1st brew, need someone to double check me.

[Jbrewing]

Need help checking my work
First brew attemt, don't have ro access, tap water not a viable choice for me. Starting with distilled and already have all the salts so I'm not Not going to use them.

This is what I have so far

Miscs​

0.62 g — Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) — Mash

0.49 g — Chalk (CaCO3) — Mash

0.79 g — Epsom Salt (MgSO4) — Mash

0.49 g — Gypsum (CaSO4) — Mash

8 ml — Lactic Acid 80% — Mash

0.79 g — Magnesium Chloride (MgCl2) — Mash

0.49 g — Slaked Lime (Ca(OH)2) — Mash

0.83 g — Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) — Sparge

0.65 g — Chalk (CaCO3) — Sparge

1.05 g — Epsom Salt (MgSO4) — Sparge

0.65 g — Gypsum (CaSO4) — Sparge

2.54 ml — Lactic Acid 80% — Sparge

1.05 g — Magnesium Chloride (MgCl2) — Sparge

0.65 g — Slaked Lime (Ca(OH)2) — Sparge

recipe

71% efficiency

Batch Volume: 4.5 gal
Boil Time: 60 min


Mash Water: 5.16 gal

Sparge Water: 1.55 gal
Total Water: 6.72 gal
Boil Volume: 5.76 gal

Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.064


Vitals
Original Gravity: 1.074

Final Gravity: 1.017

IBU (Tinseth): 17

BU/GU: 0.23

Color: 7.6 SRM

Mash
Strike Temp — 207.9 °F
protien — 99 °F — 30 min

ferulic rest — 112 °F — 40 min

sacch' rest — 145 °F — 60 min

after — 150 °F — 30 min


Malts (12 lb 6.9 oz)
5 lb 10.7 oz (45.6%) — Cargill Wheat White — Grain — 2.7 °L — Mash — 90 min
3 lb 13.4 oz (30.9%) — Pilsner Malt — Grain — 1.8 °L — Mash — 90 min
2 lb 14.9 oz (23.6%) — Munich Malt, Germany — Grain — 7.6 °L — Mash — 90 min
Hops (0.36 oz)
0.36 oz (17 IBU) — Magnum 12% — First Wort

 

[scrap iron]

I not sure what you mean by have all salts but wouldn't use them. Looks like the beer is a light color so don't use chalk [ doesn't work anyway] and slaked lime. The slaked lime and other stuff like sodium bicarbonate are for rasing ph and are not used in light color beers. Their use is for dark beers. Also, you really don't need the epson salts or mag - chloride, get more calcium out of gypsum and calcium chloride. Think of it this way, acid, lime ,baking soda, chalk etc. are not ingredients but adjustments for the ph of the mash.
Your mash schedule is too much, and steps might not be needed. If you are just starting out go with the Sac. rest 147- 152 range and keep it simple. check out these for some water knowledge.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/a-brewing-water-chemistry-primer.198460/
https://www.brunwater.com/water-knowledge

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/a-brewing-water-chemistry-primer.198460/
https://www.brunwater.com/water-knowledge

There's also

https://www.bertusbrewery.com/2012/02/water-chemistry-how-to-build-your-water.html​

which is the 'cliff notes' for 'A brewing water chemistry primer'.

Starting with distilled

You can consider distilled water and RO water to be (effectively) the same when brewing beer.

 

[scrap iron]

If you have a Wal-Mart near, they have RO machines. That's what I used starting out with RO water you just have to bring jugs to the store. good luck

 

[wepeeler]

That is a very complicated 1st brew. What style are you shooting for? 1.074 is a high OG, especially with only 17ibu FWH. 208 strike temp will kill all your mash enzymes. I would shoot for 150-152 for a nice fermentable wort. I would also aim for all the salts in the mash to adjust for pH and water profile. Again, it would help to know the style you're shooting for.

 

[hotbeer]

I didn't over complicate my first brews like you seem to be doing. I also would not do a pilsner or lager for a first time beer. Many wouldn't do all-grain for their first beer either, but I disagree with that and all my beers have been all-grain.

My recommendation will be to get a kit for a pale ale or a basic IPA that doesn't need dry hopping. And I'd just use some bottled spring water. Perhaps since you already have the stuff, put a teaspoon of Calcium Chloride in it. But I've made some really good pale ales and IPA's with just the straight bottled Crystal Geyser® Alpine Spring Water® Not so great for Stouts without modification though.

Also realize the 71% efficiency might not be what you get. Is that mash efficiency? Might be anywhere from less than 60% to in the 80's. You won't know till you do your first beer and calculate it. You have to accurately know all your weights and volumes. So write down everything. Even the final weight of the 12lbs 6.9oz of dry malts you'll be tossing out afterward that now contain some of the water you intended for beer.

 

[mashdar]

Comments:

• I'm with the others - the salts are way too complicated, especially for a first brew.
• If you're using distilled water, consider following a recipe that includes salts. IMO start with a known-good recipe to learn your brewing system first.
• IBUs are extremely low for that OG/FG; I like malty beer, but this would be downright sweet.
• Mash sequence is very complicated for first brew. Even advanced brewers do a lot of single-temperature mashes.

Questions:

1. Do you have fermentation temperature control?
2. What yeast? (Doing a starter?)
3. That's a lot of wheat. How are you crushing all of this, and
4. do you have rice hulls?
5. How are you packaging (keg or bottles) and do you have that process planned out?
6. edit: Is that wheat even malted? If not, that's an extremely marginal grain bill wrt enzymes.

 

[mac_1103]

You can consider distilled water and RO water to be (effectively) the same when brewing beer.

And if you're buying "distilled" water at a grocery store, there's a very good chance that it actually is RO water.

already have all the salts so I'm not Not going to use them

You shouldn't use any particular salt just because you already have it. You should use only the salts you need to build an appropriate water profile for the kind of beer you're brewing.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

background: for me and local sources of packaged water, RO and distilled are effectively the same price.

And if you're buying "distilled" water at a grocery store, there's a very good chance that it actually is RO water.

I would assume that a TDS meter would show zero for distilled and a low number for proper RO water.

If there is a concern about mis-labeled (or poor quality) water, one could validate my assumption, get a TDS meter, test the water, and move forward based on the result.

 

[mac_1103]

I would assume that a TDS meter would show zero for distilled and a low number for proper RO water.

I think it would have to be a pretty high quality TDS meter. My cheap one reads zero for RO.

Anyway, my comment was not about a concern over the minor difference between distilled and RO water. Just pointing out that the terms are used interchangeably by some vendors. I've seen bottled distilled water with labels that said "purified by reverse osmosis" in the fine print. Others specifically say "purified by steam distillation." And others don't say anything at all besides "Distilled Water."

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

[...] I've seen bottled distilled water with labels that said "purified by reverse osmosis" in the fine print. Others specifically say "purified by steam distillation." And others don't say anything at all besides "Distilled Water."

Looks like there is regional variation in labeling for packaged water.

 

[AlexKay]

Chalk doesn't dissolve, is therefore a pain in the rear and shouldn't be used. Use sodium bicarbonate to raise pH instead. Or the slaked lime, I suppose.

If you're adding something to raise pH, you should not be adding acid; it defeats the purpose.

My advice to beginners: don't use magnesium salts. It's needlessly complicated, and is unlikely to help your beer. In the worst-case scenarios, it could give you either nasty-tasting beer or the runs.

My advice to beginners on their first few batches with distilled or RO: add 0.5-1 g each of CaCl2 and CaSO4 per gallon, and call it good.

 

[Jbrewing]

Wei

That is a very complicated 1st brew. What style are you shooting for? 1.074 is a high OG, especially with only 17ibu FWH. 208 strike temp will kill all your mash enzymes. I would shoot for 150-152 for a nice fermentable wort. I would also aim for all the salts in the mash to adjust for pH and water profile. Again, it would help to know the style you're shooting for

It's a weihenstephaner vitus clone

As for the salts I mean all chemicals and salts for adjusting yes. As for chalk I won't be using also Slakedll Lime. Those are just the words the app used ill be using their better alternatives.
The plan is to ferment in corny keg under pressure, 15 psi give or take .
Already converted mini fridge to fermintation chamber with inkbird.
I figured my mash times needed work will probably not do all that I posted originally. I don't want a very Happy beer I just want a hint of it hence the 17 ibu. .03 ounces of magnum should be enough, going for more malt than hops.

 

[Jbrewing]

Corny keg fermintation and serve , already made keg into fermintation keg.( one fermintation step not 2)
Yeast is imperial Stephon ale yeast
Rice hulls, yes.
Garage and ambiant temp is usually 85 to 93 in my garage.

Grains are malt grains, will be milling not whole.

I don't want it to be easy . I love a challenge and would prefer to learn from mistakes than to be safe about it. My hearts in a vitus clone I wouldn't want to deviat from that.

 

[Jbrewing]

lmk

 

[hotbeer]

Garage and ambiant temp is usually 85 to 93 in my garage.

If you don't have any controlled cooling for the FV, then consider putting it inside the airconditioned part of your home. If you have a powder room that doesn't get a lot of use, then put it there. If smells from the FV get to intense, then you can leave the exhaust fan on.

 

[Jbrewing]

If you don't have any controlled cooling for the FV, then consider putting it inside the airconditioned part of your home.

Using a freezer for temp control along with inkbird and heating pad.

 

[wdavis2003]

Best and easiest to use water chemistry calculator I've found

https://www.phantomwingbrewing.com/Calculator

 

[redrocker652002]

I am by no means a pro, and am only going by what I have read here and done myself, so please take it for what it is worth. My first reaction was to your mash temp. I have never gone above 158 and have never seen a mash temp above 160. Even that is a bit high but I use a propane burner so sometimes my mash temps will raise a bit before I can get them down. I don't understand the water profile you are using, but I have not gone down the rabbit hole of water profiles and how to do them. I have, however, never seen anyone use chalk, slaked lime and a few others that you listed. I started out as a Extract brewer and moved on to all grain about maybe a half dozen batches in. I started out with kits from Morebeer and kinda went from there. I got some recipes here and another site and tweaked them a bit to fit my process. I am not sure what kind of beer you are making and have never done it, so I cannot comment on your recipe. Good luck with it, and you will get some fantastic info and advice from the folks here. They definitely know their stuff.

 

[Jbrewing]

That is a very complicated 1st brew. What style are you shooting for? 1.074 is a high OG, especially with only 17ibu FWH. 208 strike temp will kill all your mash enzymes. I would shoot for 150-152 for a nice fermentable wort. I would also aim for all the salts in the mash to adjust for pH and water profile. Again, it would help to know the style you're shooting for.

Weihenstephaner vitus clone

 

[mac_1103]

I don't want it to be easy . I love a challenge and would prefer to learn from mistakes than to be safe about it.

"Challenge" is an interesting word for needlessly complicating your water profile, and speaking from experience there's an excellent chance that even a very simple first brew will give you plenty of mistakes to learn from.

 

[wepeeler]

Wei


It's a weihenstephaner vitus clone

As for the salts I mean all chemicals and salts for adjusting yes. As for chalk I won't be using also Slakedll Lime. Those are just the words the app used ill be using their better alternatives.
The plan is to ferment in corny keg under pressure, 15 psi give or take .
Already converted mini fridge to fermintation chamber with inkbird.
I figured my mash times needed work will probably not do all that I posted originally. I don't want a very Happy beer I just want a hint of it hence the 17 ibu. .03 ounces of magnum should be enough, going for more malt than hops.

It's still way too complicated for a first brew, but if that's what you want to do, go for it. There are too many variables to figure out what went wrong when it doesn't taste like what you intended it to taste like. 17ibu 0.03oz of Magnum is not nearly enough for a 1.074 OG brew. Especially if you don't get the efficiency you intend for your first mash. I would highly suggest doing a kit first to learn the process. Just a suggestion knowing my personal journey!

 

[Jbrewing]

It's still way too complicated for a first brew, but if that's what you want to do, go for it. There are too many variables to figure out what went wrong when it doesn't taste like what you intended it to taste like. 17ibu 0.03oz of Magnum is not nearly enough for a 1.074 OG brew. Especially if you don't get the efficiency you intend for your first mash. I would highly suggest doing a kit first to learn the process. Just a suggestion knowing my personal journey!

Already invested in all ingredients going to try this one first if I don't suck seed I'll try out a kit. I wrote that wrong it's not .03 it's 36 magnum

 

[Jbrewing]

Already invested in all ingredients going to try this one first if I don't suck seed I'll try out a kit. I wrote that wrong it's not .03 it's 36 magnum

...36

Comments:

• I'm with the others - the salts are way too complicated, especially for a first brew.
• If you're using distilled water, consider following a recipe that includes salts. IMO start with a known-good recipe to learn your brewing system first.
• IBUs are extremely low for that OG/FG; I like malty beer, but this would be downright sweet.
• Mash sequence is very complicated for first brew. Even advanced brewers do a lot of single-temperature mashes.

Questions:

1. Do you have fermentation temperature control?
2. What yeast? (Doing a starter?)
3. That's a lot of wheat. How are you crushing all of this, and
4. do you have rice hulls?
5. How are you packaging (keg or bottles) and do you have that process planned out?
6. edit: Is that wheat even malted? If not, that's an extremely marginal grain bill wrt enzymes.

 

[Whisky River]

See below….

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/thread...nment-for-regular-hbters.701252/post-10342464

Hope to see you still around after this one is in the keg.

 

[Horseflesh Inferno]

How did this one turn out?

 

[Jbrewing]

How did this one turn out?

Came out well at first actually unfortunately my secondary keg I used wasn't thoroughly cleaned. Beer spoiled.

 

[Drinking Sensibly]

First lesson learned. 90% of brewing is cleaning.

 

[HM-2]

The plan is to ferment in corny keg under pressure, 15 psi give or take .

Assume you didn't do this in the end.

At least, I hope you didn't if you had intended on getting any of the characteristic esters from the hefe yeast.