water treatment and extract brewing

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BOBTHEukBREWER

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Is there any advantage for all extract brewers to treat water (1) to remove chloramine and (2) to lower the pH of very hard water?
 
Removing chloramine can prove to be useful, if you are getting that rubbery, "band-aid" flavor in your brews. The pH of extract brews is MUCH less important than it is in all-grain brewing. Since we are not actually converting starch to sugar with extract, harder or softer water are much less of an issue than it would be otherwise.

How are your beers turning out? Is there a specific problem you are trying to correct, or are you just thinking of trying to find that last little piece of the puzzle to perfect your process? If your beer is good, then I probably would not worry too much about water chemistry, especially for extract brewing.
 
thanks drummer boy - I am normally an all grain man but have 5 kilos of light malt powder in my store so thought I would have a quick non mash brew on Wednesday next.
 
5 Kilos would make about 10 gallons (roughly 38 liters) of average gravity brew, or 5 gallons (19 liters) of barleywine-territory brew! Let us know how it turns out.
 
I've been told that the extract we use already has all the minerals necessary from the process the manufacturers used to create the extract. My last batch I tried distilled water and it came out better than the Ozarka drinking water I was using. I am about to keg a hefe using distilled water and compare it to one that I did with drinking water so I will know more this weekend. Has anyone else heard/experienced this situation?

Edit: found it here.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/attention-all-extract-brewers-harsh-bitterness-aftertaste-128731/
 
Has anyone seen a published water profile from any of the extract makers? I'd be kinda curious to know what baseline we're working with.
 
Has anyone seen a published water profile from any of the extract makers? I'd be kinda curious to know what baseline we're working with.

I'm not sure it's too important. For DME there is no water content so nothing to contribute. For LME there is still very little water compared to final volume. The big issues for water are 1) getting good results from your mash, and 2) getting good balance in the wort between "malty" and "hoppy". These later two are purported to be directly related to Sulfates and Chlorides. Professor Bamforth at UC Davis disputes this relationship Read Here and says there is no evidence to support it, particularly when you look at historic brewing water profiles (before the days of treatment).

In any case, extracts supply the necessary nutrients and minerals for making beer so very little, it any, water treatment is necessary....I would caveat that with saying chlorine and chloramine should be elminated or reduced as far as possible.
 
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