Hello brewers!
Looking for some feedback, pointers and general assistance with my all grain brewing problems.
I had been extract brewing for about 4 years or so and was very happy with the resulting beer from this method. As the years went I became more interested in all grain brewing and wanted to make the investments for the additional equipment to give it a try.
Around the same time I switched to all grain, I moved to a different house that is on a well but i did not give this a thought, we have the filters and UV system that would in my opinion have been enough to keep the water useable...it tasted fine after all.
Needless to say, my first all grain brew at my new place was awful and was promptly dumped, it was here I switched to RO water and made more purchases for the salts and minerals I may need.
To take a step back, I just want to make note of the items I purchased when I went from extract to all grain, I purchased a cooler for my mash tun and items to turn it into a mash tun, another brew kettle so I could drain the second runnings into this while the first runnings were on the burner, I bought an immersion chiller since I had been cooling with an ice bath at my old place for the extract brews, I also bought an aeration stone and an oxygen bottle for oxygenation, a mill for the grain and a ph meter.
Not knowing much about water chemistry I wanted quick and easy direction for what I should be adding to RO water for hoppy IPA’s and followed the advice from here...
Intro to reverse osmosis and brewing better beer | Homebrew Happy Hour
I use 4 grams calcium chloride and 7 grams gypsum for a 5 gallon IPA. My beer following the change to RO water was drinkable but lacked any of the hop aromas and flavours I was expecting based on the hops used and tasted like nothing in particular...bland, no distinct flavours.
My next brew I ditched the yeast I had been using (washed from an older extract brew and kept in the fridge) and went with a fresh smack pack, hoping this was the problem...the next beer tasted the same, despite a different recipe...bland, no hoppiness.
My next change was to change the grain, I buy 50lb bags an was almost on the last 10 lbs or so, I figured why not...same results, bland, kind of bitter but no flavour, drinkable for myself but I wouldn’t give it to anyone. I started having real concerns with my sanitation, I used StarSan appropriately took the measures that I should be but despite this, I wanted to rule out some of my equipment that I had bought when this started happening.
I brewed a 1 gallon BIAB on the stove to remove the mash tun, I cooled in an ice bath to remove the chiller and fermented in a carbouy to remove my fermenter...same results, same flavourless bland liquid
Next I replaced all of my hops with brand new since I buy by the pound, I have some on hand for months and months. Next batch with my new hops was exactly the same...nyaaaah.
So here I am, based on my deductions I believe it is down to 2 things...
A few pieces of information about my brews.
Batch sparging.
1 hour at 150, drain and then 15 minutes at 168 degrees
1 hour boil
Mash ph between 5.2 and 5.5
Calcium chloride and gypsum added to boil not mash
Cooled to 68
Fermenter is a 6 gallon SS brew tech conical with thermometer.
I. Looking forward to any advice and comments you have.
Thank you in advance
Looking for some feedback, pointers and general assistance with my all grain brewing problems.
I had been extract brewing for about 4 years or so and was very happy with the resulting beer from this method. As the years went I became more interested in all grain brewing and wanted to make the investments for the additional equipment to give it a try.
Around the same time I switched to all grain, I moved to a different house that is on a well but i did not give this a thought, we have the filters and UV system that would in my opinion have been enough to keep the water useable...it tasted fine after all.
Needless to say, my first all grain brew at my new place was awful and was promptly dumped, it was here I switched to RO water and made more purchases for the salts and minerals I may need.
To take a step back, I just want to make note of the items I purchased when I went from extract to all grain, I purchased a cooler for my mash tun and items to turn it into a mash tun, another brew kettle so I could drain the second runnings into this while the first runnings were on the burner, I bought an immersion chiller since I had been cooling with an ice bath at my old place for the extract brews, I also bought an aeration stone and an oxygen bottle for oxygenation, a mill for the grain and a ph meter.
Not knowing much about water chemistry I wanted quick and easy direction for what I should be adding to RO water for hoppy IPA’s and followed the advice from here...
Intro to reverse osmosis and brewing better beer | Homebrew Happy Hour
I use 4 grams calcium chloride and 7 grams gypsum for a 5 gallon IPA. My beer following the change to RO water was drinkable but lacked any of the hop aromas and flavours I was expecting based on the hops used and tasted like nothing in particular...bland, no distinct flavours.
My next brew I ditched the yeast I had been using (washed from an older extract brew and kept in the fridge) and went with a fresh smack pack, hoping this was the problem...the next beer tasted the same, despite a different recipe...bland, no hoppiness.
My next change was to change the grain, I buy 50lb bags an was almost on the last 10 lbs or so, I figured why not...same results, bland, kind of bitter but no flavour, drinkable for myself but I wouldn’t give it to anyone. I started having real concerns with my sanitation, I used StarSan appropriately took the measures that I should be but despite this, I wanted to rule out some of my equipment that I had bought when this started happening.
I brewed a 1 gallon BIAB on the stove to remove the mash tun, I cooled in an ice bath to remove the chiller and fermented in a carbouy to remove my fermenter...same results, same flavourless bland liquid
Next I replaced all of my hops with brand new since I buy by the pound, I have some on hand for months and months. Next batch with my new hops was exactly the same...nyaaaah.
So here I am, based on my deductions I believe it is down to 2 things...
- The additions I am using for the RO water are not that good for the hoppy IPA I want, despite the advice from that web page.
- The oxygen I am using to aerate the wort before pitching the yeast is contaminating it, it’s a bottle I bought in a hardware store by Benzomatic and I’m wondering if this isn’t good enough for brewing.
A few pieces of information about my brews.
Batch sparging.
1 hour at 150, drain and then 15 minutes at 168 degrees
1 hour boil
Mash ph between 5.2 and 5.5
Calcium chloride and gypsum added to boil not mash
Cooled to 68
Fermenter is a 6 gallon SS brew tech conical with thermometer.
I. Looking forward to any advice and comments you have.
Thank you in advance