As the true scientist he is, Mike put together a water chemistry experiment to find malt balance for his Brown ale. He brewed one for the community brew and wasn’t to his liking. He was not happy with his finishing gravity. He re-brewed and with a little water chemistry adjustment, he was able to brew something much better.

Check out this video of us tasting his second brew:

What We Learned

Mike’s adjustments to the recipe included changes to his malt, hops, and yeast but the big reveal was that he made changes to his process. He dialed in his mash temperature and paid close attention to his Chloride to Sulfate ratio in his water throughout. He got his final gravity down to 1.009!

He used our tap water and added brewing salts to have a 2 to 1 Chloride to Sulfate ratio with a little acid in the mash to adjust for proper pH.

It was a success – I am happy for Brew Dude Mike.

Cheers and Brew on!