Rauchbier Water Profile

Searched around and didn't mind much for an ideal water profile, but I think a good Octoberfest water profile is what I need. From what I've gathered it should be fairly soft, rich, and malty.

I've had good results using the bru'n water spreadsheet on my last few brews, and feel like it's taken my ipa's and stouts to a new level.

Names of city's water profiles don't mean a whole lot to me, and I'm thinking of using bru'n water's "Amber Malty" profile ...

I BIAB and will add all the water to the mash tun (brew kettle). Planning to start with 8 gallons distilled and add 1.6 gal tap.

My tap in cambridge MA is:

ca 21
mg 4.3
na 86.5
so4 27.2
cl 137
co3 64

planning to add 1.9g CaSo4, 1.9g MgSO4, 3.3g CaCl2, .8g CaCO3 to the dilution to achieve:

ca 49.4
mg 5.9
na 14.2
so4 54.5
cl 67.1
co3 36.3

my recipe for the rauchbier is:

11.5 lbs weyerman beech smoked malt (9L)
.5 lb caramunich III (60L)
.5 lb munich (10L)
.125 lb melanoidin (30L)
.125 lb black patent (500L)

60m .5oz magnum 14.9% AA

wyeast bohemian lager



Estimated PH is 5.4 – how does this water plan sound?

I can't comment on the water, but the recipe looks excellent.

thanks, this will be my first lager and i don't want to screw it up on the water, but it seems like a reasonable water recipe to me.

hoping an expert can confirm it will be ok, or provide a better solution!

i could also skip on the small gypsum addition and have:

ca 37.1
mg 5.9
na 14.2
so4 25.1
cl 67.1
co3 36.3

estimated ph = 5.5

wonder if that would be more ideal?

Rauchbier is certainly a malt focused style. The overt, smokey phenols provide some of the balance for that maltiness. Since you wouldn't want the mineralization to overshadow or hide the smoke or malt, I would use a light hand in any mineral additions. I would say that either of those proposed profiles would be light enough. I also note that the tap water has far too much Na and Cl, so the plan for dilution is sound.

Brew on!

thanks.

i was also considering a pilsen profile that's super light, and could do easily with about 5% of tap water diluting the distilled, and with a very light touch on the additions.

maybe i will try something in the middle of the two ...