Great height beer: a sparkling challenge
If you are beer fond of beer and you are in a high place, you have probably wondered how this affects your elaboration process. Like the Eskimos have words to describe different types of snow, height brewers must make adjustments to ensure that their beer not only has good appearance, but also a brutal taste!
Up the temperature … or going down
One of the curiosities of making beer in high areas is that water boils at lower temperatures. While at sea level the water grinds at 100 ° C (212 ° F), here 2000 meters above sea level, it gets pretty to only 93.5 ° C (200 ° F). And if you dare to climb a little more, at 6500 feet the boiling temperature can be around 90 ° C (194 ° F). The tea you prepare could boil faster!
Bitter cup
With these boiling temperatures, the efficacy of hops is also considerably reduced. For example, if a brewer at sea level achieves a perfect taste extraction, his friend in the mountain could be obtaining only about 58% of the potential of those hops. That is a beer tragedy!
How many hops should I add?
The amount of hops that is required can vary dramatically. A recent study reveals that to achieve the same level of bitterness, heights of the heights must increase their use of hops by approximately 40% or devote more time to boiling. Who would say it? The mountains are not just pa ’scalar, they are also a chemistry lesson.
Height research
The beer expert John Palmer published an article pointing out how altitude affects hops isomerization. Mentioning Mark Malowicki and Thomas Shellhammer’s research, it has become imperative to consider these details when the number of hops to be used at different levels of boiling is calculated.
Digital relief: tools to survive at the heights
To facilitate life, there are software such as Beersmith 3 that allows you to automatically adjust the efficacy of hops based on altitude. You just need to enter your elevation in your profile and voila. So there is no excuse to have a lower bitterness again.
Adjusting the equipment profile
Within the program, navigate to ‘profiles’ and select ‘Equipos’. From there, you can refine your personal profile and modify the lipple use section. A small adjustment here can save your next beer appointment with friends of being a fiasco.
One last inspiration load
In summary, making beer at great altitude is not only a fun process, but also a path to discovery. So, if you live in the clouds, do not discourage you; Simply adjust your recipe, add more hops and keep enjoying a good beer, for each sip!
