snakeplissken

Today I went on a mission to find a heatproof graduated pitcher. Plastic or pyrex if at all possible, with my preference being the latter for reasons of thermal stability. Plastic out-gasses when heated. Maybe not as much with thermal resistance types, but it still will. Pyrex won't, plus it clear which is what I desire. Why? I'll be using it to draw wort off from my mash tun. If it's clear I can see when my mash has set up a filter bed and my run-off is drawn clear. Nifty, eh? To date I've simply drawn it off into my boil kettle, so I tend to guess on when it's clear. I need to refine my technique if I want to start winning any medals and this is the second step. The first was going all grain, no malt extract. That beer will be set to bottle this week, so I'll see how my technique was with that one.

I examined my water profile from the local utilities company last night. Water profile tends to reflect what you can brew in terms of color and inherent style without having to adjust water chemistry. Soft water lends itself to light hoppy beers, while harder water is great for making a dark, full stout. As I suspected the water here in Corvallis is pretty much spot-on with that of Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, having super soft water. Neato. Turns out that all of Oregon has pretty soft water, which is why the IPA style is so prevalent and done well in this area. The sheer nature of the water helps to accentuate hop flavor and character while also allowing for better flavor character from the light malts that tend to be used.

Wow, did I just talk about water? That must of been boring for you. Here's a little knee-slappin' to rouse ya'.