Here’s a quick update to wrap things up – unfortunately, this brew didn’t make the cut (i.e., we ended up pouring it down the drain). It’s only the second time we’ve had to do this, but life’s too short to settle for subpar beer.
We’ve pinpointed where this batch (and a previous one) went awry: elevated sulfate levels and a particularly high sulfate-to-chloride ratio stripped away all hop flavor and aroma. What remained was a beer that was overly sweet yet aggressively bitter, far from enjoyable.
We followed the "Hoppy" water profile in Brewfather, a tool we’ve used in several other brews. Reflecting on those, we did notice a lack of hop aroma as well, prompting us to make adjustments for future batches. This particular water profile recommends nearly 300ppm of sulfate, which, while not uncommon, hasn’t delivered the desired outcomes for the styles we aim to perfect.
Our brewing techniques are solid; we’ve achieved success with heavily hopped beers like our Hazy Pale Ale, which notably didn’t use the Brewfather hoppy water profile!
It’s disappointing to see a beer not meet expectations, especially considering the investment in quality ingredients like a substantial grain bill and generous hop additions.
We remain confident in the recipe itself and are convinced that tweaking the water profile (reducing sulfate levels) will yield a vastly improved brew. Thus, we’ll likely revisit this recipe in the future.
In brewing, not every batch is a triumph, and we’re not afraid to share our setbacks in hopes of aiding others. These experiences contribute to our growth as brewers in the long run.
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