Still tweaking the brown ale recipe

[FedoraDave]

I got my ingredients for this, and I'll be brewing it next weekend. The guy at the LHBS confirmed that the calcium chloride will help bring the malt and sweetness to the forefront, so I'll be trying that, as well.

I assume it should be added just before flame-out?

[Rebel_B]

I got my ingredients for this, and I'll be brewing it next weekend. The guy at the LHBS confirmed that the calcium chloride will help bring the malt and sweetness to the forefront, so I'll be trying that, as well.

I assume it should be added just before flame-out?

I would assume that the calcium chloride addition would be for the mash; typically used to lower the ph of the mash.
http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter15-4.html

[mashani]

You will get different results depending on when you add it. Rebel B is spot on that it will affect the mash. It also affects hop utilization in the boil. But even outside of that, it does still change the flavor no matter when you add it, as the Professor said even a pinch added to your glass will change the way you perceive the flavors, because water hardness affects how the hop and malt flavors are perceived, not just how things are utilized. Calcium Chloride *permanently* hardens the water, where some other additives are removed to some extent by the boil. That's why Calcium Chloride (and Sulfate) affect more the just the mash, where something like Bicarbonate will affect the mash and be removed in the boil. Hope that makes sense?

[MadBrewer]

If the mash can benefit from some Calcium added to it (to help lower mash ph slightly) or if your water is low in Calcium in general then adding some to the mash is the norm. If just looking for a flavor adjustment which sounds like you are you can add the Calcium Chloride to the boil. Adding any water salts just to the mash, a lot will be left behind after mashing and sparging. So in this case, it might be worth adding just to the boil kettle. You won't need much to make an impact. About 1/2 a tsp (2 grams) would be a good start adding to the boil. That will bring about 30 ppm Calcium and 50 ppm Chloride to a 5 gal boil, on top of whatever you already have in your water. You can go with less, you can go with more, depending on how much impact you want from the addition.

You can also add more at bottling/kegging time. I have done this many times when a beer just needs a slight adjustment. Chloride for a malty beer, and Gypsum to bring come punch to a hoppy beer. That's the nice part is the method and timing and even amounts are all your call.

[FedoraDave]

Thanks for all the helpful info. Just to clarify things in terms of my process....

I'm doing a 2.5 gallon batch.

I'm doing BIAB, which probably won't matter in terms of adding it to the mash, but it's more information for the hopper.

So I think I'm going to add a touch less than 1/2 teaspoon to the boil, probably right after hot break.

I'll keep detailed notes on what I did, and what my perceptions of the finished product are, and I'm hoping that will help me refine this process.

Thank again, guys.