Backslider
Active Member
I originally posted this in General Discussion.. Not much response and I was advised to post here - so here's my copy/paste job.
So. I'm pretty new to brewing. I have been messing around with building water from RO - but it's too soon to report on exactly how those batches have turned out.
I want to brew a sweet oatmeal stout next, looking at something around 38-42 SRM.
I want to use water from a local artesian well - here is the water profile provided by the city (it's really consistent over the last 10 years so I'm confident what I'm pulling from the well will be really close to this profile)
Anyway, here's the profile:
Ca: 131
Mg: 52
SO4: 182
Na: 55
Cl: 170
HC03: 278
228 RA
According to John Palmer's spreadsheet this would be good for the 23-28 SRM range. I understand the chloride:sulfate ratio and have a basic understanding of how it effects flavor.
My question is really this: If I brew a 38 SRM oatmeal stout with this water will I have pH problems? If I use a pH stabilizer will that fix any complications or is it better to hit the appropriate pH organically through salt and mineral additions?
I am new to this and appreciate any suggestions or comments that will help me make a better beer. Even if you have some oddball advise that is totally off-topic I would appreciate it. Mostly I'm looking to figure out how to build water to make great beer though.
So. I'm pretty new to brewing. I have been messing around with building water from RO - but it's too soon to report on exactly how those batches have turned out.
I want to brew a sweet oatmeal stout next, looking at something around 38-42 SRM.
I want to use water from a local artesian well - here is the water profile provided by the city (it's really consistent over the last 10 years so I'm confident what I'm pulling from the well will be really close to this profile)
Anyway, here's the profile:
Ca: 131
Mg: 52
SO4: 182
Na: 55
Cl: 170
HC03: 278
228 RA
According to John Palmer's spreadsheet this would be good for the 23-28 SRM range. I understand the chloride:sulfate ratio and have a basic understanding of how it effects flavor.
My question is really this: If I brew a 38 SRM oatmeal stout with this water will I have pH problems? If I use a pH stabilizer will that fix any complications or is it better to hit the appropriate pH organically through salt and mineral additions?
I am new to this and appreciate any suggestions or comments that will help me make a better beer. Even if you have some oddball advise that is totally off-topic I would appreciate it. Mostly I'm looking to figure out how to build water to make great beer though.