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What is it that you find harsh the anount of gypsum im using?Sulfates emphasize bitterness - I find it harsh. Chlorides emphasize malt flavors. I can't tell exactly what you're trying to make, your water is balanced more toward a bitter outcome, more appropriate for pale ales and IPAs. Based on your final RA, you should make a good pale ale or amber style out of this. Does that help?
No, I checked the water report you attached and from what I see, you should be okay - the water will emphasize hop bitterness but it's still in the "balanced" range. Water is an area that's really easy to over-think, particularly for a new brewer. Your base water is very soft, you should be able to brew just about anything light with it with no modification. What I was saying, I generally don't add gypsum, I find the result to be a harsh taste. Lots of people like it. I tend to like softer, rounder, maltier beers so I work with chloride.What is it that you find harsh the anount of gypsum im using?
Yea ive been brewing for about 5 years and in the padt year started.looking at water. I am finding it somewhat challenging. I thought about getti g that book but hear its very technical. Wondering if I would truly grasp everythingNo, I checked the water report you attached and from what I see, you should be okay - the water will emphasize hop bitterness but it's still in the "balanced" range. Water is an area that's really easy to over-think, particularly for a new brewer. Your base water is very soft, you should be able to brew just about anything light with it with no modification. What I was saying, I generally don't add gypsum, I find the result to be a harsh taste. Lots of people like it. I tend to like softer, rounder, maltier beers so I work with chloride.
There's a really good book out there called, you guessed it, "Water." But if you're a relatively new brewer, I'd advise leaving water chemistry alone for a while and concentrating on your sanitation, your fermentation temperature, pitching enough healthy yeast, boiling vigorously and reasonable recipe formulation. Mastering these will give you much better beer than trying to emulate someone's water chemistry. And if you haven't mastered these, you'll never know the difference the salts make, your beer will vary too much to detect the effect.
I didn't find it particularly technical but I guess some did. Grasping everything doesn't seem to be that important. The purpose of water treatment, as long as you're not trying to get a particular mineral flavor in the beer - is to adjust the mash pH - it needs to be from about 5.2 to about 5.5 to avoid some problems with astringency or poor conversion. There's a (relatively) simple concept called Residual Alkalinity that will help you hit the mash pH number. If you master that, your beer will improve. No need to emulate Burton or Dusseldorf or Plzn's water as long as you hit the mash pH.Yea ive been brewing for about 5 years and in the padt year started.looking at water. I am finding it somewhat challenging. I thought about getti g that book but hear its very technical. Wondering if I would truly grasp everything
hey thanks for all the info. I went back and took a look at the water calculator, in the overall water report it states that the residual alkalinity ppm as caco3 -85.2 wondering what you could tell me about this? here is a link for the recipie I plan on making this Sunday the only change im making is Ill be brewing 10 gallI didn't find it particularly technical but I guess some did. Grasping everything doesn't seem to be that important. The purpose of water treatment, as long as you're not trying to get a particular mineral flavor in the beer - is to adjust the mash pH - it needs to be from about 5.2 to about 5.5 to avoid some problems with astringency or poor conversion. There's a (relatively) simple concept called Residual Alkalinity that will help you hit the mash pH number. If you master that, your beer will improve. No need to emulate Burton or Dusseldorf or Plzn's water as long as you hit the mash pH.