Whoops, messed up water additions.

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LeeH
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Whoops, messed up water additions.

Post by LeeH » Fri Oct 04, 2019 4:00 pm

As I’m so used to brewing pale ales and such like when I made a Xmas stout today I automatically treated my water with AMS and DWB additions off the top of my head.

Halfway though the brew the penny dropped.

The AMS additions were double and it needed no DWB in the mash, just a little salt.

The pH was 5.5

I’m sure it will still taste fine but not as good as it could have been.

How will it effect the final product??

The recipe below is an adapted Christmas Salty Balls clone.

Chocolate Jingle Balls - https://share.brewfather.app/fkzFbbXqDkRToN


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Last edited by LeeH on Fri Oct 04, 2019 4:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Whoops, messed up water additions.

Post by guypettigrew » Fri Oct 04, 2019 4:11 pm

That is going to be a seriously strong, dark beer!

No idea how making it with water treated as if for a pale ale will make it taste. Consider yourself a true experimenter. If it tastes good we'll all have to rethink our views on water treatment.

Guy

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Re: Whoops, messed up water additions.

Post by Kev888 » Fri Oct 04, 2019 4:22 pm

Was the pH of 5.5 at room temperature? If so then it is within an acceptable range, so the extra AMS doesn't seem to have been a problem.

We would probably need to know what level of salts you ended up with after the additions to say very much about those. But if the additions were appropriate for another style of beer it seems unlikely that they'll be utterly ridiculous, just a bit different.
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Re: Whoops, messed up water additions.

Post by Cobnut » Fri Oct 04, 2019 4:42 pm

0.5g cacao nibs? I very much doubt anyone would notice that in a beer this big!
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Re: Whoops, messed up water additions.

Post by Robwalkeragain » Fri Oct 04, 2019 5:33 pm

Just more hop/bitter forward and less smooth/malty. It’ll be great!

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Whoops, messed up water additions.

Post by LeeH » Fri Oct 04, 2019 7:12 pm

Ignore the 0.5, nibs in the boil. Not sure how that ended up there.

It will be served on nitro.


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Whoops, messed up water additions.

Post by LeeH » Fri Oct 04, 2019 8:47 pm

Kev888 wrote:Was the pH of 5.5 at room temperature? If so then it is within an acceptable range, so the extra AMS doesn't seem to have been a problem.

Yes, cooled to 20 give or take.


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Last edited by LeeH on Fri Oct 04, 2019 8:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Whoops, messed up water additions.

Post by guypettigrew » Fri Oct 04, 2019 8:51 pm

LeeH wrote:
Fri Oct 04, 2019 7:12 pm

It will be served on nitro.

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Interesting. Why? Is it because you're thinking it will be a bit like Guinness?

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Whoops, messed up water additions.

Post by LeeH » Fri Oct 04, 2019 10:13 pm

It will be nothing like Guinness but I think the smooth mouthfeel will suit this beer perfectly.

I’ve had a not so different beer in a bar across the pond and I much preferred the nitro after trying both.


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Re: Whoops, messed up water additions.

Post by Eric » Sat Oct 05, 2019 10:23 am

pH 5.5 should be OK, but surely water treated for a pale beer would provide a lower mash pH than one suitable for a darker beer. What was your target pH and what level of alkalinity was there after treatment with AMS?
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Re: Whoops, messed up water additions.

Post by Kev888 » Sun Oct 06, 2019 12:31 pm

Well spotted, Eric. Yes, something doesn't seem consistent there; if the pH was up at 5.5 in a dark beer, then the water wouldn't seem to have been treated suitably for a pale as was thought.
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Re: Whoops, messed up water additions.

Post by LeeH » Sun Oct 06, 2019 2:22 pm

Hmmmmm, my pH meter was calibrated just before use.

I didn’t and never do check the alkalinity as I blindly follow the Murphy’s water report.

Water treatment is something I need to look at in detail at some point!


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Re: Whoops, messed up water additions.

Post by guypettigrew » Sun Oct 06, 2019 4:00 pm

LeeH wrote:
Sun Oct 06, 2019 2:22 pm

I didn’t and never do check the alkalinity as I blindly follow the Murphy’s water report.

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Definitely worth buying a Salifert test kit!

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Re: Whoops, messed up water additions.

Post by Kev888 » Sun Oct 06, 2019 8:13 pm

LeeH wrote:
Sun Oct 06, 2019 2:22 pm
I didn’t and never do check the alkalinity as I blindly follow the Murphy’s water report.

Water treatment is something I need to look at in detail at some point!
A bit more attention to it might indeed be helpful :)
Even if Murphy's report was trustworthy (and there have been examples which weren't) many water supplies aren't particularly consistent, so I really wouldn't just take it on faith that any figures from the past will apply on brew day.

By way of example, over the last couple of years the alkalinity of my tap water has ranged back and forth between about 0.6 and 2.4 meq/litre, which is significant. If I treated it without first testing then on some occasions I'd be making it worse rather than better.
Kev

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