hops2it
Well-Known Member
I've been thinking of switching over to all RO water and I'm just not sure if it's necessary or worth it to add anything to straight RO. On Brewer's Friend, I see these:
Chalk CaCO3
Baking Soda NaHCO3
Gypsum CaSO4
Calcium Chloride CaCl2
Epsom Salt MgSO4
Canning Salt NaCl
...and I've also heard lactic acid mentioned. I have tinkered with the numbers a little on there and I somewhat get that various styles could use some tweaks to make a water profile conducive to that style of beer, etc but that might be a little beyond my level of interest.
In a nutshell, I'm just wondering what recommended additions (if any) I should add to straight RO water for the purpose of home brewing the vast majority of beers. So what I'm really getting at...is RO water inherently lacking for the purpose of homebrewing without some minor tweaks ahead of time? Or is RO water fine and dandy to start with and if the brewer wants to micromange it further, that's up to them?
Chalk CaCO3
Baking Soda NaHCO3
Gypsum CaSO4
Calcium Chloride CaCl2
Epsom Salt MgSO4
Canning Salt NaCl
...and I've also heard lactic acid mentioned. I have tinkered with the numbers a little on there and I somewhat get that various styles could use some tweaks to make a water profile conducive to that style of beer, etc but that might be a little beyond my level of interest.
In a nutshell, I'm just wondering what recommended additions (if any) I should add to straight RO water for the purpose of home brewing the vast majority of beers. So what I'm really getting at...is RO water inherently lacking for the purpose of homebrewing without some minor tweaks ahead of time? Or is RO water fine and dandy to start with and if the brewer wants to micromange it further, that's up to them?