Cali Common - Recipe Check

[-Bezza-]

How does the below look? I started with recipe in The Bible and made a few small tweaks. Want to get this one crisp and clear!

Any suggestions on appropriate target water profile?

This is for a corny keg batch, so aiming for 20l into the FV. I can't quite get the water calcs to work in Beersmith so think I might need to drop sparge water down to about 15L.

Spoiler

Cali Common
California Common (19 B)


Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 20.00 L
Boil Size: 25.74 L
Boil Time: 60 min
End of Boil Vol: 23.44 L
Final Bottling Vol: 18.50 L
Fermentation: Ale, Two Stage

Date: 19 Aug 2020
Brewer: -Bezza-
Asst Brewer:
Equipment: Grainfather_18.5L Keg (20l batch)
Efficiency: 73.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 82.1 %
Taste Rating: 30.0

Taste Notes:

Prepare for Brewing

• Hydrate yeast with 525.84 ml warm water and add optional 26.3 g of GoFerm
• Clean and Prepare Brewing Equipment
• Total Water Needed: 33.44 L
• Mash Water Acid: None

Water Prep

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
33.44 L​	-MY WATER-​	Water​	1​	-​	-​

Mash or Steep Grains
Mash Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
3.00 kg​	Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (5.5 EBC)​	Grain​	2​	71.4 %​	1.96 L​
0.80 kg​	Vienna Malt (9.0 EBC)​	Grain​	3​	19.0 %​	0.52 L​
0.40 kg​	Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (150.0 EBC)​	Grain​	4​	9.5 %​	0.26 L​

Mash Steps

Name​	Description​	Step Temperature​	Step Time​
Protein Rest​	Add 14.84 L of water at 53.0 C​	50.0 C​	30 min​
Saccharification​	Heat to 65.0 C over 15 min​	65.0 C​	75 min​
Mash Out​	Heat to 76.0 C over 10 min​	76.0 C​	10 min​

• Sparge Water Acid: None
• Fly sparge with 18.60 L water at 75.6 C
• Add water to achieve boil volume of 25.74 L
• Estimated pre-boil gravity is 1.040 SG

Boil Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
42.00 g​	Northern Brewer [7.00 %] - Boil 70.0 min​	Hop​	5​	33.7 IBUs​	-​
17.00 g​	Northern Brewer [7.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min​	Hop​	6​	4.8 IBUs​	-​

Steeped Hops

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
34.00 g​	Northern Brewer [7.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 0.0 min, 90.2 C​	Hop​	7​	0.0 IBUs​	-​

• Estimated Post Boil Vol: 23.44 L and Est Post Boil Gravity: 1.046 SG

Cool and Transfer Wort

• Cool wort to fermentation temperature
• Transfer wort to fermenter
• Add water if needed to achieve final volume of 20.00 L

Pitch Yeast and Measure Gravity and Volume
Fermentation Ingredients

Amt​	Name​	Type​	#​	%/IBU​	Volume​
1.0 pkg​	Californian Lager (Mangrove Jack's #M54)​	Yeast​	8​	-​	-​

• Measure Actual Original Gravity _______ (Target: 1.046 SG)
• Measure Actual Batch Volume _______ (Target: 20.00 L)

Fermentation

• Primary Fermentation (4.00 days at 19.0 C ending at 19.0 C)
• Secondary Fermentation (10.00 days at 18.0 C ending at 18.0 C)

Dry Hop and Bottle/Keg

• Measure Final Gravity: _________ (Estimate: 1.007 SG)
• Date Bottled/Kegged: Carbonation: Keg with 13.24 PSI
• Age beer for 30.00 days at 8.0 C

 

[MickDundee]

Looks good to me. I’ve not made a Common for a while, maybe towards the end of my next set of brews.

 

[-Bezza-]

Looks good to me. I’ve not made a Common for a while, maybe towards the end of my next set of brews.

Think you were saying you wanted more gypsum in your last one. What was the water profile you went with and then wanted?

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Looks good, had the first bottle of mine last night. I didnt use Vienna and my hop timings were slightly different. I also used a small amount of choc malt for colour but may have overdone it!

 

[MickDundee]

Think you were saying you wanted more gypsum in your last one. What was the water profile you went with and then wanted?

I only did water treatment for the first time 2 brews ago, and even then I’m using a pretty arbitrary “shove in either gypsum or calcium sulfate (or a bit of both) to get the calcium levels up to about 100PPM” method.

I haven’t really thought of the water treatment for a Cali Common in detail yet but, my tap water is pretty much ideal for lagers (from memory I’m about 30ppm Calcium, 17 cholride and 18 sulfate or something like that - very low and balanced anyway)

I would think it probably needs to at least be in IPA territory - that’s where I’m going to start anyway. I’ve always felt mine have lacked a bit of dryness (despite the last one finishing at 1.008) and the lingering bitterness that the Anchor Steam Beer has so hoping upping my chloride will help with this.

 

[-Bezza-]

Looks good, had the first bottle of mine last night. I didnt use Vienna and my hop timings were slightly different. I also used a small amount of choc malt for colour but may have overdone it!

A good point on the colour. I actually wanted to go a little lighter than perhaps is true to the style as I wanted it to look a bit closer to larger but then taste a lot better.

 

[-Bezza-]

I only did water treatment for the first time 2 brews ago, and even then I’m using a pretty arbitrary “shove in either gypsum or calcium sulfate (or a bit of both) to get the calcium levels up to about 100PPM” method.

I haven’t really thought of the water treatment for a Cali Common in detail yet but, my tap water is pretty much ideal for lagers (from memory I’m about 30ppm Calcium, 17 cholride and 18 sulfate or something like that - very low and balanced anyway)

I would think it probably needs to at least be in IPA territory - that’s where I’m going to start anyway. I’ve always felt mine have lacked a bit of dryness (despite the last one finishing at 1.008) and the lingering bitterness that the Anchor Steam Beer has so hoping upping my chloride will help with this.

Thanks. I think that's a good starting point for now.

 

[MickDundee]

A good point on the colour. I actually wanted to go a little lighter than perhaps is true to the style as I wanted it to look a bit closer to larger but then taste a lot better.

10% crystal and 20% Vienna won’t get you a million miles from spot on for colour anyway. I’ve never used any colour adjustments and I’ve mostly been in the right ballpark colour wise to Anchor.

 

[-Bezza-]

So a bit of digging online suggests that most people go for "amber balanced" when making a California Common which is:

Calcium - 50
Magnesium - 10
Sodium - 15
Sulphate - 75
Chloride - 63
Bicarbonate - 40

Beersmith has calculated I can get the following:

Calcium - 50
Magnesium - 6
Sodium - 36
Sulphate - 76
Chloride - 76
Bicarbonate - 32

A slightly different Suphate:Chloride ratio but all in the right ballpark. I could add a small amount of Gypsum to up the suphate slightly whilst also getting a smidge more calcium but the addition would be pretty tiny, less than 0.5g.

Interestingly there is a West CA profile in Beersmith which is quite different but I guess we don't know what sort of adjustments might be made.