Recent content by catalanotte

Seeing target water profiles ranging from 7ppm Ca for a Pilsner to 250ppm for Dortmund it certainly makes you wonder. I have read and followed the general advice of 50ppm min that you mentioned, but made an AG pilsner recently at 12ppm with good mash efficiency that turned out great. What kind...

I have brewed many times with 34/70 at low ale temps (60-63) with excellent results for Oktoberfests, Bocks, and even a Pilsner that won a contest. I pitch 3 packets in 10 gal, and never make a starter. One packet may work in 5, but I’d err on the higher side.

Mash Chemistry and Brewing Water Calculator - Brewer's Friend This is an example water build with the lime treatment. I know a lot of people hesitate to do this, but I prefer it as an alternative to buying and hauling jugs of RO/distilled water around. I put a spigot a few inches off the...

I brewed with similar water for years without RO, but you will need to reduce the alkalinity to have any chance at brewing all but the darkest of beers due to mash pH. Brewers friend has a section where you can select the addition of slaked lime and then decant off the precipitate. This will...

Watch out for debris that collects in the spigot. I’d suggest disassembling the spigot for a deep clean and sanitize between each batch. Every time I take mine apart for a cleaning I am amazed at how much junk survives the normal cleaning process. I primary in plastic Big Mouth Bubblers but...

Guessing Iceland, just not sure where. Just saw massive waterfalls like this in the opening scene if Last Kingdom Season 5.

You got it @tracer bullet . You’re up.

What is you normal target for Ca for a Bohemian Pilsner? I have only made one and it came out really good at 12 ppm Ca. Was concerned about this very issue and opted to brew with low Ca. No problems.

Beautiful color and great clarity. How long did it cold condition? Very Nice.

The only differences I found reading comments were that K-97 can take longer to clear and some have reported a tartness from K-97. I opted for 1007 for my first Alt and have used K-97 for a summer ale that came out great. Both are good yeasts and great for that style.

Following, would like to hear more. From a quick Google search it looks like calcium lactate is a product of the reaction between lactic acid and calcium carbonate. Could you add a measured amount of both to get both calcium and a pH drop in the mash? Would lactate add any perceived...

Yes. I have a few broken hydros to back this up. A refractometer with a calculator is all I use unless something looks wonky. Then I’ll do a comparison at the time I keg to verify both OG and FG.

An ale fermented at room temperature has about 1 vol of dissolved CO2 in solution. It will come out of solution easily and is not an indicator of continued fermentation. Ignore the bubbles and trust a stable FG for 3 days.

The other thing to consider are the hops and any other boil additions. A higher gravity beer will change the perception if hop bitterness. Look at the Ratio of IBU to GU (Gravity Units). When the OG rises to 1.061 (at target volume) with the same hops, the IBU/GU ratio drops (neglecting a...

I typically don’t cold crash and just let things settle naturally in the fermenter then again in the keg. However, I have rushed beers to keg that haven’t cleared enough in the fermenter and a lot of sediment is expected. I’ll chill the keg for 2-3 days then pressure transfer into another keg...