Adding CaCl after boil???

[user 214470]

I don’t build my water, just use directly from tap. My beer tastes fine, but lacking some malt flavor. I’ve read that adding Calcium Chloride helps with that so I decided to buy some CaCl and try in my next beer. I was thinking about doing an experiment - brew the beer, then divide the cooled wort in half, add CaCl in one half, and leave the other half unchanged.
(Both halves would be fermented with US-05)

Would adding CaCl after the boil be any beneficial, or it necessarily must be added before the boil?

 

[RPh_Guy]

It's fine to add after.

However I'm not sure CaCl2 will help provide "malt flavor".

There are probably better ways to adjust your recipes or process to increase flavor:
Good recipes, high quality malts, proper grain storage, milling right before brewing, good crush, low aeration/oxidation (hot and cold sides), correct mash pH & sparge pH, good sparging technique, yeast selection, clean fermentation, lower hopping rates, etc.
Perhaps higher mash temp or different mash schedules are helpful.

Try adjusting different variables to see what works, start with the CaCl2 I guess. Good luck!

 

[user 214470]

Well, kinda fell for the description in my LHBS website and ordered it:

Calcium chloride 33%
Chlorides give a soft, full and more sweetened taste to beer, while the calcium contributes with the flocculation of proteins and the stabilisation of the taste.

Yes, I try to control all the things you mentioned as much as I can, I just thought I might give CaCl2 a try in a 50/50 experimental batch and see if I can sense any difference... I wasn't sure if I can add it post-boil, thanks for the clarification!

 

[Sadu]

Well, kinda fell for the description in my LHBS website and ordered it:

Calcium chloride 33%
Chlorides give a soft, full and more sweetened taste to beer, while the calcium contributes with the flocculation of proteins and the stabilisation of the taste.

Yes, I try to control all the things you mentioned as much as I can, I just thought I might give CaCl2 a try in a 50/50 experimental batch and see if I can sense any difference... I wasn't sure if I can add it post-boil, thanks for the clarification!

I believe you can also simply add some to a glass of beer to help understand the flavour contribution it brings.

 

[user 214470]

Great tip, thanks! You mean add to finished/carbonated beer? Any CaCl interactions during fermentation?

 

[vgmohag]

I too use tap water and make decent beers but they all have a 'bitter' finish. Even the ones that are really low ibu's. I have been reading about the sulfate to chloride ratio. I got a copy of my water report, plugged it into brewers friend and found to make a pale beer I need to dilute my water about 15% with distilled, then add 4-6 grams of calcium chloride. I have done this the last 2 batches but they are still in the primary. Can't wait to try these to see how much difference it will make.

 

[mabrungard]

I believe you can also simply add some to a glass of beer to help understand the flavour contribution it brings.

Yes, this is true and its an effective test to assess if your beer is improved or degraded by those additions. Either gypsum or calcium chloride can be used for this sort of testing. The real trick is calculating and measuring out a proper dose to add to a glass of the beer. With a pint of beer, you can imagine that the dose is going to be pretty darn small. Certainly a scale that reports in the hundredth of a gram will be necessary.

Use calcium chloride addition to see if your beer is improved by more fullness. Use gypsum to see if your beer is improved by more dryness. With calcium chloride, I would test chloride increments of about 50 ppm in your beer. For a pint, that means something like 0.03 to 0.05 grams of calcium chloride. To increment sulfate by 50 ppm in a pint, that means 0.04 grams of gypsum.

Those are teeny amounts, but I can guarantee that you'll note a difference (good or bad) by the time you've incremented by 100 ppm.

 

[Lefou]

My first beers were made with soft tap water. They were drinkable, but had a problem with off-flavors. Seeing the discussions on this forum convinced me that water treatment is just as important as grain choices and method.
I currently use soft, low mineral bottled water for brewing and CaCl is the primary salt added to my mash water. The lighter beers have greatly improved and off-flavors are no longer present. I'm no certified BJCP judge, but the flavor of my brews seems to rival some of the commercials I buy.

You can learn a lot from HBT, definitely.

 

[Genuine]

My beers have changed drastically when I switched to brewing with DI and building a profile for my beers. They are significantly cleaner, flavors are more pronounced (or subdued if I want them to be), no off flavors. I've done blind taste tasting of the same beer, with minerals added afterwards and my brew buddies couldn't believe the difference in the same beer.

 

[Lefou]

My off-flavors were easy to diagnose - chlorophenols and acetaldehyde for the most part. Adjusting the water and letting the beer finish properly fixed that.

 

[user 214470]

I too use tap water and make decent beers but they all have a 'bitter' finish. Even the ones that are really low ibu's. I have been reading about the sulfate to chloride ratio. I got a copy of my water report, plugged it into brewers friend and found to make a pale beer I need to dilute my water about 15% with distilled, then add 4-6 grams of calcium chloride. I have done this the last 2 batches but they are still in the primary. Can't wait to try these to see how much difference it will make.

Actually It sounds very similar to my beers. I also notice this "astringent bitterness" taste and lack of malt taste in my beers. I'm really curious how your last two batches turn out – please let me know here or via PM when you taste them!

 

[user 214470]

As for the testing, my Calcium Chloride liquid solution label says "3-8ml to 10 liters", so, let's say 8ml to 10l >>> 0.8ml to 1 liter >>> 0.4ml to a pint glass. That should be pretty easy to do with a syringe. I'll try to do that and see if I notice any change in the taste.

 

[vgmohag]

OK so it's been a while... I have brewed quite a few more beers by adjusting my water. I have to say it has made a difference. That 'bitterness' at the finish of ALL my beers has gone away. I brew more malt forward beers and water adjustment has helped tremendously. I have tried one hoppy brew and it did have a bitter finish but it was a pleasant bitterness.