I had to do a tough job today.
I had to pour well brewed wort down the drain.
I was too upset to even take a picture of it.
I mashed. I sparged. I adjusted my water with new knowledge I recently gained about ions and stuff.
Then, when I was chilling, I put my combination thermometer/hydrometer in the kettle to see how close I was getting to 68 degrees. The wort was swirling and caught the hydrometer, breaking it against the copper coil.
I shrieked. No kidding.
I couldn't believe I worked all afternoon on what I hoped would be an improved American IPA and all I could do was look at the wort and try unsuccessfully to think of a reason to transfer to the fermenter anyway.
Glass and whatever is inside a thermometer could surely not be removed with any confidence.
So I poured.
I'll start over in a week or two.I had to pour well brewed wort down the drain.
I was too upset to even take a picture of it.
I mashed. I sparged. I adjusted my water with new knowledge I recently gained about ions and stuff.
Then, when I was chilling, I put my combination thermometer/hydrometer in the kettle to see how close I was getting to 68 degrees. The wort was swirling and caught the hydrometer, breaking it against the copper coil.
I shrieked. No kidding.
I couldn't believe I worked all afternoon on what I hoped would be an improved American IPA and all I could do was look at the wort and try unsuccessfully to think of a reason to transfer to the fermenter anyway.
Glass and whatever is inside a thermometer could surely not be removed with any confidence.
So I poured.
Meanwhile, the Belgian Tripel I made two weeks ago is still fermenting. I'm not sure what to think. This is the longest fermentation (except for lagers) I have ever had.
Nothing to do but wait, keg it, drink it and see what it tastes like.
Hey Brett-
ReplyDeleteHow often would you say you make adjustments to your water? Are there styles that are better that way with Memphis water? New to AG so I'm not quite ready to tackle water but I'm interested. Thanks.
Jeff
Jeff, sorry it has taken so long to respond. I don't do very much with water here in Memphis. As it turns out, Memphis water is, to me, great for Pales, Ambers and most Brown Ales. The PH is pretty good for those beers. I do make sure I run the water through a charcoal RV water filter to remove chlorine. But you should know that I did not filter the water for several years and my beers seemed fine. It's just that the filter is less than $20 at Walmart. I might not filter if it were really expensive but I'm only on my 2nd filter in 3 years. Bottom line is I think it does help.
ReplyDeleteIf you're doing a really light colored beer or a dark Brown or Stout, you'll probably want to adjust the water's alkalinity.
There is a good deal of information at howtobrew.com. It's John Palmers site with most of the information from his book. The water section is chapter 15, I think.
I started using his method recently.