut

Recipes 

try this ph meter

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the brewer makes the beer, not the equipment
let the beer tell you when it is finished

Kayos

Recipes 

Cool....thanks! I will.

__________________
Being Dealt (kegged): Carbed Crystal light lemonade for the boys, Delta Bravo IPA, Applewinder
Primary: Climbing stout
Primary #2: ESB
Big Blind: Pucker Bitter
Small Blind:
Tasty Remembrances: White 'N Nerdy, Dynamite Red (Hop bursted), APA, The Bonaduce (irish Red), runners stout, ridgeback brown,
from my big ass computer sitting on my floor

ajdelange

Recipes 

Gypsum is calcium sulphate. That would bring up the hop bitterness but not the flavor necessarily. But if you followed the primer you should not have lost efficiency. Quite the contrary. So something else must be wrong.Without having any details as to grain bill etc. it is hard to give advice.

Kayos

Recipes 

Tell me what details you need and I'm glad to provide it.

Last batch was one I brewed many times before, just first time with the primer.

Honey Hefe:

6 lbs. wheat malt
1lb honey malt
4 lbs. Pilsner
1oz Hallertau at 60

I made this one because I thought I couldn't go wrong after 2 batches U had to throw out because of the terrible eff.

1tsp CaCl/5g, 9:1 tap to RO ratio and 2% acid malt

Mash at 154 batch sparge twice and call it good.

I have done all these recipes before with 70% eff. before I changed to the primer to get rid of the off flavors. This is just one example. It's been less than 52% every tie since changing to this water. Let me know what else it could be.......

__________________
Being Dealt (kegged): Carbed Crystal light lemonade for the boys, Delta Bravo IPA, Applewinder
Primary: Climbing stout
Primary #2: ESB
Big Blind: Pucker Bitter
Small Blind:
Tasty Remembrances: White 'N Nerdy, Dynamite Red (Hop bursted), APA, The Bonaduce (irish Red), runners stout, ridgeback brown,
from my big ass computer sitting on my floor