Too much salts?

Williams 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
logdrum

logdrum

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2010
Messages
1,141
Reaction score
149
Location
North Olmsted
I want to brew an American IPA & when I plug my ingredients into Bru'n Water for the Pale Ale profile tells me I'm shooting for:
132 ppm Calcium
17 ppm Magnesium
26 ppm Sodim
307 ppm Sulfate
56 ppm Chloride
99 ppm bicarbonate
82 ppm Alkalinity
398 Total Hardness
Is this way too much of a mineral content, or an accurate profile for a hoppy beer? Thanks.
 
For me that's way, way too much salt. For you it might not be. Once the basic requirements of chemistry that keep mash pH under control have been met then you are free to set salts to the levels that you think give you the best tasting beer. Your question is analogous to 'Is 1 tsp of salt the correct amount for my beef stew?'. pH control can be accomplished without salts or salts can be a part of it.

I assume you are asking the question because you think that this is a lot of salt. It is but the profiles in Bru'n water have been pretty carefully researched. This level of mineral may not give you the beer that you like best but the chances are pretty good that it will give you something pretty close. I often recommend that people start with low mineral levels and work up but you can start high and work down too. The important thing is that you do not accept the recommendations of any spreadsheet, calculator, book, article or recommendation seen here or on any other web site but continue to brew the beer while experimenting with mineral levels - just as you would 'correct the seasonings' in your stew.
 
ajdelange said:
For me that's way, way too much salt. For you it might not be. Once the basic requirements of chemistry that keep mash pH under control have been met then you are free to set salts to the levels that you think give you the best tasting beer. Your question is analogous to 'Is 1 tsp of salt the correct amount for my beef stew?'. pH control can be accomplished without salts or salts can be a part of it.

I assume you are asking the question because you think that this is a lot of salt. It is but the profiles in Bru'n water have been pretty carefully researched. This level of mineral may not give you the beer that you like best but the chances are pretty good that it will give you something pretty close. I often recommend that people start with low mineral levels and work up but you can start high and work down too. The important thing is that you do not accept the recommendations of any spreadsheet, calculator, book, article or recommendation seen here or on any other web site but continue to brew the beer while experimenting with mineral levels - just as you would 'correct the seasonings' in your stew.
Click to expand...

I second this advice. When I started brewing with amended RO water I used exactly half of the additions calculated in Bru'n water. I eventually built up to using the full dose, but in some cases came up with profiles that were similar but that I like more. For instance, when I brew an IPA I find I don't need 300 PPMs of Sulfate and instead shoot for 150.

The Malty-Balanced-Bitter Yellow/Amber/Brown profiles are more useful for my purposes then the historical city profiles...as Martin says: "Although historic water profiles are accurate, it does not mean that the Brewers from those areas did not treat or alter their water to brew"

AJ, I have learned an awful lot thanks to your work in this area...thank you!
 
Thanks for the replies. I do have an inkling that the levels are high. I've used the spreadsheet for at least a year with the malty/balanced/bitter profiles, but I've noticed lately that the beer seem a bit flaccid, hence the changed profile. I've got the mash pH under control (at least for my "repeat beers") so I'm contemplating upping the minerals. I had a Fat Heads Head Hunter IPA Saturday & really liked the crispness & depth of the hops-they're using the same water (cleveland city) as me, and I know Matt Cole has said he uses "a lot" of gypsum, so maybe I'll split the difference in my next batch.
 
I use that 300 ppm sulfate profile all the time. It suits my tastes, but you may want to assess your tastes with a lesser version. Yes, Headhunter is an aggressively bittered and hopped beer. I expect that Matt does bring the sulfate level to a significant content. I'll be in Westlake at my in-laws for Thanksgiving this week and expect to run into Matt at the brewery. Maybe I'll have the opportunity to ask him what he does.

300 ppm is far from excessive. From my discussions with Colin Kaminski, excessive doesn't even start until 5 or 600 ppm sulfate...in his opinion!
 
As a follow up, this IIPA came out fantastic! I was able to match the profile almost exactly-the hop depth is outstanding. Easily one of the best beers I've made. Thanks for the recommendation.
 
logdrum said:
And to further follow up: The rebrew of this IIPA (with the "Pale Ale Profile") scored a 44 in the Wizard of Saaz competition (no medal, tho) & won 1st place at "United We Brew" last month!

http://rimrockbrewersguild.blogspot.com/
Click to expand...

WTF? A 44 doesn't even medal? Of the 8-9k beers at NHC, there's probably only low single digits instances of this.
 
Tough category, tough competition! It's the highest score I've ever gotten, so I'm thrilled about that. It scored a 42 @ Rimrock, so I'm pretty confident it's a keeper. : )


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
I'm tied up ATM, will post later, tho it's basically BCS Hop Hammer with a couple of tweaks.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 

Similar threads

T
Another water question
Replies
29
Views
774
mabrungard
mabrungard
3
Water Report Question
Replies
4
Views
743
CascadesBrewer
CascadesBrewer
Iowa Brewer
El Dorado Pale Ale
Replies
11
Views
1K
AmarikinBrew
AmarikinBrew
Gadjobrinus
Festbier - first lager back in.
Replies
17
Views
1K
Brooothru
Brooothru
ap0352
Critique my Ward Lab H20 results
Replies
4
Views
767
hottpeper13
H
InkBird 300

Latest posts

Back
Top