thisjrp4
Well-Known Member
I've been AG brewing for a while and just starting to get into water chemistry, mainly to find a solution to my grainy bland pale ales. I have very soft water with a pH of 7.2 (according to my water report) and I usually add gypsum to my brewing water regardless of style. My brown to very dark beers come out great but my pale beers are grainy and bland. According to Palmers spreadsheet my water is good for pale beers but needs chalk or baking soda to be suitable for darker beers. Is it possible that my grainy pale ales are not being mashed at the right pH? Should I be adding 5.2 stabilizer to my pale ale mashes to help get rid of the grainy taste and give me a cleaner hop bitterness? Should I be adding 5.2 to my darker ales and stouts?