brewzombie
Well-Known Member
I have super soft tap water (essentially RO). I recently started using the Bru'n water spreadsheet and it told me that with my APA recipe, I had a pH of 5.4 without any mineral adjustments. But since I wanted the yeast health and flavour benefits of Ca and SO4, I added CaCl2 and CaSO4 in the kettle (instead of the mash/sparge) to get around 100 ppm Ca and 200 ppm SO4 (had I added these additions to the mash I would have got a low pH of 5.1). I felt good about my mineral adjustments, but recently learned on this forum that I should have at least 50 ppm Ca in the mash (for mash efficiency etc).
How do I get 50 ppm Ca in the mash and reasonable Ca and SO4 levels in the final beer for a hoppy APA?
These are my calculations using Bru’n water to assist. Please tell me if I’m off or if there’s a function in Bru’n water that does this for me. I also welcome any suggestions on the pros/cons of my final water profile for a hoppy APA.
New mash pH is predicted to be 5.2 (bit low, but better than 5.1)
Mash (3.2 gal): 0.7g/gal CaCl2 = 51.6 ppm Ca, 91.4 ppm Cl
Sparge: ignore (sparge water essentially RO, pH 7)
Boil (total pre-boil 7 gal): 0.3 g/gal CaCl2 + 1.3 g/gal CaSO4 = 102.7 ppm Ca, 191.8 ppm SO4, 40.4 ppm Cl
**Assuming that sparge rinses most of minerals in mash into kettle
Calcium contribution from mash = 51.6 ppm * 3.2 gal / 7 gal = 23.59 ppm
Thus, total calcium in kettle (pre-boil) = 23.59 ppm + 102.7 ppm = 126.3 ppm Ca
Chloride contribution from mash = 91.4 ppm * 3.2 gal / 7 gal = 41.78 ppm
Thus, total chlorine in kettle (pre-boil) = 41.78 ppm + 40.4 ppm = 82.2 ppm Cl
Final water profile for beer:
Ca: 126.3 ppm (adjusted)
SO4: 191.8 ppm (adjusted)
Cl: 82.2 ppm (adjusted)
Mg: 0.2 ppm (water report)
Na: 1.8 ppm (water report)
Bicarbonate: 3.5 ppm (water report)
SO4/Cl: 2.3 (I was aiming for 2.0, but this should be ok for a hoppy APA)
So, in order to get 50 ppm Ca in the mash, I've had to reduce my pH from 5.4 to 5.2. Is it worth it or am I better off with pH 5.4 without calcium in the mash?
How do I get 50 ppm Ca in the mash and reasonable Ca and SO4 levels in the final beer for a hoppy APA?
These are my calculations using Bru’n water to assist. Please tell me if I’m off or if there’s a function in Bru’n water that does this for me. I also welcome any suggestions on the pros/cons of my final water profile for a hoppy APA.
New mash pH is predicted to be 5.2 (bit low, but better than 5.1)
Mash (3.2 gal): 0.7g/gal CaCl2 = 51.6 ppm Ca, 91.4 ppm Cl
Sparge: ignore (sparge water essentially RO, pH 7)
Boil (total pre-boil 7 gal): 0.3 g/gal CaCl2 + 1.3 g/gal CaSO4 = 102.7 ppm Ca, 191.8 ppm SO4, 40.4 ppm Cl
**Assuming that sparge rinses most of minerals in mash into kettle
Calcium contribution from mash = 51.6 ppm * 3.2 gal / 7 gal = 23.59 ppm
Thus, total calcium in kettle (pre-boil) = 23.59 ppm + 102.7 ppm = 126.3 ppm Ca
Chloride contribution from mash = 91.4 ppm * 3.2 gal / 7 gal = 41.78 ppm
Thus, total chlorine in kettle (pre-boil) = 41.78 ppm + 40.4 ppm = 82.2 ppm Cl
Final water profile for beer:
Ca: 126.3 ppm (adjusted)
SO4: 191.8 ppm (adjusted)
Cl: 82.2 ppm (adjusted)
Mg: 0.2 ppm (water report)
Na: 1.8 ppm (water report)
Bicarbonate: 3.5 ppm (water report)
SO4/Cl: 2.3 (I was aiming for 2.0, but this should be ok for a hoppy APA)
So, in order to get 50 ppm Ca in the mash, I've had to reduce my pH from 5.4 to 5.2. Is it worth it or am I better off with pH 5.4 without calcium in the mash?