Water Question regarding DARK grains

We're planning on making a beer that'll be a high ABV, thick, black as possible, and hopefully very very rich (don't ask for the recipe - A. you'll all balk at it, and B. it's at home and I'm at work - I can post it later if you're really curious.). I do recall that it has both Chocolate and Black Patent malt, as well as a lot of Carapils - I forget the rest at the moment. The goal will hopefully be a lovely night cap beer for a christmas party in 6 months.

My question is: I recall reading somewhere that the darker grains in particular need harder water to be properly absorbed. Is this true? Is there a good water profile I can work towards that someone could point me to? I think I have all the salts and minerals I might need to adjust the hardness...

Thanks!
kvh

Lot's of dark grains will bump your acidity higher. To counter this (neutralizing the acid essentially) you should have a high amount of carbonate hardness in your water or adjust accordingly...but with reservations. I say this as most adjustments impart salt, which if used in high enough concentration will come through in the end.

A good rule of thumb with even say a Stout is to shoot for a max of around 10% of the total grain bill. In general you shouldn't need any more than that.

zoebisch01 said:

A good rule of thumb with even say a Stout is to shoot for a max of around 10% of the total grain bill. In general you shouldn't need any more than that.

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Do you mean 10% specialty grains?

kvh