HG Gravity Wells Pale

[Richard]

Recipe for an 11 gallon pale ale, created using some high-gravity techniques.

Essentially making as much use as possible of the space available in my boil tun, then topping up with water pre-ferment.

This is intented to be a relatively-low bitterness, relatively high hop presence american pale.

For 11 gallons (minus some random crud -- top up fermenter to 5.75-6) gals each:

10lbs Maris Otter.
8lbs 2-Row.
2lbs Sucrose (end of boil).
1lb Crystal 60.
1lb Cara-munich III

1.5oz GR Magnum 13% @ 60
2.0oz Simcoe 12% @ 20.

2.0oz Simcoe Dry-hop 1 week.

Mash: 5 gallons @ 152, sparge 4 gallons @ 168 + 3 gallons @ 168.

Fredericton water: 8tsp gypsum + 4tsp burton salts (gypsum/epsom blend).

S-05 x 2 (1 per carboy).

[sdixon]

Richard - Have you been treating your water for long and if so, have you noticed any changes in your beer taste or fermentation? I haven't tested my water (same Fredericton water). Are you adjusting because of pH?

[Richard]

There was an unreachable flavour that I couldn't seem to get in my Pales that others (JQ, Chris Craig, Dean) were achieving almost effortlessly, to different degrees. After dicking around with a bunch of other parameters (grains, mash thickness, temperature, hopping rates & schedules) I couldn't seem to get the elusive flavour. Did a little reading re: pale ales, and found that Gypsum and Epsom salts are essential to the profile - the common link between JQ, CC, and Dean was that they all ran well water, so I figured it had to be a mineral issue.

I'm not 100% on the science behind the addition, but yeah - the gypsum lowers pH and adds sulphates, and the Epsom adds additional sulfates (sulphates being to hops as salt is to many foods - a flavour enhancer). Scientific reasoning aside - with Fredericton water, a healthy dose of both appears to help a great deal with my pales.

[Richard]

fwiw - this one is great. Good hop-presence, fair bittering without being overwhelming (guessing 35 IBU), and the malt is all over the finish, blending well with the hop finish. Just sad I'm pretty much out of Simcoe.