Any High Altitude Adjustments???

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jgarretson

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I've brewed in California basically at sea level and now living at 6200ft south of Denver, I wonder if there are any adjustments I should make to accommodate the altitude?

I'm a BIAB brewer that does 3 gallons batches.
 
Your wort will boil at a lower temperature, but it won't affect much.

The biggest issue (which is easily fixed) is the boil off rate. I boil off more volume than sea-level brewers, especially on those extra dry days.
 
Once you've done a few batches, you'll dial in boiloff. I never noticed any difference in hop utilization or other flavors. Best part is you get a view of the rockies while brewing- watch out for the sun!
 
tgmartin000 said:
Lower hop utilization. Calculated at about 20% less.

I hadn't heard this before either (though I've only ever brewed in Denver so cannot say for sure). What's the reasoning?
 
Where did you live in CA? The water is likely softer here so you may need to add salts.
 
Thanks AZ_IPA. I found a paper published last year that shows isomerization over time with different temperatures. The effect looks pretty significant, although I certainly can't taste it. I also haven't brewed the same batch down in the flat-lands to compare.

I normally boil at ~95C at 5,000ft. so I guess this is affecting me.

alpha-acid to iso-alpha conversion.jpg
 
Thanks AZ_IPA. I found a paper published last year that shows isomerization over time with different temperatures. The effect looks pretty significant, although I certainly can't taste it. I also haven't brewed the same batch down in the flat-lands to compare.

I normally boil at ~95C at 5,000ft. so I guess this is affecting me.

Very interesting! I'd love to know if this is something the CO breweries consider. I met a guy at a BBQ yesterday that works at Great Divide but missed my chance to ask him (of course they're pretty protective of their recipes so he might not have been able to tell me anyway).
 
Very interesting! I'd love to know if this is something the CO breweries consider. I met a guy at a BBQ yesterday that works at Great Divide but missed my chance to ask him (of course they're pretty protective of their recipes so he might not have been able to tell me anyway).

Interesting question. I'd assume most of the bigger breweries have had their beers tested for actual IBU, since calculated IBU is going to be different than IBU in the finished product (I think).
 
I bottle condition all my beers, and I lower my priming rates by about 18% to account for the lower atmospheric pressure. I've opened a lot of beers in Colorado that were bottled at sea level, and had them slowly gush if I didn't pour them into a glass quick enough (I'm looking at you, Sam Adams).
 
I bottle condition all my beers, and I lower my priming rates by about 18% to account for the lower atmospheric pressure. I've opened a lot of beers in Colorado that were bottled at sea level, and had them slowly gush if I didn't pour them into a glass quicke enough (I'm looking at you, Sam Adams).

Same here with Sam Adams, especially if it hasn't sat in the fridge for a week.
 
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