Back to what originally lead me to AG, Hahn Super Dry like megaswill.

[mattjm]

Ok so im putting this on hold for the weekend. Im going to spend the week researching water chemistry and then have another crack at the Stella Artois clone next week, I did a side by side last time and from my simple recipe of pills and sazz found it tasted identical other than a few subtle differences. A touch sweeter, a little more body (mine) and something kind of difficult to explain but best compared to drinking spring water as oppose to tap water. The real mcoy bought out a little more of a cleaner more simple forward tasting bitterness to the hops. It was perhaps softer and just cleaner.

I want to try to try to replicate this recipe but this time start with RO water (can purchase locally for aquariums at 14c a litre) than build the water profile myself, I will then have a crack at the super dry recipe with the same water profile before pitching again on the same yeast for a tettenang/Perle helles and see where all three beers end up. by then I will be craving an APA/IPA so Im going to do my APA and continue with the pitching on the yeast cake idea to make a Pliny the Elder.

Well thats the plan anyway. Was pretty happy with what Ive been making but now starting to feel a little bit like Im learning from scratch again. Definately open to any advice on the basics of building RO water up to a good base for a very light and neutral lager profile. In the mean time Ill be reading about water chemistry and mash ph.

 

[mattjm]

Ive purchased some wyeast danish lager yeast and will be doing a yeast starter for the first time, going to go for a low (61c) long mash single wey pills (5kg) mash and hop with saaz.

If I use 100% RO water and add gypsum, calc chloride and epsom salt to achieve the following profile: Ca 60, Mg 8, Sodium 0, Chloride 67, sulphate 87 chloride/sulph 0.77.

Am I in the ballpark? Im using Ez water calc, is there any advantage to treating mash and sparge water or should i just treat mash? considering all RO water should be equal enough for brewing purpose can anyone point me towards some simple additions for different lagers and ales?

 

[Dan Pratt]

Look up brun water online and use the pilsner water profile, from memory its less then 10ppm per section. Having 50-60ppm for sulphate and chloride is too much.

 

[Bribie G]

If you are looking to emulate Aussie mega beers, a suitable fermentation schedule for Wyeast Danish is to pitch at 13 degrees and keep it there for a few days, then let it slowly rise to round 19 degrees. Ten days in total.
Then take down to around 2 or 3 degrees for another ten days.

ed: took out second in the Pale Lagers in the Nats a couple of years ago.

 

[Matplat]

Look up brun water online and use the pilsner water profile, from memory its less then 10ppm per section. Having 50-60ppm for sulphate and chloride is too much.

Ca 7ppm, Mg 2ppm, Na 2ppm, SO4 8ppm, CL2 6ppm, HCO3 16ppm

 

[mattjm]

So start with 100% RO and make additions till I get to that profile and then check mash PH and adlust if necesary to 5.4-5.6 with acidulated malt. Will follow Bribie G recommendation for ferm schedule.

 

[mattjm]

My first ever starter is on the stirplate now Danish Lager 2L (1.040), should this be ample to pitch straight to a super dry beer or am I still more likely to get an improved beer from my second try pitched onto the yeast cake?

 

[Dan Pratt]

Make the same beer twice, the first one with the 2L starter and then the second into the yeast cake and then do a side by side to see how they compare. Then you will know which is best.

 

[wynnum1]

If you use the yeast cake get the temperate down to fementation temperate can go quickly if pitch too high .

 

[mattjm]

Yeah Im thinking I will either have to pitch into another container from my grainfather and let temp stabilise over night before pouring into the conical or drop the yeast cake from the conical and repitch it in once Im happy the wort has dropped to 13c-14c.

Maybe another option would be to build a little imersion chiller out of copper tube and run my cooling water through that sitting in an ice slurry bath to get better cooling efficiency, just depends how hot a day it is.

 

[mattjm]

Ok so first crack went down today:

Stella clone has had 6 days in primary @ 14c (7-8psi) with a small trub dump prior to pitching and another small one 3 days into ferment.

Made the following recipe today ready to dump onto the Wyeast 2042 danish lager yeast cake:

RO water plus 0.1g/L calcium sulphate and 0.1g/L calcium chloride

3.5kg BB Pale
0.2kg JW Vienna
50g Weyerman Acidulated

70 mins @ 62c 14L
10 mins @ 77c
17L sparge @ 77c

60 min 20g Pride of Ringwood
30 min 10g saaz
20 min 0.5kg Coopers Brewing Sugar (80%dextrose 20%maltodextrin) and half Whirfloc Tablet
0 min 10g Hallertau Hersbruker

Measure OG = 1.035 for 21L into cube.

Cooled to approx 25c into a cube which is chilling down to roughly 14 c before dropping onto the yeast cake.

 

[mattjm]

Ive got some a dry enzyme satchel I am considering adding to the fermenter, debating whether or not it is neded to match this style?

 

[fletcher]

Ive got some a dry enzyme satchel I am considering adding to the fermenter, debating whether or not it is neded to match this style?

for the first or second batch?

i've used it once on a 1.032 brew (pale malt and polenta) mashed at 64 for 90 mins, and it got to 1.000.

EDIT: added it when pitching yeast.

 

[Dan Pratt]

Ive got some a dry enzyme satchel I am considering adding to the fermenter, debating whether or not it is neded to match this style?

Try the final beers before you go with enzymes, it will chew right through to 000 or less and change the flavour profile. Many beers to make, one step at a time.

Are you fermenting under pressure?

 

[mattjm]

Yes Im using a spunding valve on my conical. This is my first time using the valve so it hasn't been to any exact pressure. Im considering splitting half this batch to a cube after 3 days and adding the enzymes to only half the batch in the conical.

 

[Dan Pratt]

Good idea to see what the enzymes do.