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New England IPA "Northeast" style IPA

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Just get them at Walmart or grocery store. Make sure to use a water calculator...... we are really talking about small amounts.

I think typically I am using approximately the following per 5 gallons:

3-3.5 grams CaCl
1 Gram Gypsum
.5 gram Canning Salt
.5 gram Epsom Salt.

(also getting a bit from my 20% tap water that goes with 80% RO Water).

OK I went into Bru'n water and threw in some canning salt and Epsom salt additions. How does this look again using ALL RO water.

Cal- 80
Mag- 9.9
Sodium- 31.2
Sulfate- 76
Chloride- 162.8
Hardness- 241
Mash pH- 5.3

It amounts to:

Gypsum- .25 Gram/Gal
Epsom- .38
Can salt- .30
Cal Chloride- .90
Lactic Acid- .19 mL/Gal

So how does this look now I can give you the actual mash and sparge additions but thought that's be overkill LOL.
 
OK I went into Bru'n water and threw in some canning salt and Epsom salt additions. How does this look again using ALL RO water.

Cal- 80
Mag- 9.9
Sodium- 31.2
Sulfate- 76
Chloride- 162.8
Hardness- 241
Mash pH- 5.3

It amounts to:

Gypsum- .25 Gram/Gal
Epsom- .38
Can salt- .30
Cal Chloride- .90
Lactic Acid- .19 mL/Gal

So how does this look now I can give you the actual mash and sparge additions but thought that's be overkill LOL.

Hmmmmm...... when I plug those Grams/Gallon into B'run Water with 100% RO water, I get:
Cal- 105
Mag- 9.9
Sodium- 39
Sulfate- 103
Chloride- 204
Hardness- 304
Mash pH- 5.3

In the ballpark of what I do, A bit higher on Sulfate and Chloride...... Not sure why there is a difference????

I use about that for gypsum..... but, I am a bit less on salt, epsom and CaCl.

Again - not sure why your B'run water is giving you different numbers than mine is??
 
Any thoughts on a Simcoe/Citra combo in this beer? Never used those two hops together before but I've got a lot of both. Any preferred ratios to use them in or is 1:1 fine?

Have not done it - but, I would think it would be good. I would go 1:1 the first time I brewed it and then maybe adjust one way or another in follow up batches to see what you prefer.
 
Hmmmmm...... when I plug those Grams/Gallon into B'run Water with 100% RO water, I get:
Cal- 105
Mag- 9.9
Sodium- 39
Sulfate- 103
Chloride- 204
Hardness- 304
Mash pH- 5.3

In the ballpark of what I do, A bit higher on Sulfate and Chloride...... Not sure why there is a difference????

I use about that for gypsum..... but, I am a bit less on salt, epsom and CaCl.

Again - not sure why your B'run water is giving you different numbers than mine is??

Weird. I'll double check that when I get home. If anything I'll just lower the salt, Epsom and chloride. I'd like to get it around the original numbers that I posted basically a 2:1 chloride to sulfate ratio.
 
Actually... I get closer to 130 on calcium now that I look at it.

I have B'run Water Version 3.4 from April of 2015.

I am going in these ranges (if I was using 100% RO)

CaCle = .6-7 gr/gallon
Gypsum = .2-.3 gr/gallon
Epsom = .1 gr/gallon
Salt = .1 gr/gallon

.2ml lactic looks about right. Maybe a touch less even would be fine

None of these numbers are "that" different than yours...... So, I don't think anything you are looking at is totally out of line and at a certain point, fussing over 10 or 20ppm is probably of little or no significance.
 
Actually... I get closer to 130 on calcium now that I look at it.

I have B'run Water Version 3.4 from April of 2015.

I am going in these ranges (if I was using 100% RO)

CaCle = .6-7 gr/gallon
Gypsum = .2-.3 gr/gallon
Epsom = .1 gr/gallon
Salt = .1 gr/gallon

.2ml lactic looks about right. Maybe a touch less even would be fine

None of these numbers are "that" different than yours...... So, I don't think anything you are looking at is totally out of line and at a certain point, fussing over 10 or 20ppm is probably of little or no significance.

That's prob the version I have, I just got into water chemistry late 2015. Thanks for posting the numbers and looking into this.
 
Lots of talk on this thread about hops and yeast (as it should be) but I have some malt bill questions that I haven't seen discussed. (May have missed them?) I'm brewing a very similar recipe this weekend. (I hope) I'm wondering what your strategy is for using two base grains in a 50/50 combo? I was planning to use all MO. My beer will be even more of a session brew than yours as I'm shooting for OG 1.050 and FG 1.014 with a lesser attenuating yeast. (Dennys 50) I wanted the MO and the higher FG to ensure enough malty backbone to cover up the low ABV.

My other question regards color. In Nate from Treehouse's Hoppy Thing recipe he says to shoot for SRM 7 - glowing orange. I see you are much lighter at 4. My current recipe is 6.25, but just wondering if you see an advantage to keeping it lighter? I could easily make an adjustment to get down to about 5.

Thanks for all your contributions to this topic. I'm planning to be in Decorah in June, so maybe we could meet up and I could buy you a beer at TG. Maybe even swap some homebrew?

My strategy is simply a combination of wanting a more complex malt..... but, it costs a somewhat significant bit more..... So, I just go with the 50/50 blend. For sure all maris otter, or all golden promise, or pearl would be great too. I am actually planning on brewing a few with 100% GP or 100% pearl.




Let me know what you think about using Denny's.... I have used it a couple times, but not so much in this beer. I think it would be a yeast that would potentially work very well in a beer like this.




No.... not a huge difference I don't think. There night be a touch more sweetness from some of the caramel malt for color.... but not like you are talking much. I have simply transitioned to primarily brewing with low amounts of caramel malts. But, I have brewed a few that are more in that 6-8 range.... glowing orange. It is a cool looking beer and tastes great. A touch more caramel might be beneficial as you move toward lower OG's.



For sure. If I am around, I would definitely try to meet for a beer - just let me know.

Well, I finally got around to brewing my version of this yesterday. If the color in the pic below is any indication, I will be very happy! I plan to name this brew Sunny D-Lite! Just slightly undershot my OG at 1.048. Also had an unusual situation with the Denny's 50. When I took the yeast out of the fridge, it had already started to swell a bit. Anything to be concerned about? I smacked it and it swelled up as much as the package would allow by the time I was ready to pitch. No unusual odor when I cut it open. However, for maybe the first time since I started brewing , there was still no activity in the carboy when I left for work this morning, about 14 hours after pitching. On my way home now, so we'll see what it looks like in about an hour.

Hmm... having trouble with the pic. I'll uplaod later.
 
Well, I finally got around to brewing my version of this yesterday. If the color in the pic below is any indication, I will be very happy! I plan to name this brew Sunny D-Lite! Just slightly undershot my OG at 1.048. Also had an unusual situation with the Denny's 50. When I took the yeast out of the fridge, it had already started to swell a bit. Anything to be concerned about? I smacked it and it swelled up as much as the package would allow by the time I was ready to pitch. No unusual odor when I cut it open. However, for maybe the first time since I started brewing , there was still no activity in the carboy when I left for work this morning, about 14 hours after pitching. On my way home now, so we'll see what it looks like in about an hour.

Hmm... having trouble with the pic. I'll uplaod later.

I would not worry about the swelling at all...... I notice that 1056 packs almost always swell up on me. Never a problem.
 
Originally Posted by TheHopfather

Any thoughts on a Simcoe/Citra combo in this beer? Never used those two hops together before but I've got a lot of both. Any preferred ratios to use them in or is 1:1 fine?

I just used an ounce each Citra & Simcoe as dry-hops for an IPA. It's awesome, a very good combo. I am not sure about the boil, as far as ratios go, though.
 
Any thoughts on a Simcoe/Citra combo in this beer? Never used those two hops together before but I've got a lot of both. Any preferred ratios to use them in or is 1:1 fine?

One of my fav combinations. Both high aa hops so u can use sparingly. I've tried simcoe at 15 min to pull more of the pine, grapefruit, resinous out of it and then hit the citra at 10 then an ounce ea at 5 for the flavor then Ill throw 2 oz ea into a hopstand and also dry hop with 2oz ea. citra has all the topical fruit while I feel the simcoe lends a nice smooth piney, citrus grapefruit aspect. They blend well together and since they're both high aa I don't feel like one will over power the other.
 
I would not worry about the swelling at all...... I notice that 1056 packs almost always swell up on me. Never a problem.

Thanks. Nothing to worry about. It's bubbling away nicely now. About an inch of krausen. Here's that pic of the color. Me likey!

2016-03-14 20.12.36.jpg
 
Brau,

Would you mind posting the ppm for each of the salts if you were to use 100% RO water? It would help me tremendously. Below is what I used for my first batch, but the Ph ended up being too low.

Ca: 90 ppm
Mg: 7.8 ppm
Na: 26.0 ppm
S04: 74 ppm
Cl: 128 ppm
Bicarb: 69 ppm

Also, I've found that if I use Canning salt to get the sodium numbers up, I seem to overshoot on the Cl. Therefore I used baking soda to get sodium, and this also adds bicarbonate. Is there a reason you prefer canning salt to baking soda?

The additions I use are:
CaS04: 0.30 gram/gal
MgS04: 0.30 gram/gal
NaHC03: 0.36 gram/gal
CaCl: 1.00 gram/gal

Would you recommend changing any of these numbers?

Thanks for all the help!
John

Actually... I get closer to 130 on calcium now that I look at it.

I have B'run Water Version 3.4 from April of 2015.

I am going in these ranges (if I was using 100% RO)

CaCle = .6-7 gr/gallon
Gypsum = .2-.3 gr/gallon
Epsom = .1 gr/gallon
Salt = .1 gr/gallon

.2ml lactic looks about right. Maybe a touch less even would be fine

None of these numbers are "that" different than yours...... So, I don't think anything you are looking at is totally out of line and at a certain point, fussing over 10 or 20ppm is probably of little or no significance.
 
Brau,

Would you mind posting the ppm for each of the salts if you were to use 100% RO water? It would help me tremendously. Below is what I used for my first batch, but the Ph ended up being too low.

Ca: 90 ppm
Mg: 7.8 ppm
Na: 26.0 ppm
S04: 74 ppm
Cl: 128 ppm
Bicarb: 69 ppm

Also, I've found that if I use Canning salt to get the sodium numbers up, I seem to overshoot on the Cl. Therefore I used baking soda to get sodium, and this also adds bicarbonate. Is there a reason you prefer canning salt to baking soda?

The additions I use are:
CaS04: 0.30 gram/gal
MgS04: 0.30 gram/gal
NaHC03: 0.36 gram/gal
CaCl: 1.00 gram/gal

Would you recommend changing any of these numbers?

Thanks for all the help!
John

Not a popular opinion around here, but fussing with minor changes to your salt additions is not going to make or break this beer. In fact, it will make almost no perceptible difference. You're going to get plenty of minerals from the malt once the grain has been mashed - including chloride, sulfate, magnesium, potassium, etc.

All you really need to do for this beer is to start with a Cl- : SO42- ratio of about 2:1, aiming for about 150ppm chloride. With RO water and relatively small additions of calcium salts, you'll probably be right around pH 5.4...so I don't get the need for extra alkalinity. Add it after you're first pH reading if you're too low. Conversely, add some lactic if you're too high.

Concentrate on technique and keeping oxygen to a minimum after fermentation, and you'll have a great beer.
 
Not a popular opinion around here, but fussing with minor changes to your salt additions is not going to make or break this beer. In fact, it will make almost no perceptible difference. You're going to get plenty of minerals from the malt once the grain has been mashed - including chloride, sulfate, magnesium, potassium, etc.

All you really need to do for this beer is to start with a Cl- : SO42- ratio of about 2:1, aiming for about 150ppm chloride. With RO water and relatively small additions of calcium salts, you'll probably be right around pH 5.4...so I don't get the need for extra alkalinity. Add it after you're first pH reading if you're too low. Conversely, add some lactic if you're too high.

Concentrate on technique and keeping oxygen to a minimum after fermentation, and you'll have a great beer.

It is popular with me - I agree. 2:1, 150ish Chloride level, pH 5.4

Don't purposely add baking soda and then come back and cancel it out with acid. Leave the baking soda out all together unless you need it to fix pH..... which I would doubt you would.:mug:
 
I throw irish moss in from time to time - mainly out of habit and without thinking. Sometimes I think about it and say to my self - "why are you bothering with irish moss in a beer that is designed to be hazy?" And then I don't throw it in. Never really noticed a difference either way that I can tell.
 
Just dropped an additional 1oz of galaxy in the keg since I'm using the screen and I'm not racking to a second keg. Plus, you can never have too much galaxy.

-I do what I want
lol
 
The biggest thing with brewing (including water profile) is to start somewhere and then adjust according to your own personal taste. Not everyone prefers the same approaches. One of the best things you can do is brew the same beer with two different profiles (significant enough difference that there is a real taste difference) and see what you like. Then even within that strategy you prefer, make some adjustments and contrast the differences. Also - adjusting water a few ppm one way or the other is really not something that is going to be noticed.

Whenever you mess with water, remember, the #1 priority is to make sure your mash pH is somewhere in the ballpark before you worry about the flavor/mouthfeel component. 5.2-5.5 is a general ballpark you want to find yourself in. I find that lower pH gives you clearer beer and higher end tends to leave the exact same beer cloudier, hazier.

Mash Temps..... in my experience there is really not much difference as long as you are in the 150-154 range. Pushing it lower or higher can give some differences in dryness/full ness of the beer.


Higher mash temp (156-160) will give a better mouthfeel and produce a sweeter beer, due to the non-fermentable sugars produced at those temps, correct?
 
The best IPA I've ever brewed. Cheers Braufessor, you've added so much great information on this thread!

IMAG2137_zpshxrujt7s.jpg

Awesome! Glad it turned out well for you. Keep tweaking the recipe to your taste. That is the "secret"...... brewing it over and over and over to really dial it in.

I am just getting ready do second dry hop on a new version - Amarillo/Simcoe/Centennial. The sample out of the fermenter tastes pretty good. Be curious to see how this one turns out - I tend to stick to the citra/mosaic/galaxy combo.
 
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