Hello!
I know that some people go to the extreme of using RO or distilled water and building the mineral content up from scratch to match beer styles. I know that some people never think twice about it. I know that some people have something in the middle, a working outline that is based upon some information learnt and what materials are to hand. I'm wanting to move from the never thinking twice camp, into the brief working outline camp without having to turn myself off the topic by leaning too heavily into the building up from scratch camp. Does that make sense? Ha!
So I've checked a water report and my local water is CaCO3 is 144ppm with a pH of 7.7, this is apparently soft to moderately hard water with a non permeate bicarbonate hardness.
I'm guessing this means, that I should use either acid additions when making light beers, I've been using a little lactic acid solution during the mash and sparge, especially when batch sparging to keep tannin extraction low and not stress out too much when making dark beers? If making exceptionally light beers something like calcium hydroxide might be best to precipitate out the bicarbonate and drop the ph and soften the water at the same time?
Ah I don't know. I'm looking for guidance I guess, a sticky would be awesome but bear in mind I kind of like brewing and drinking beer more than learning all about my local water chemistry and the chemicals designed to alter it with pro's and con's for each choice and scenario. I have access to obvious stuff, salt, vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, less obvious citric acid, lactic acid, calcium hydroxide. Can buy some other stuff if needed though.
I know that some people go to the extreme of using RO or distilled water and building the mineral content up from scratch to match beer styles. I know that some people never think twice about it. I know that some people have something in the middle, a working outline that is based upon some information learnt and what materials are to hand. I'm wanting to move from the never thinking twice camp, into the brief working outline camp without having to turn myself off the topic by leaning too heavily into the building up from scratch camp. Does that make sense? Ha!
So I've checked a water report and my local water is CaCO3 is 144ppm with a pH of 7.7, this is apparently soft to moderately hard water with a non permeate bicarbonate hardness.
I'm guessing this means, that I should use either acid additions when making light beers, I've been using a little lactic acid solution during the mash and sparge, especially when batch sparging to keep tannin extraction low and not stress out too much when making dark beers? If making exceptionally light beers something like calcium hydroxide might be best to precipitate out the bicarbonate and drop the ph and soften the water at the same time?
Ah I don't know. I'm looking for guidance I guess, a sticky would be awesome but bear in mind I kind of like brewing and drinking beer more than learning all about my local water chemistry and the chemicals designed to alter it with pro's and con's for each choice and scenario. I have access to obvious stuff, salt, vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, less obvious citric acid, lactic acid, calcium hydroxide. Can buy some other stuff if needed though.