Brewmaster in Training – Mad Scientist at Work

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May 22^nd at The Brew On Broadway (the BoB) – Brewing with Science today:

This was a big day for me personally at The BoB with a special opportunity to brew. Paul (the owner) wanted me to experiment with the water chemistry. I had been sharing with both he and Sam (the Brewmaster) what I had learned at Regis University about how water chemistry affects beer.

We brewed their Eagle Rock Pale Ale as a small batch (1-barrel). The recipe was scaled-down from their 7-barrel offering. We tested the water to see where our Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfate, and Alkalinity levels were.

I then utilized the John Palmer Water Calculator to adjust the water to style as seen on the attached pdf (see below).  …more brewing with science!!!

The additions needed for this pale ale to be within the style were 250 grams of gypsum and 120 grams of Epsom salt. This added the necessary Calcium, Magnesium, and Sulfates to bring the beer to style and to reduce the residual alkalinity.

The pictures below show the steps from start to finish.

The report from Paul is that the pale ale is much more hop-forward than the original version. He is also having people who prefer both. He now thinks he can brew the original with 20% fewer hops, and still have the flavor that the customer desires.

Cheers,

Joe

BoB Pale Ale Palmer Water Calculator

Eagle Rock Pale Ale Grain Bill

Eagle Rock Pale Ale Water Additions – Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) and Epsom Salt (Magnesium Sulfate)

Water Additions

Brewhouse 1-Barrel Mash Tun

Brewhouse 1-Barrel Brew System
Right – Boil Kettle
Left – Mash Tun with Grant

Brewhouse 1-Barrel Continuous Sparge System

Eagle Rock Pale Ale in the Brewhouse 1-Barrel Boil Kettle

Wort Collected

Eagle Rock Pale Ale Ready to Boil

Eagle Pale Ale Hop Additions

Brewhouse 1-Barrel Fermenter
Right – Heat Exchange
Left – Conical Fermenter