ChiechiBrouw
Well-Known Member
I have really been struggling to make what I consider a perfect pale ale (something along the lines of Red Chair NWPA, but a tad less bitter).
I've messed around with mash temperature and time, yeast, base malts, hop schedules, dry hopping, fermentation conditions, and even bought a Hop Rocket (which did actually help). My basic pale ale recipe is ~1.055 OG and I'm shooting for something with a reddish-orange color. What I wind up with is either brown (but not cloudy/hazy!) or yellow, despite many iterations of many crystal malts and I can't seem to get a crisp hop flavor without dragging along too much bitterness.
I have seen some discussion of water chemistry and mash pH playing a role in both color and a crisp hop flavor, so I'm thinking that is the next step for me.
I have a water report (from 2011, but I'm assuming it doesn't vary that much year-to-year) that lists the five sources of water that comprise our city water (see attached; mg/L = ppm). Flavor-wise my tap water is excellent--it is pumped directly from streams that are naturally filtered, so I'm lucky there.
Basically, I'm looking for input and suggestions in where to start. I've read so much contradictory information, that I don't even know where to begin... I have access to all kinds of laboratory equipment, so I can potentially do some more advanced testing if needed.
Any advice would be much appreciated!
I've messed around with mash temperature and time, yeast, base malts, hop schedules, dry hopping, fermentation conditions, and even bought a Hop Rocket (which did actually help). My basic pale ale recipe is ~1.055 OG and I'm shooting for something with a reddish-orange color. What I wind up with is either brown (but not cloudy/hazy!) or yellow, despite many iterations of many crystal malts and I can't seem to get a crisp hop flavor without dragging along too much bitterness.
I have seen some discussion of water chemistry and mash pH playing a role in both color and a crisp hop flavor, so I'm thinking that is the next step for me.
I have a water report (from 2011, but I'm assuming it doesn't vary that much year-to-year) that lists the five sources of water that comprise our city water (see attached; mg/L = ppm). Flavor-wise my tap water is excellent--it is pumped directly from streams that are naturally filtered, so I'm lucky there.
Basically, I'm looking for input and suggestions in where to start. I've read so much contradictory information, that I don't even know where to begin... I have access to all kinds of laboratory equipment, so I can potentially do some more advanced testing if needed.
Any advice would be much appreciated!