ordnry bittuhr Brew Session

Brewed 12/15. 151.5F Mash temp 5.00 sparge pH 5.41/1.085first runnings 5.69/1.028 (1.018? I don't remember) 2nd runnings. 5.96/1.006 final runnings. *Cut lauter at 6.5gal instead of 7 gal. 5.63/1.037 pre-boil *Added 15mL phos and 1/2 gal RO *Rechecked pH, and added a small amount of RO water and 10mL phos. 5.10 post-boil, 1.039 O.G. First brew with my ss brewtech mashtun. Low gravity is tricky, regardless. Barely covered the mashtun's temp probe. Glad to see the mashtun's thermometer was within a few tenths of a point of my probe thermometer. Also used my HLT with a bottom valve on it for the first time. Will be able to use the sparge arm next brew. Vorlaufed, but still pulled a bit of grain into the BK at random throughout lauter. Lower mash pH could've helped, but I think I managed to recover by the end of the boil. Again, low gravity is a beesh. 12/23@1.008-1.009. Tasting great! Kegged with dry hops and 5mL biofine clear. I was paranoid it might have off flavors from new steel, cleaning, etc. Looking forward to drinking this and seeing what else the mashtun cranks out. 1/19. This has been on tap maybe two weeks? Pours copper in color, eggshell foam that falls pretty quickly. Cooked sugar and herbal hops in the aroma. Carbonation is a bit too high, and gives the beer some extra weight that gets in the way of its drinkability. Malt sweetness and some orchard fruit yeast/hop flavor combination gives is weighted by the bitterness. Using more of a lighter colored crystal would've given the beer better flavor. The small amount of C90 gives it a dollop of flavor, but it doesn't come across as integrated into the guts of the beer. More of a C20 or C40 would have been better suited. Maybe a little amber malt for a more dynamic malt character could've helped as well. Making a beer that is supposed to be drinkable and decidedly non-fussy is a difficult task.