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Hazelwood Brewday
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Absolutely! Bring me my smoking jacket.
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Thought you used RO waterSore point, my mash today was screwed by pH (4.97) so my numbers were all out. I corrected to end up in the right place but it meant that efficiency was thrown. I’ll try again tomorrow. When I investigated I found that my tap water, normally around 7.7 was 6.7! I’m half minded to phone the water company and ask what they’re playing at but actually it’s my responsibility to check the readings.
I removed the inner ring from the gizmo and using just the outer ring gave me a little under 10 litres / hour so that’s good.
Better today although my pH was still a little off. I’ve ordered some fresh deionisation resin for my RO filter to see if that fixes it. I will get a little over 82% BHE but if my pH had been right and I got my usual mash efficiency, I think I’d be getting a little over 85%.
Yes that’s right. I’ve ordered some fresh deionisation resin in case the original supply is exhausted. I should have it in time for my next brew and will let you know.
24 litres of brown ale now in the fermenter and tucked up in the brew-shed. pH was a touch off but I still managed to finish at the planned OG (1044) so I’m happy with that.
I now have four beers fermenting: Trinity Brown Ale, Clints 3C Pale, Summer Breeze IPA, and my Best Bitter. My next brew has to wait until Thursday when I keg the bitter and free up space in the fermenter. Thursday’s brew will be Czech Pilsner. Ramping up for summer and friends/family.
I now have four beers fermenting: Trinity Brown Ale, Clints 3C Pale, Summer Breeze IPA, and my Best Bitter. My next brew has to wait until Thursday when I keg the bitter and free up space in the fermenter. Thursday’s brew will be Czech Pilsner. Ramping up for summer and friends/family.
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Quick update, the resin alone didn’t fix the problem. I also had to swap out the membrane. All sorted now.
Well, tomorrow is the 25th, the scheduled day for brewing another batch of Czech Pilsner. I’ve had to make an adjustment to the grain bill on account of my improved efficiency. I’ve knocked a whopping 700g off my 5Kg grain bill (I hope THBC doesn’t suffer too much as a consequence of my reduced purchases!).
Looking forward to getting another brew on, it’s been too long!
Looking forward to getting another brew on, it’s been too long!
I’m brewing my Czech Pilsner at the moment and I’ve just had an epiphany!
I don’t know how I managed to miss such an obvious factor regarding efficiency but I did and I’m noting it here because it’s possible I may not be the only one!
My gravity reading at the end of the mash is lower than predicted based on my mash efficiency from recent brews. After a few minutes trying to figure out what went “wrong” it suddenly occurred to me that for this beer I am mashing at low temperatures only so I’m only extracting the short-chain sugars and leaving behind the long-chain sugars!
I don’t know how I managed to miss such an obvious factor regarding efficiency but I did and I’m noting it here because it’s possible I may not be the only one!
My gravity reading at the end of the mash is lower than predicted based on my mash efficiency from recent brews. After a few minutes trying to figure out what went “wrong” it suddenly occurred to me that for this beer I am mashing at low temperatures only so I’m only extracting the short-chain sugars and leaving behind the long-chain sugars!
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What temp are you mashing your Czech pilsner
Not sure about your logic there Mr. H.
You will still be extracting the long chain sugars into your wort, they just won't be as fermentable. While you mash and sparge you're drawing out starches that enzymes turn to sugars. They're still sugars and still count towards the gravity of your wort. Hydrometer or refractometer won't be able to tell the difference between short or long chain sugars.
You will still be extracting the long chain sugars into your wort, they just won't be as fermentable. While you mash and sparge you're drawing out starches that enzymes turn to sugars. They're still sugars and still count towards the gravity of your wort. Hydrometer or refractometer won't be able to tell the difference between short or long chain sugars.
There may be a subtle difference in solubility of sugars at lower temperatures, hence why cold water sparging is less effective than at 75 degrees, though I doubt 2-3 degrees would make any noticeable difference.
145F (62.8C)
Cheshire Cat
Landlord.
Is it normal to brew Pilsner at 62.8C? I brew mine at 65-66C.
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That was my next question
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The dark Czech lager I am looking to brew tonight is asking for 68 degrees
Don’t burst my bubble, I’m working on a theory!
By only mashing at the lower end of the saccharification window only the enzyme that favours short-chain fermentable sugars (beta-amylase) is working optimally but it can only go so far because it can only work at the ends of the sugar chains. You need the other enzyme (alpha-amylase) to extract the longer-chain sugars (and provide new “ends”) but if it isn’t working optimally it will only partially extract those longer chain sugars.
It is for me! I’m not sure about others but I do know @dan125 brews his at 64C. I guess it depends how dry you want it?
68 seems quite warm to me, perhaps because you’re brewing a darker lager it works better?
I’ve arrived a bit late to the party but Have we started confusing mash temp with fermenting temp here now?
Seems plausible ;-)Don’t burst my bubble, I’m working on a theory!
By only mashing at the lower end of the saccharification window only the enzyme that favours short-chain fermentable sugars (beta-amylase) is working optimally but it can only go so far because it can only work at the ends of the sugar chains. You need the other enzyme (alpha-amylase) to extract the longer-chain sugars (and provide new “ends”) but if it isn’t working optimally it will only partially extract those longer chain sugars.
So you'd be more dependent on length of mash at lower temperatures than you would mid-range. You could still get the same efficiency but you'd have to mash longer for the beta amylase to keep chewing the ends off.
