I used to crush super fine but a half dozen batches ago I opened the gap so it just grabs a credit card. Since then my efficiency has been steady and predictable at 77% and the flavors of my finished beers are much cleaner.
With extract use distilled water. (unless RO water is mineral free, that is... I’m still not clear on that)
I can't see crushing super fine causing the lack of banana flavor.
For brewing purposes they are the same. Although it may vary depending on the mineral content of the water source, RO through a proper working membrane may contain up to 12 ppm of minerals (TDS meter), usually less. You won't notice the difference.
Well as I BIAB I used to crush really fine, no banana, and now I crush a little coarser but my efficiency stayed pretty much the same. My actual observation is that it went up from 75% to 77% but that doesn't make sense so I chalk it up to other variables, but in any case I can't see the coarser crush as causing the lack of banana. My latest batch contained 66% wheat malt and my cereal killer crushed it just fine, if it was crushed insufficiently I would have expected a noticeable drop in efficiency but in fact it turned out to be a bit higher than expected as I overshot my target by a few points.
Hey thanks, never thought about it but the minerals from the mash would be included in the DME, wouldn't they? I'll just use straight RO, in my case it still has ~7 ppm dissolved minerals but that's close enough for brewing.
When brewing with RO or Distilled Water and Malt Extracts, the Extract should provide most of the minerals needed for proper fermentation performance. But the ion balance in the Malt Extract is typically moderate. If the Brewer desires a specific flavor profile, additional Sulfate or Chloride containing minerals can be added to the brewing water. The Water Adjustment sheet can help the Brewer assess how much of these minerals should be added to the brewing water. |
Yeah, just about. It runs $14 for a 3 pound bag at my LHBS. No more than regular all-barley DME.
Do you know whether they adjust mash pH? I'm really shocked at this, I expected a super advanced, high efficiency mashing process if for no other reason than just to maximize efficiency and profit. But then again, the salts ain't free. I'm coming to realize that water adjustments likely have little impact on the final product including the production of isoamyl acetate.
Yes, this is in relation to using calcium to bring out maltiness and gypsum for more hop character (keeping it elementary for brevity’s sake) When purchasing LME OR DME we buy malt not beer add water. Though come to think of it it would be nice if a kit came with salts to make the correct water profile. With that said, my extract brews were improved by using distilled water, rather than filtered tap.
I have made two weizen beers in the past and was unhappy with both. I think my issue was similar to yours, with no real banana prevalent. At the time I was BIABing.
well known and respected brewer of saisons in socal area once explained to me that he couldnt get them the way he wanted them until he did an atmospheric/full open ferment. no blowoff. not the same yeast, but if that works for saison.....
This sounds like a real possibility! I must have read the same article, because since that time I've looked at my recirculating cooling method with suspicion. At that time I was chasing down problems I was having with a bitter, husky, grainy off flavor that plagued many batches until I figured out that my mill gap was set too tight. I have wondered whether it is worth trying an immersion chiller just to see how things might change.
Saison being a farmhouse style, that really makes perfect sense. I have a packet of Belle Saison and I might try an open ferment with just a towel over it to keep bugs and dust from falling in. A while back I saw some photos here on HBT of a Bavarian brewery where they were fermenting weissbier in wide, open-top vessels, I just don't know if I'm brave enough to try that one myself. Their brewery wasn't sterile to be sure, but the abundance of yeast everywhere likely just outnumber any invasive yeast or mold by such a great degree that they do not to pose a threat to the fermenting beer.
The two weizens I made definitely had a weird grainy, husky off flavour I did not enjoy. I’m not sure what you mean by using an immersion chiller to reduce turbidity. I believe the off flavour lies in the boiling of a turbid wort.
I wonder if the reason many extract weizens work well is because they don’t have to worry about turbidity and astringency from the wheat grains.
So I need to filter the wort on its way to the brew kettle? That means adding a vessel to my system. I wonder if there is a way to use my pump to filter the wort after pulling the bag. I would think that might take a long time, instead maybe draw it off into buckets until the kettle is empty then rinse it out before adding the wort back in? I guess at least sanotation wouldn't be a problem since this is pre-boil.
He's tried the best yeast. The Wyeast 3068 is the Weihenstepan weizen yeast. Have you tried the 30° C rule? Pitching temp °C + ferment temp °C = 30° C. I use to brew banana bombs but now I brew them balanced for competition.
At what gravity do you stop collecting wort? Don't go lower than 1.010 and a bit above this say 1.015 will help with a smoother bier. Also, how much rice hulls do you use if any?
You definitely want to Whirlpool to leave as much trub behind as possible. I also use good German pils and wheat malts.
Why do you think wheat malt should impart astringency and turbidity? Wheat malt is huskless and besides that extract weizens are made with extract that is made with a large portion of wheat malt in the grist, so why would they be any different from the AG version?
That seems to be right. I should have included my original question to Williams for clarity: "I'm interested in optimizing the water chemistry for my brews when using Williams malt extracts. I brew some malty beers and some hoppy beers, and the water chemistry would be different for each of these. Can I assume that these products were mashed with minimal salt additions, and therefore add the normal amount of salts (specifically gypsum and CaCl), similar to what would be used in a mash?"
You would then have hotside aeration to deal with. A gentle whirlpool should do it.
