You live and learn...

[Andy]

Well I think my latest AG brew ain't a great one! Based on some early samples I've concluded that I screwed the mash up. The beer tastes thin and lacks body, OK it's only had 1.5 weeks to mature but I reckon it ain't going to improve massively. Basically I mucked up the mash temp and was several degrees too low. Presumably this has resulted in more fermentables being produced (maltose) at the expense of dextrins. I was a bit hung over when I was mashing ( several pints of Abbot the night before!) and bad preparation let me down.

Anyway, it's a great learning experience and the batch is still drinkable but it's just not what it could have been.......

[Jim]

Never mind, Andy. As you say, it's all part of the learning process.

I had a few batches like that in the early days, which is why I now tend to err on the high side for mash temperature (i.e. around 67C).

[Andy]

This brew was a variation on Jim's New Years recipe.....

[Jim]

Andy, did you keep a record of the mash pH?

[Andy]

I didn't write it down but was about 5.4 if I remember correctly. I added 8g of gypsum to the mash liquor to get the pH down...