So I'm Having difficulty understanding...

I apologize, that these questions are common...but after a lot of searching I'm still unsure.

Now, I'm starting to look into my water, to see if maybe playing with the profile will give my a beer a little more "oopmh" towards improvement. I finally installed an inline carbon filter to filter my Baltimore City water. Anyway, my questions are:

Do I add salts to achieve a water profile of a city known for that style? (Or is it all that important?)

Are salts added to successfully hit ph 5.2 for that specific style?

If I was trying to match a city profile for a pilsner, is that going to get me to the right pH? I remember reading that the soft water still required a acid rest to obtain the correct pH.

Sorry again for these questions.

The only reason 5.2 pH is a goal is because that's the best place for conversion in the mash to take place.

As for creating styles...yes, you should aim for the city water profile if you're wanting to duplicate a certain beer. BUT...I've made plenty of good beers off of my own water profile, so it's not "required".

The thing you have to remember is that certain malts will help your pH by lowering it or increasing it. You have to take into acount the types of malts you're using, and their pH potential...then build from there.

I'd suggest starting easy by trying your own tap water with 5.2 stabilizer. It's a powder that you add to your mash that acts as a buffer to create 5.2 pH almost every time. If that doesn't work to improve your beer...then move on to more complicated water treatment.

If your current beers are coming out fine without any bad aftertastes, then chances are, your water is fine.

Read this.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/brewing-water-chemistry-primer-198460/

Suthrncomfrt1884 said:

I'd suggest starting easy by trying your own tap water with 5.2 stabilizer. It's a powder that you add to your mash that acts as a buffer to create 5.2 pH almost every time. If that doesn't work to improve your beer...then move on to more complicated water treatment.

Click to expand...

5.2 buffer appears to magically not work if you own a pH meter, but that subject has been beaten to death. What is more important is that acid does work.

If I was trying to match a city profile for a pilsner, is that going to get me to the right pH? I remember reading that the soft water still required a acid rest to obtain the correct pH.

Click to expand...

Almost no water will get you the correct pH for a pale beer. Nobody has used an acid rest in a very long time. Pilsener breweries add acid (like well informed brewers of all pale beers do).