When treating water profile do we adjust minerals and salts to the full boil volume, 8 or so gallons or adjust to the final volume of 5-5.5 gallons? I am using beersmith to do the math.
Thanks CHarlie
Thanks CHarlie
salts and minerals, quick question
- Thread starter balto charlie
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you want to adjust the water you'll use for your mash and sparge. i adjust all 14 gallons of water in my keg HLT.
OP
OP
I know that I want to adjust the water for mash and sparge. But do I set the ion/salt/mineral amounts to the boil amount of water OR the final batch size.
I add minerals for 5.5 gallons (final boil volume) but then again I add my minerals after the mash. None of my minerals end up staying in the mash tun, and they don't boil off. I don't add minerals for mash pH, I have 5.2 stabilizer for that. I add minerals for hop utilization, yeast nutrient, and flavor.
The first beer I added minerals to was an IPA and I had three separate mineral additions; one for each water that got heated in the HLT (strike and two sparges). Not only was that a PITA, but the beer came out mega harsh. It may have been the elevated presence of both sodium and sulfates as I didn't know about the bitterness that could be caused by that yet, but anyway it was a really harsh beer. I'm giving it a long room temp aging right now.
The first beer I added minerals to was an IPA and I had three separate mineral additions; one for each water that got heated in the HLT (strike and two sparges). Not only was that a PITA, but the beer came out mega harsh. It may have been the elevated presence of both sodium and sulfates as I didn't know about the bitterness that could be caused by that yet, but anyway it was a really harsh beer. I'm giving it a long room temp aging right now.
remilard
Well-Known Member
The amount of water you are treating.
Aw come on. He's asking how much water he should be treating.
OP
OP
Thanks, I've thought of doing this. Glad to see someone else is trying it.
Treat everything. The underlying idea is to match a region's mineral profile, and assume you're using "their water" to make the beer. For example, if you're making a traditional Czech Pils, your strike, sparge and (if applicable) top off water should all have the same, Pilsen, mineral profile. If strike + sparge + top off water = 10gal, you treat 10gal and use that for everything you do.
Beersmith is kind of odd in that the inclusion of treated water is more of a place holder. I typically use other programs (brewater 3.0) to get my mineral additions where i need them, then just add those to the recipe in Beersmith, along with Xgal DI water and Xgal of local water to hit what i came up with with brewater 3.0.
Beersmith is kind of odd in that the inclusion of treated water is more of a place holder. I typically use other programs (brewater 3.0) to get my mineral additions where i need them, then just add those to the recipe in Beersmith, along with Xgal DI water and Xgal of local water to hit what i came up with with brewater 3.0.
Brew-boy
Well-Known Member
I treat my mash to get my RA in line for the color of the beer per John Palmers book. Then I add my salts again to the boil. He has nice free spreadsheet you can down load that helps with this.
remilard
Well-Known Member
That's not how I interpreted the question, since treating the finished beer would be misguided.
I was simply saying that if you have, say, 4 gallons of mash water and 4 of sparge water you should either treat the mash water or both and use 4 or 8 gallons to figure the ion concentration respectively.
OP
OP
I know the graph. Is that for mashing water only?
OP
OP
I tired to find the page but seems aol no longer supports it. Any links would be appreciated. Thanks
OP
OP
I didn't want to treat finished beer. When beersmith sets up water mineral charts you need to put in your base water amount. I didn't know if I should put in 7.5 gallons(boil) or 5.5 (batch) to arrive at mineral concentration. When water is boiled down mineral concentration becomes....well more concentrated.
Gordie
Well-Known Member
I treat my mash water volume. Generally, if you're making adjustments for mash pH for proper efficiency and whatnot, you want to adjust the liquid your grains are soaking in. The idea being, my understanding of it anyway, to manage the pH of the mash (and mineral content) to prevent or facilitate extraction of tannin, phenolics, etc. from the grain and the grain husks. I generally don't treat my sparge water as I'm trying to denature the enzymes anyway with the sparge water temp.
Palmers spreadsheet is linked to the bottom of this page:
How to Brew - By John Palmer - Residual Alkalinity and Mash pH
Palmers spreadsheet is linked to the bottom of this page:
How to Brew - By John Palmer - Residual Alkalinity and Mash pH
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