Big Brew Killer Kolsch

[sudbuddy]

I'm trying to get my shop ready for Big Brew and one of the recipes is "Killer Kolsch." It calls for RO water treated with 1/4 tsp 10% phosphoric acid per 5 gallons. I have absolutely no experience with phosphoric acid and none of my vendors carry it. Can I just substitute lactic acid? Does anyone know where I can get 10% phosphoric acid for brewing?

 

[Quadrupled]

Bought mine at Northern Brewer.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/phosphoric-acid-8-oz-10-solution.html

 

[Spartan1979]

I'm surprised you can't find it. It's pretty standard acid to adjust the pH of sparge water. It's more neutral in flavor than lactic acid.

You could use lactic acid although I can't tell you what the equivalent would be.

 

[sudbuddy]

I'm surprised you can't find it. It's pretty standard acid to adjust the pH of sparge water. It's more neutral in flavor than lactic acid.

You could use lactic acid although I can't tell you what the equivalent would be.

I agree it's weird, but none of the Big 3 suppliers carry it (LD Carlson, Brewcraft and BSG)

 

[Homercidal]

Amazon. I bought a HUGE bottle.

1/4 tsp of 10% is like... Nothing in 5 gallons of beer...

And to clarify, I bought 88% solution and I dilute it 50/50 with RO water for brewing with.

 

[sudbuddy]

Amazon. I bought a HUGE bottle.

1/4 tsp of 10% is like... Nothing in 5 gallons of beer...

And to clarify, I bought 88% solution and I dilute it 50/50 with RO water for brewing with.

Cool, maybe I'll just do that. Thanks for the tip

 

[Malticulous]

Acid malt is more authentic.

 

[Homercidal]

Acid malt is more authentic.

This is true. Although acidulated malt may impart some flavor if you use enough, it's considered Reinheitsbegot, so you got that going for you.

Frankly, I don't follow that, so adding Phos. doesn't bother me. It's flavorless in any amount you would use to adjust water. I used to use Hydrochloric Acid, but got tired of having to dance around the fact that it changes the chloride levels and you have to plan around that.

Sulfuric Acid is another possibility, but it adds Sulfates IIRC.

Lactic acid is also popular, but again, there is a flavor threshold that I simply had no desire to worry about. A LOT of brewers use Acid Malt and Lactic Acid very successully. I'm not putting them down, I just like the simplicity of Phos. and not having to wonder if it's changing the beer's flavor.

 

[Malticulous]

Kaiser suggests using 80 ppm epsom and 50 ppm calcium chloride along with 3% acid malt for a kolsch. That's to complicated for me. I'd just use my tap water and add a cap of phosphoric acid to the sparge. But then my water will make a beer like this just fine.

 

[Homercidal]

Kaiser suggests using 80 ppm epsom and 50 ppm calcium chloride along with 3% acid malt for a kolsch. That's to complicated for me. I'd just use my tap water and add a cap of phosphoric acid to the sparge. But then my water will make a beer like this just fine.

Unless your water is really unbalanced, it's debatable how much dialing in your additions really affects the final beer.

When Kai suggests adding a certain amount of Epsom, it's probably like 1/2 tsp for 5 gallons or something. You can do the math easy enough if you know your volume of water. Same with the other things.

He sets the value as ppm so it's easily scalable to whatever recipe size you are brewing.

 

[azazel1024]

My very limited experience, if your water is "in the range" on minerals, then you are good. I HAVE seen and tasted the difference between water closer to Pilsen levels vs Burton on Trent levels. It is pretty clear.

That said, minor adjustments, I honestly believe you will not really taste a difference.

With gypsum I've tried several experiments now in relatively similar beers, I can't notice a difference trying two beers side by side until I hit roughly zero vs 1tsp in a 3 gallon batch. At THAT point, The hopiness does seem just slightly sharper and the beer just slightly drier. At double that level, the effect is a bit more pronounced and not pleasant. A slight adjustment, I don't think I'd notice. I've tried a couple of experiments with salt and epsom, and my experiences were "I didn't notice" or "it was unpleasant" depending on the level.

Other people may be more sensitive, no I wasn't doing a heck of a lot of balancing and slight tweaking. I think you can 'punch it up' a little by adjusting minerals, but IMHO you are either making a BAD beer, or at best, you are improving the beer a very, very slight amount. Which, obviously I want the best beer I can, so it can be worth while to do if you don't mind, but it isn't going to make a good beer great, or a bad beer good. It might make an 8.9 beer a 9.0

Yeah, I do tend to add a little gypsum to most of my APA, IPA and DIPAs, because at the right level, it does tend to enhance the bitterness in a nice way if I go gentle with it. It might (to me) make that 8.9 IPA a 9.0 to me, so why not for little cost or effort (since I've already played with it). I just don't have a lot of desire to futz with other minerals much, because having played with them some, it either made beer worse, or at best didn't impove things more than a slight bit, and I am too lazy right now to research beer styles and try to put together a mineral addition sheet for that specific style, futz with 3-5 different minerals, etc., etc.

Just like with Pilsners, I notice a slight difference when using 2/3rds RO/distilled water mixed with 1/3rd tap water, so I tend to do that. It doesn't punch a pilsner up to a 10 from an 8, it might make an 8 and 8.1. But it is easy to remember and do, so I do it.