Water treatment for steeped grain recipes

[Craigerrr]

My opinion on adding Chlorides to accentuate Malt flavors, or adding say Gypsum to accentuate hops in an extract brew, with or without steeping grains.
It won't make a perceptible difference when you add them, unless of course you are adding them to the glass when you are drinking.
Brewing is essentially cooking, when you add the salt to the sauce won't really have much effect on result, as long as you add it before you simmer (boil in the case of beer).
Think of adding minerals to your glass like adding salt when the food is on your plate. Of course we do that when we eat, but I am pretty confident that nobody adds chlorides or sulfates to their glass. I have however added salt to beer, it use to be very common in a bar I frequented in my 20's. They made their own beer, and had salt on the tables for that very purpose. I guess it never occurred to them that they could add some to the brewing process...
Bottom line is that you aren't depending on the steeping grains for any gravity points, just flavor and color.
The steeping grains are essentially a "seasoning/flavoring" ingredient.
Ask questions, Brew, Learn, Repeat!
Cheers

 

[NorthCoastBrewer]

Bottom line is that you aren't depending on the steeping grains for any gravity points, just flavor and color.

I'll agree with "not depending on" steeping grains for gravity points. But the additional gravity points are measurable (around 5% of OG) - and - in the case of crystal malts are ferment-able as well. Occasionally, when I discard old grains, I'll make a wort with specialty grains (steep / pasteurize / chill), measure OG, then add yeast. With crystal malts, FG has always been lower than OG. With roasted malts, FG is pretty much the same as OG.

I am pretty confident that nobody adds chlorides or sulfates to their glass.

On a regular basis, I don't. But when "dialing" in a new recipe, or using a different brand of extract with an existing recipe, I often will - especially if I want to adjust the recipe with that information. It's mostly S04 & Cl that I adjust; some (but not all) brands of extract can benefit from Na as well.

Over in HomeBrewTalk, 2013 - 2017 (?) seems to have been the "golden era" for creativity with DME with numerous topcs on adjusting extract based wort with minerals. Since then, forum wisdom (across all the US based forums) seems to have forgot much of that knowledge.

 

[Craigerrr]

We can agree to disagree on the first point. You may get some sugars, I just doubt that they will be fermentable.
On the second point, as you say, for experimental purposes, yes.

 

[Zambi]

I have however added salt to beer, it use to be very common in a bar I frequented in my 20's. They made their own beer, and had salt on the tables for that very purpose. I guess it never occurred to them that they could add some to the brewing process...

As an aside: some people I know added would always ask for salt when ordering a Savanna (local commercial cider) and I thought that was odd, till I tried it

 

[NorthCoastBrewer]

In closing (for this topic), those curious about differences between steeping and mashing may want to take a look at this (link) from HomeBrewTalk in late 2010. There's a "tl;dr;" summary of the article here (link) as well.