It'll be fine. As above, relabel it as a Brown Porter.
I've seen recipes suggesting adding gravy browning...
Wtf?View attachment 55422
And then the instructions on the side label tell you how much to add to three gallons of beer.
I bet if you were to collect all that gunk (that's what I do) it would settle out nicely and you'd reclaim a good few pints
Who's got the time Matt?
At home on annual leave at the mo,
Hmm... This calcium thing is interesting, and you've certainly mentioned to me before you have soft water there... And I'm sure I've read something somewhere about calcium being a factor in clarity...Hmmm not really spared much thought to water profile, I did get a report from south west water last year but not really read it. Being in Cornwall my water is quite soft.
No, no dry hop with this one. They do drop clear, my bramling x ipa has only recently dropped clear but has been in bottle since july?
Hmm... This calcium thing is interesting, and you've certainly mentioned to me before you have soft water there... And I'm sure I've read something somewhere about calcium being a factor in clarity...
I appreciate Devon isn't Cornwall (#jamfirst) but because I'm geeky enough to do this , I brought a sample of water home from my summer holiday...
Compared to my mega hard Berkshire water (high in both calcium and hardness) it was mega soft, very low in both hardness and calcium - ideal actually for making Pilsner!
(I think my mega hard water is a factor why dark beers seem to work for me)
So assuming your Cornish water is similarly soft you might try adding a bit of gypsum (hoppy) or calcium chloride (malty) and see if that gets you where you want to be.
It's really easy to get lost in the minefield of water treatment - but the chances are since your water is soft you won't need to add any acid, and it's just a case of adding some salts to bring the mineral content a little closer to ideal. Think of it simply as the beer equivalent of adding a little seasoning to your cooking.
If we can get an idea what your actual water profile is I'm happy to give you some pointers
Sounds like the calcium could be a factor. Easily rectified if you can get an idea of what's in your water already without having to delve to deeply into the subject. 100-150ppm will definitely help. You can "cold crash" instead to speed up the process but upping the calcium (if needed) should definitely help.Hmmm not really spared much thought to water profile, I did get a report from south west water last year but not really read it. Being in Cornwall my water is quite soft.
No, no dry hop with this one. They do drop clear, my bramling x ipa has only recently dropped clear but has been in bottle since july?
Ashbeck certainly works well for pale ales and I've used it quite a lot in the past before I had a RO system to mix with my tap water. I've found that if you use it as it is, depending on the yeast, it can take a fair bit of time to clear (OP said his beer does clear but it takes time). One option is to store cold to encourage it to drop clear, but upping the calcium from 50 to 100 or 150 definitely helps the yeast drop out a lot quicker in my experience and you'll be more likely to get clear beer from the fermenter. A combination of gypsum and chloride (if water is close to ashbeck will help - or one or the other depending on what you're aiming for). I know a lot of the water styles listed subscribe more to the US theory of lower calcium. In my experience, higher calcium will help in getting clear ales more quickly.FWIW @pilgrimhudd , I had a look at the water report for your area.
Similar to mine, it's not the easiest to read to get the hardness or calcium content so worth considering getting a couple of test kits (honestly it's really simple!).
But sodium, sulphate and chloride are given clearly - and all low.
If I'm reading it right it's actually not a million miles away from Tesco Ashbeck! And who brews with Ashbeck and always seems to have crystal clear beer? You could probably do a lot worse then take a close look at @foxbat 's recipes and the mineral additions he's using.
I did a quick test calculation for an IPA recipe of mine using Ashbeck as the source water - it's a few grams of gypsum, a little calcium chloride and maybe a pinch of table salt and then the water profile is bang on for the style.
Enter your email address to join: