Recent content by Bil

That really is a lot of salts to add. What are you going for? Just proper estimated mash pH? A very sulfate heavy/hop-forward beer? For that water I'd add 2.5g of CaSO4 and 2.5g CaCl2 to the mash and be done with it. You don't need Mg, there's plenty in the malt. Maybe another gram of gypsum in...

I know that flavor: oxidation. A lot of people call it papery/cardboard, I tend to smell/taste apple peels, and that thin mouthfeel are all hallmarks of old beer, especially in a light lager without a lot other strong flavors to cover up the oxidation.

You wouldn't say that if you ever seen/smelled a mash tun that hadn't been cleaned out for a couple days! :) Plenty of wild yeasts and bacteria make it through the mashing process.

+1 Fermcap-S works great. I do 4.8G batches in 5G carboys with no problems!

I can't be sure, but the fermentation activity you're seeing is more likely to be from the various bugs that exist on the malt, not the yeast from the brewery. I would give it a taste right away to see if it is souring or otherwise off-tasting. (I got wort from Newport Storm, too! I put mine...

Thanks for posting, Eric. I'm going to try this, so here's your post in English measurements (to save anyone else the conversion): 6 gallons post-boil, 70% efficiency, Morey for color, 15% evaporation, 7.27 gallons preboil, Rager IBU. If you brew this, please reply with your results for...

I would say that hop bitterness is an acquired taste. After getting my start with amber ales and Sam Adams, the first Sierra Nevada Pale Ale I had was offensively bitter. These days I reach for a SNPA when I'm not in the mood for something bitter! Same thing with coffee. I used to like...

I've done a single hop APA with Chinook and accidentally doubled the 15 minute flavor addition. The only word needed to describe that beer was "papaya." Just tons of papaya. I didn't get any pine off of this hop at all.

I feel terrible that I don't have the source to credit for this, but I had this chart hanging around on my hard drive. If anyone can lay claim, please do!

Wow, that explanation really clicked with me. Great way of looking at it. :mug:

With those 7 items, I'd say you're on your way to many excellent beers. (one nit, no yeast starter for dry yeast, it's cheaper and easier to just use more yeast)

The way I understand it, the mash out is to stop enzymatic action that would go on during the potentially long sparge time. Because your sparge step in batch sparging is relatively quick, and the first runnings can be heated right away, a mash out is not required when batch sparging.

Bobby, not sure if you saw it, but I sent you a PM.

I run mine at 39 degrees with a differential of 3 degrees. Works great, doesn't run too often and is very economical in its energy usage. A differential of 10 degrees is too high, IMO. Chest freezers are very well insulated so you won't be cycling too often.

My (limited!) understanding of magnesium in the brewing process is that Mg is required for certain yeast enzymes to function efficiently, and that 10-20 ppm is a good target for my water. My water report gives me 1 ppm Mg, so I've been adding a few grams of MgSO4 to bring my brewing water up...