How do I know which numbers are correct? I didn't change anything, I just opened the recipe editor. I cannot replicate the old set of numbers by playing around with the efficiency, which is what I was hoping to do as I figured that was the issue.

I am now getting an entirely different set of numbers despite not having changed anything.

Alright, now I'm confused. I've got a recipe that's dialed in exactly where I want it: but as SOON as I open up the recipe editor, without editing anything, just clicking "edit," this happens: It doesn't appear that any of the values have changed - it's not like, suddenly adding or removing...

Ha ha! pH problem solved. The calculator was classifying the chocolate malt as a "base malt" rather than a "roasted malt." Adding an identical custom fermentable but changing it from "base" to "roasted" bumps my mash pH to 5.5.

A porter, so yeah, maybe a little bit of tweaking is needed!

Bru'N water says my inputs are unbalanced. I've asked homebrewtalk for further input as to what I've done wrong, but yes, our water here is quite good and a few local homebrewers plus my LHBS have told me to just ignore it. I may still do that, but brew day isn't until Saturday and I can't leave...

Okay, my water supplier got back to me with the following water profile: Ca+2 and Mg+2: Calcium and Magnesium analysis determines water hardness. Our water is very soft, with hardness ranging from about 18 to 30 ppm. Na+: 11 ppm Cl-: 2 ppm SO4-2 is sulfate and is not something that we...

Email sent. :)

I'm in Milwaukie, OR, rather than Milwaukee, WI. Here's our most recent water report that is available online: https://www.milwaukieoregon.gov/sites/default/files/fileattachments/public_works/page/44541/water_quality_report_2019.pdf However, I'm sure I could call the city and get the pH, Ca+2 ...

Same issue here.

it is not my recipe to share and have been asked not to share it publicly by the family member who gave it to me, or I would, but I'll give you what I can - in playing around with the recipe, it appears that removing the Briess Chocolate Malt, one pound in a 13lb grain bill, brings the mash pH...

Okay. Just for laughs, one more. There's absolutely no way my mash pH is 4.1, right?

Yeah, and hey, the worst that happens is I brew it, it doesn't come out just right, and I'm out like $30 in ingredients and have knowledge of how to improve next time.

Ha! Yeah. There's a few more things that don't look quite right, but I'll ask the folks at my LHBS when I pick up the grains since they'll know my equipment better, and defer to the recipe as written as I remember the beer being quite tasty as written. :)

Cool. Yeah, the recipe has about 19 batches worth of notes so I'm going to trust that it's largely accurate. I can always ask the recipe author for help, too. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't totally messing something up. Thanks!

Great, thanks. I haven't really figured out the equipment profiles, but it makes sense that that, plus efficiency, would be the key. I assume from Trialben's comment that what's more important is just making the recipe the way it's written rather than worrying about expected abv values, etc.

Hi there! I am working off an old family recipe written down on an old Brewer's Friend Brew Day sheet. This will be my first time brewing and am trying to streamline my process by loading stuff onto a computer. I am putting the ingredients into the recipe editor, with very slight variations in...