Are you really happy with your ale ? Really happy ?

[MashBag]

Well said!
Much easier to get good results with bottles.

 

[Redgrave_3]

The only thing that comes to mind not already mentioned is you could try cutting out racking to a secondary?

 

[Sadfield]

Looking at United Utilities (one of the few to give brewers all they need) report for Droylsden I estimate the water profile after an addition 2g of Calcium Chloride in 25L to be.

Ca - 25 Mg - 2 Na - 13 SO4 - 32 CL - 36 CO3 - 9

A small part, but certainly not all of the answer, I suspect.

 

[xozzx]

I didnt read through all the posts above but didnt see any mention of oxidation. You seem to be brewing a lot of hoppy beers which are the worst offenders. Are you noticing the beers turning a darker brown very quickly after kegging?
As Redgrave says above - cut transferring to secondary, there is no need for this and you are only increasing the risk of oxidation and contamination, I believe this is an old practice and very few people actually do this now. You add hops after a few weeks? I would suggest adding them before the end of active fermentation (I guess a few gravity points from expected FG) so the CO2 being produced can drive off the air you have let in by opening the fermenter, this will likely be within the first week after adding yeast.

Have you tried bottling some of the beers? Possibly the pressure barrels are part of the issue... I dont know those particular ones but have heard a lot of negativity to pressure barrels. If you can get some corny kegs give them a try too but bottles would be cheaper easier option to trial.

As mentioned FG of 1.022 is quite high, are you measuring with hydrometer or refractometer?

 

[JockyBrewer]

Just to add my tuppence, I don't think water treatment is going to help here. Nearly all UK drinking water will make good beer without treatment. Water treatment then might take that beer from good to excellent. It won't make bad beer good.

The difficulty here is that without tasting your beer, it's very difficult to diagnose the issue - we are all guessing. The quickest way to resolve that would be to get in touch with Manchester Homebrew group and take your beer to one of their meetings. They'll be able to tell you instantly what's up and the best things to do to fix it.

They meet on the 3rd Sunday of the month at Cafe Beermoth. If you want to contact them they currently look most active on twitter (https://twitter.com/mancshomebrew), but I can probably find an email address if needed.

 

[hoppyscotty]

Just to add my tuppence, I don't think water treatment is going to help here. Nearly all UK drinking water will make good beer without treatment. Water treatment then might take that beer from good to excellent. It won't make bad beer good.

The difficulty here is that without tasting your beer, it's very difficult to diagnose the issue - we are all guessing. The quickest way to resolve that would be to get in touch with Manchester Homebrew group and take your beer to one of their meetings. They'll be able to tell you instantly what's up and the best things to do to fix it.

They meet on the 3rd Sunday of the month at Cafe Beermoth. If you want to contact them they currently look most active on twitter (https://twitter.com/mancshomebrew), but I can probably find an email address if needed.

There is a difference between good beer and next level though. Yea you can make good beer with no water treatment but as I have found the alkalinity of my water means I cannot get anywhere near the mash ph range without treatment and when you do it does make a difference.

The devil is always on the detail. I can knock up a mean lasagne easily better than anything I’ve had from the usual high street chain restaurants….but if I go to Italy and have a lasagne over there then it’s a completely different dish and in a while other league. Same component parts but the difference is their ingredients are better, you just can’t get tomato’s with flavour in the uk for example even if you grow your own…we just don’t get the sun and don’t have the same ‘terroir’ and all these small differences stack up to make a big difference in the finished product. Same with beer, make a few changes to your water plus make sure you’re not underpitching yeast plus control fermentation temps plus keeping oxygen away and all of a sudden these small changes combine to make a big and noticeable difference to your beer.

 

[Sadfield]

If I brewed a Bitter with that water, I would expect it to be thin in flavour and mouthfeel, though. I depends how critical the OP is being in comparison to commercial beers. Other points in their post would lead me to think something else is the main issue.

I also don't read it as their Fg is 1.022. Just the OP likes the fullness at that point in fermentation. It would be interesting to get a Fg reading from one of the kegged beers.

Hopefully, they'll return with more detailed replies to the questions asked.

 

[Bang Road Brewery]

Here goes....
sorry for the delay in getting back to y'all , had to bail out yesterday as the bell was tolling time to up sticks and off to the dialysis clinic. A part time job with lousy pay Firstly , my hygiene regimen is ; everything except Braumeiester cleaned with warm watter and VWP. Rinsed well , then a good wash with StarSan on the end of brewday The Brauie is given a good thrashing with PBW and rinsed . Rinsed again on brewday.. . On the day of the brew, same aain , the StarSan is repeated immediately prior to run off to fermenter or keg. Never yet had any off flavours of any description , either bug-related or otherwise. No hygiene-no beer , right ?

Yeast most used is dry US-05 or S-04 , I have tried various liquid yeasts and found them no better than dried. Tried Manrove Jack M-44, but found it a very slow starter for some reason . The S-04 , having been rehydrated like all my other dried yeast for a few hours- start of brewing to pitch time- kept in a warm , sanitised jug somewhere about 21 degrees and covered . I use one sachet per 23L brew.

Temperature control is as accurate as amateur equipment allows , the Brauie takes care of mash/boil . Fermenting is in a converted fridge,with both fermenters and kegs having thermowells with a probe from my control unit, forget the number of it, widely used similar to Inkbird but cheaper. Just checked...STC 1000.

The variations in mash and ferment temps are not from one brew , that would be sloppy, even for me . rather they are what I've tried on various brews. My hydrometer is a pretty standard one from LHBS , and when checked with distilled water at 20C was bang on 1.000 .

What seems to happen is that the gravity hangs around the '20's , showing no sign of dropping as suggested by Beersmith , which is my software of choice. I keep notes on brewsheets , trouble is there are many notes scribbled on there which appear indecipherable later. My teachers were right about my handwriting after all . Who'da thunk , eh ?

Calcium chloride , I add to hopefully accentuate the hop's attributes as it is suggested it does. The low quantity added is because I don't want to overdo it , but it's use up to now is somewhat moot, because many - most , even - brews have been without it , and I can discern no difference with it's use if I'm honest .

The mash ph at 4.5 to 5 is not for one brew , it's the range I've encountered over various brews .Sometimes when it's seemed like it may even go lower , early in the mash , a dose of gypsum has been added to try to arrest the drop .

I am aware that Manc water is pretty good to start with , so have even tried with no treatments beyond Campden . Still same , to my jaded palate. Maybe years of Geuuze drinking and suicide hot curry eating has buggered things up a bit.

My beers aren't BAD ,as such , my mates find them more than acceptable . And free .Scroungers , the lot of 'em . But , Twist-like 'I want some more' . So the water will be looked at , but if it's not too radically different from ideal ,I won't meddle with it too much . Maybe best option is to try a known recipe, with a known water profile as best as I can 'hit' it, and see what results. Sounds like a plan , and that scares me.

 

[Clarence]

An excellent report, BRB, that allow us to eliminate loads of stuff. And you obviously know what you're doing.
I, for one, am none the wiser at the moment, though. I think you'd better send us all a case and some sampes from your local breweries so we can judge for ourselves.

 

[Galena]

Yeast most used is dry US-05 or S-04

What is your OG and is one packet sufficient, are you rehydrating prior to pitching? Minor points but if not right could contribute to a stalled fermentation which is what you seem to be describing above.

Calcium chloride , I add to hopefully accentuate the hop's attributes as it is suggested it does.

Calcium Chloride accentuates the malt characteristics, not the hops, that would be Calcium Sulphate (Gypsum).

The mash ph at 4.5 to 5 is not for one brew , it's the range I've encountered over various brews .Sometimes when it's seemed like it may even go lower , early in the mash , a dose of gypsum has been added to try to arrest the drop .

Adding Gypsum will drop the pH further not arrest it.

 

[Sadfield]

My initial recommendation would be to switch to the Lallemand Verdant yeast. It'll attenuated less than the fermentis yeasts and has more esters, that will fit with what it sounds like you're brewing. S04 and US05 are a bit clean. I'd also download Lallemands app, to use the pitch rate calculator on it.

Ordinarily, your sanitation should be OK. However, it's sanitation not sterilisation, and if you are pitching too low or fermentation is inhibited and stalls, then it opens the door for contamination. This may not always present as an off flavour. Low calcium in your water might well be the cause of stalling fermentation. The big red flag, for me, is hydrating yeast for a couple of hours and keeping it warm. Hydration should be 10 minutes before pitching. However, the newest advice from the two main dry yeast manufacturers is pitching dry direct to the wort.

As mentioned earlier I'd concur with others on not bothering with secondary fermentation at the moment. Ferment out fully, then keg and bottle some.

It sounds like your 90% there though.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

The difficulty here is that without tasting your beer, it's very difficult to diagnose the issue - we are all guessing. The quickest way to resolve that would be to get in touch with Manchester Homebrew group and take your beer to one of their meetings. They'll be able to tell you instantly what's up and the best things to do to fix it.

They meet on the 3rd Sunday of the month at Cafe Beermoth. If you want to contact them they currently look most active on twitter (https://twitter.com/mancshomebrew), but I can probably find an email address if needed.

+1 to this

ALSO you might find they taste your beer and say it’s amazing. I’ve learned that I’m always supercritical of my own brews.

 

[Keruso]

Here goes....
sorry for the delay in getting back to y'all , had to bail out yesterday as the bell was tolling time to up sticks and off to the dialysis clinic. A part time job with lousy pay Firstly , my hygiene regimen is ; everything except Braumeiester cleaned with warm watter and VWP. Rinsed well , then a good wash with StarSan on the end of brewday The Brauie is given a good thrashing with PBW and rinsed . Rinsed again on brewday.. . On the day of the brew, same aain , the StarSan is repeated immediately prior to run off to fermenter or keg. Never yet had any off flavours of any description , either bug-related or otherwise. No hygiene-no beer , right ?

Yeast most used is dry US-05 or S-04 , I have tried various liquid yeasts and found them no better than dried. Tried Manrove Jack M-44, but found it a very slow starter for some reason . The S-04 , having been rehydrated like all my other dried yeast for a few hours- start of brewing to pitch time- kept in a warm , sanitised jug somewhere about 21 degrees and covered . I use one sachet per 23L brew.

Temperature control is as accurate as amateur equipment allows , the Brauie takes care of mash/boil . Fermenting is in a converted fridge,with both fermenters and kegs having thermowells with a probe from my control unit, forget the number of it, widely used similar to Inkbird but cheaper. Just checked...STC 1000.

The variations in mash and ferment temps are not from one brew , that would be sloppy, even for me . rather they are what I've tried on various brews. My hydrometer is a pretty standard one from LHBS , and when checked with distilled water at 20C was bang on 1.000 .

What seems to happen is that the gravity hangs around the '20's , showing no sign of dropping as suggested by Beersmith , which is my software of choice. I keep notes on brewsheets , trouble is there are many notes scribbled on there which appear indecipherable later. My teachers were right about my handwriting after all . Who'da thunk , eh ?

Calcium chloride , I add to hopefully accentuate the hop's attributes as it is suggested it does. The low quantity added is because I don't want to overdo it , but it's use up to now is somewhat moot, because many - most , even - brews have been without it , and I can discern no difference with it's use if I'm honest .

The mash ph at 4.5 to 5 is not for one brew , it's the range I've encountered over various brews .Sometimes when it's seemed like it may even go lower , early in the mash , a dose of gypsum has been added to try to arrest the drop .

I am aware that Manc water is pretty good to start with , so have even tried with no treatments beyond Campden . Still same , to my jaded palate. Maybe years of Geuuze drinking and suicide hot curry eating has buggered things up a bit.

My beers aren't BAD ,as such , my mates find them more than acceptable . And free .Scroungers , the lot of 'em . But , Twist-like 'I want some more' . So the water will be looked at , but if it's not too radically different from ideal ,I won't meddle with it too much . Maybe best option is to try a known recipe, with a known water profile as best as I can 'hit' it, and see what results. Sounds like a plan , and that scares me.

I tend to agree, my beers do tend to loose hop flavors within a couple of weeks compared to commercial craft beer. Couple of suggestions, for a 23L batch I’m using 300-400g of hops, assuming it’s 300g in total I put 100g in with 5mins left on the boil, let the temperature drop to 80°c then add 100g for a 20min hop stand. Let the fermentation run for two weeks adding 100g dry hops with 3-4 days before packaging. It does give a hoppy beer. There’s something odd about your final gravity, you should be down to 1.010 - 1.014 with US05 and S04, are you adding any maltodextrin or something like that?. Given that you clearly know your onions, that’s a bit of a mystery. Perhaps you need to use 2 sachets of yeast, It won’t hurt to try two packs of yeast, I’d try that and do your hops differently. Craft brewers will be adding approximately 15-20g hops per liter for hoppy beers. All the best.

 

[Keruso]

I am . Kind of . -Ish . Some's been better than others ,it has to be said. I'm about 35 or so brews in , but always feel things could be better , especially when compared to the commercials I drink . Citra , Punk , Hazy Jane , Sam Smith's bitter , but mostly the hoppy stuff. I always seem to end up with very 'thin' tasting beer , not short of IBu's , but lacking the depyh of flavour I crave . Typical brewday sketch along the lines of;
5kg pale,
half K of some kind of Caramalt , ,
maybe a handful of black malt , just to add a bit of colour and use up dregs of what's left .
Occasionally , the Cara is split with aome Pilsner , Lager or whatever on hand as a 'use up' grain.
The mash has varied between an hour and hour and half , once tried about 2 hours.
Boils between an hour and hour and half. I've tried mash temps from 64 degrees to 68 degrees , and all manner of rests in between .
Most hop additions are what you may term 'late' , but usually some bittering added near the start of boil .Dry hopping is usually done after a couple of weeks , when in secondary. Fave hops being Citra , Amarillo , and needless to say all the 'C' varieties. Whilst still fermenting, the hop aroma is all there , and often the beer tastes damn good when swigging the hydrometer samples. But it's still a ways to go in gravity, It seems the more it ages ,the 'thinner' it gets. When kegging, it's already gone past the stage I consider it's best , flavour-wise , and gravity is still maybe 1.022 or thereabouts. I use Hambleton Bard pressure barrels, as I have heaps of 'em , and 2 will fit in my 'Ferment-O-Fridge' . I have had better results with recipe kits from Brew UK. , but it seems they've gone ****-up , which is a shame , as I always had great service from them .
I usually go to secondry when the Krausen has subsided mostly , maybe around a week or so. I ferment at various temps between 18C and 21C.

Has anyone any ideas where I might adjust my , er , I hesitate to call it technique' , but for want of a better yerm that will have to suffice.

Just for fun here’s what ChatGPT makes of your conundrum.

1. Age: Hop flavor is most pronounced when the beer is fresh. Over time, hop compounds can degrade, resulting in a diminished hop aroma and flavor. If your beer has been stored for an extended period, it's natural for the hop character to decrease.

2. Storage conditions: Improper storage can accelerate hop degradation. Exposure to light, heat, and oxygen can cause hops to lose their potency more quickly. Ensure that your beer is stored in a cool, dark place with minimal oxygen exposure.

3. Insufficient hop additions: If you're not adding enough hops during brewing, the resulting beer may lack the desired hop flavor. Pay attention to the hop varieties, quantities, and timings specified in your recipe to achieve the desired hop character.

4. Improper hop utilization: The utilization of hops during the brewing process can affect the final flavor. Factors such as boil time, hop form (whole leaf, pellet, or extract), and utilization calculations can impact the intensity of hop flavors in the beer. It's important to follow recommended techniques and recipes to maximize hop utilization.

5. Water chemistry: Water composition plays a role in the overall flavor profile of beer. If your water has high mineral content or doesn't match the desired profile for the beer style, it can affect the perception of hop flavors. Consider adjusting your water chemistry or using filtered water to achieve the desired balance.

6. Recipe formulation: The overall recipe balance, including malt sweetness, bitterness, and hop additions, should be taken into account. If the recipe is not well-balanced, the hop character may not come through as desired. Evaluating and adjusting the recipe can help improve the hop flavor.

It's important to note that troubleshooting specific brewing issues may require a more in-depth analysis of your brewing process, ingredients, and equipment. Consulting experienced homebrewers or joining brewing communities can provide valuable insights tailored to your specific situation.

Smart arse

 

[sifty]

Yep I'd look at a yeast calculator. I use Brewfather but I'm sure there lots of calculators online for correct pitch rate per brew...

 

[Bang Road Brewery]

I tend to agree, my beers do tend to loose hop flavors within a couple of weeks compared to commercial craft beer. Couple of suggestions, for a 23L batch I’m using 300-400g of hops, assuming it’s 300g in total I put 100g in with 5mins left on the boil, let the temperature drop to 80°c then add 100g for a 20min hop stand. Let the fermentation run for two weeks adding 100g dry hops with 3-4 days before packaging. It does give a hoppy beer. There’s something odd about your final gravity, you should be down to 1.010 - 1.014 with US05 and S04, are you adding any maltodextrin or something like that?. Given that you clearly know your onions, that’s a bit of a mystery. Perhaps you need to use 2 sachets of yeast, It won’t hurt to try two packs of yeast, I’d try that and do your hops differently. Craft brewers will be adding approximately 15-20g hops per liter for hoppy beers. All the best.

Yep,
I tend to use plenty of hops , 300g and up . The bulk of which are at flameout and given a hopstand at around 80 derees .75 to 100 g for the dry hopping, but that has been in secondary ,so therefore maybe a bit late . Hop aroma does vanish , sooner rather than later , maybe bottling might be better in this regard , but I got rid of my bottling kit when I made the decision to use the pb's exclusively. As for Corny kegs , that means yet more redundant equipment to store if the pb's are idle , and I'm fast running out of room . Most folk on here would likely recognse that scenario ! And at present , I can fit 2 pb's in the 'frdge , but only one Corny . Mind you, these days , I've stopped having 2 consecutive brewdays and doing 2 batches , due to commitments with the dislysis regime for The Duchess of Bang. I can not see any reason for the 'hang' at the low '20's , I've tried rousting the yeasties , but not much happens. To be honest , I haven't taken a grav when part way thru' swigging the batch , but my suspicion is that it has fallen to somewhere close to projected F.G. It has been , without exception , drinkable , and enjoyable, just that I feel it could be better ,more like what I crave . Then again , went to th' alehouse for the afternoon yesterday and didn't get a pint that really hit the mark . Not bad , but that's how it goes.

These days , it's a bit like fishing , you never know what you might catch . My local micropub seems to have majored on 'gimmick' beers for the hipsters , so even more reason to mourn the loss of the 'mild,bitter, best bitter' tied house where you knew what you were getting. Out of 4 wickets and 4 taps , 2 wickets were either strawberry and cream pale or coffee flavoured summat - or - other , and the taps had some other fruit flavoured stuff and piss Euro lager. Damn you, Tiny Rebel . And I thought Dogfish Head had lost the plot !!

Oops, went a bit off-piste , there, methinks . I am not aware of having any non-fermentables in there , except anything that may accrue from the various additional malts other than the Pale, but I figured Beersmith would have spotted that and factored it into the FG projection .

Looking at the above replies , it seems that I should change ny yeast hydration regime , shorter may indeed be better . Trying an increased pitch rate will get a tryout ,too . 2 sachets of S0-4 or US-05 , to start with as these I know should render the result I'm after , I am not too keen on estery notes , with the notable exception of well, ,I'll permit it's presence in a good Belgian ale . But seeing as I can no longer travel , Belgian trips are 'off' , it's rare I get up close with those any more.

Need to get Chat GPT to brew for me ,just tell it what I want and sit back , feet up in my loafy garden chair and enjoy the result. 'Right, Chatbotski , give me the ******* love-child of a union of Oakham Citra and Scarlet Macaw , that took place within earshot of Firestone Union Jack' . Easy. And what could possibly go wrong ?

By the way ,Clarence.......nice try , Brother ! I've considered trying to get to Beermoth for the MHB meet , one day it should happen . Anyhoo....back to work before another clinic run!

'Righto.....just waiting on me Chatbrew GPT!'

 

[JockyBrewer]

Yep,
I tend to use plenty of hops , 300g and up . The bulk of which are at flameout and given a hopstand at around 80 derees .75 to 100 g for the dry hopping, but that has been in secondary ,so therefore maybe a bit late . Hop aroma does vanish , sooner rather than later , maybe bottling might be better in this regard , but I got rid of my bottling kit when I made the decision to use the pb's exclusively.

When hop aroma vanishes quickly (and entirely) I'd normally look at oxidation first of all.

Pressure barrels are normally ok in this regard, with two exceptions:

1. Not filling them up fully. You don't want them full to the brim, but generally fuller is better, because any space left in the barrel will be ambient air that can oxidise away those lovely hop flavours and aroma.

2. Trying to pour without enough pressure in the barrel. When you pour a beer if and you don't have enough pressure to push the beer out then you'll hear a glug as air enters the barrel through the tap. This will again cause oxidation.

One other thing you might want to try is to dry hop in the keg itself. You'll need to put them in a bag, but I was blown away when a novice brewer friend of mine made a Ghost Ship clone and got lots of lovely hop aroma by doing this with just 30g of pellets in a muslin bag in a pressure barrel.

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Having read this thread I’m wondering if “thin” means something other than not having body. If the beer really is watery you may be able to improve this by mashing at a higher temperature, say 70C and/or using a lower attenuation yeast.

Low alcohol can make beer seem a bit thin too although 5Kg malt in a 23 litre batch should be ok. What is your original gravity?

A pH of 5 is just about ok but 4.5 is a bit low and may inhibit the enzymes in the mash. Aim for a mash pH of 5.2-5.4 in your recipe.

How is the head on your beer? A poor head and low head retention can give the impression of a thinner beer, particularly if the beer is crystal clear and lighter in colour. If the head isn’t good then try adding a little wheat into your grist (for about 5Kg of grist maybe add 100-200g torrified wheat).

Having little mineral content can also make the beer a bit boring, maybe consider adding more salts. Looking at @Sadfield ’s post you could treble or even quadruple those numbers. Also, as @Galena said Calcium Chloride accentuates malt and sweet, Calcium sulphate accentuates bitter and dry allowing the hops to show through more, and adding Calcium in any form might lower pH more.

If by thin you’re talking more about the complexity of flavour you can add some additional flavoursome malts like Munich or you can change the hops you’re using but that’s a whole other discussion so I’ll pause here for breath.

 

[Bang Road Brewery]

When hop aroma vanishes quickly (and entirely) I'd normally look at oxidation first of all.

Pressure barrels are normally ok in this regard, with two exceptions:

1. Not filling them up fully. You don't want them full to the brim, but generally fuller is better, because any space left in the barrel will be ambient air that can oxidise away those lovely hop flavours and aroma.

2. Trying to pour without enough pressure in the barrel. When you pour a beer if and you don't have enough pressure to push the beer out then you'll hear a glug as air enters the barrel through the tap. This will again cause oxidation.

One other thing you might want to try is to dry hop in the keg itself. You'll need to put them in a bag, but I was blown away when a novice brewer friend of mine made a Ghost Ship clone and got lots of lovely hop aroma by doing this with just 30g of pellets in a muslin bag in a pressure barrel.

I ALWAYS fill right up , Usually get 23/24 litres in there. Never any leaks, and never served without decent pressure. 7PSI seems about right . The last batch ,because some fermenting must still have been occurring, needed no gas top up at all , all self - generated.Seems that may be a clue to things , too. I am wary of letting the dry hop go too long, having been warned of grassy or other off flavours developing. But what , then , does one make of the use of a Randalliser ? Rare , I know ,but are the hops in it changed regularly ,or left for the duration? If there isn't much of an issue with leaving them in there, that would certainly get my vote.

 

[Bang Road Brewery]

Having read this thread I’m wondering if “thin” means something other than not having body. If the beer really is watery you may be able to improve this by mashing at a higher temperature, say 70C and/or using a lower attenuation yeast.

Low alcohol can make beer seem a bit thin too although 5Kg malt in a 23 litre batch should be ok. What is your original gravity?

A pH of 5 is just about ok but 4.5 is a bit low and may inhibit the enzymes in the mash. Aim for a mash pH of 5.2-5.4 in your recipe.

How is the head on your beer? A poor head and low head retention can give the impression of a thinner beer, particularly if the beer is crystal clear and lighter in colour. If the head isn’t good then try adding a little wheat into your grist (for about 5Kg of grist maybe add 100-200g torrified wheat).

Having little mineral content can also make the beer a bit boring, maybe consider adding more salts. Looking at @Sadfield ’s post you could treble or even quadruple those numbers. Also, as @Galena said Calcium Chloride accentuates malt and sweet, Calcium sulphate accentuates bitter and dry allowing the hops to show through more, and adding Calcium in any form might lower pH more.

If by thin you’re talking more about the complexity of flavour you can add some additional flavoursome malts like Munich or you can change the hops you’re using but that’s a whole other discussion so I’ll pause here for breath.

No issues with head , or retention of same . I think it is body that I may be missing , and possibly a bit of mouthfeel , too . I did a bitter recipe with torrefied wheat , and I'm not a fan of the wheaty taste notes , but wondered if a little add of oats might be worth a look , after getting the pitch rate and water profile down pat. I'll leave the salts additions beyond getting the water more into shape for now, the calcium sulphate can wait . Calcium may be something to look at , our water is very soft and mostly trouble-free here, and I will have to look into carbonate and general hardness and see how we stand there. I need to get a brewday on . And soon ! I'm running out of ale !

No head issues. Except mine ,that's always been some cause for concern !