I do correct the water. Been doing for 2 or 3 years now. I started with the SCWA reports (I’m in zone 1) and got it tested at ward about 18 months ago. I think the biggest difference was my efficiency got a lot more stable by adjusting for mash pH. Can’t say I’ve done any with/without comparisons but i’d say it’s worth it for a 45 dollar test and 10/20 bucks of salts. Brunwater looks intimidating but it’s really not that bad.
I brewed two imperial stouts a couple months ago and have an neipa carbing up now.
The first imperial was supposed to be an American stout but i undershot my mash temp, and overshot my efficiency and overshot my boil off (new blichman hellfire from Xmas) So what was supposed to be 6.5% ended up closer to 8.5. Still came out pretty solid, and I might try building it up a bit into an imperial start to finish next year. Finished at 1.012, which seems dry but it was decent. Bottled that off with another new toy, the tap cooler, and got 15 12oz of that left (started with 4 gallons, clearly liked it more than I realized)
The other one was a founders breakfast clone I’ve done a few times for my wife now. I use cocoa husk in the mash (this came from Hawaii many years ago) and it gives a really solid chocolate flavor. It also gets cocoa nibs and dry beaned with coffee. It’s ready to go now but I’ll probably bottle it off. My wife is expecting in 3 weeks now (it’ll be our third). Amusingly last time I made this exact version was just before my second was born 2 years ago.
The neipa is Citra Ans Vic secret, hit my mash temps and efficiencies but the A24 starter I used chewed thru it. Another 6.5 target is 7.3 now. Also on the dry side 1.010 for a hazy but actually early samples don’t seem it at all. This is the second beer in a series, the first was 50% oats and now this is 50% wheat (actually only 45). I don’t dry hop during active at all, and even dry hopped at 60 this go around (2x. 4oz each split even between the hops above) And it still has a solid hop bite likely from the extra polyphenols. Giving it its two weeks of set snd forget carbing hoping to clear that out a bit.
Despite these bigger beers recently I prefer lighter beers around 5 so I can have a couple. Next beer you is a 4.5% bitter using amarillo and some old imperial A05 voyager that I last harvested 5/4/2019, yep it’s almost two years old. I’ve had good success with overbuilding starters And harvesting that. This was 85b cells collected in 400ml that’s been sitting in the back of my top shelf of the fridge this whole time.
After that, pending this baby showing up will be a classic American Pilsner based off Rheingold. My wife’s great grandfather was a salesman back in the 50s and 60s and the two tap handles on my keezer are both rheingold from around that time.
- finally convinced my wife it’s the best choice) and I’m brewing Sunday.
