ESB Water Profile

[Skipp107]

Hey All...

I've been brewing for a while now, but have stayed away from water chem. After I got some feedback from a recent conversation I found that I can't stay away from it.
I've brewed the same ESB recipe for a really long time, but can't seem to get the score into the 40s.

After spending the weekend learning, reading, watching videos, and listening to podcasts I time working on a water profile. I know a lot of people want to Burtonize the water, but I'm concerned that the result is going to be really minerally. Here is a profile I landed on and would your feedback.

Calcium 150 ppm
Magnesium 10ppm
Sodium 83ppm
Sulfate 214ppm
Chloride 151ppm
Bicarbonate 91ppm

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Seems reasonable.
I would back down the sodium to ~50 (my tap water base line), up the sulfate and back of the chloride a bit.
For reference my bitter/EPA/ESB profile is 130 cl, 330 So4 and 50 na, this gives me about 180 ppm ca.
I have never tasted any "chalky" flavours.
Keep in mind most British traditional breweries brew with waay harder water than Americans are accustomed to.
Start from your profile and tweak it if need be, kudos for not being afraid to go over 100 ppm on anything.

 

[Skipp107]

Thank you for the quick reply!

 

[ghpeel]

Hey All...

I've been brewing for a while now, but have stayed away from water chem. After I got some feedback from a recent conversation I found that I can't stay away from it.
I've brewed the same ESB recipe for a really long time, but can't seem to get the score into the 40s.

After spending the weekend learning, reading, watching videos, and listening to podcasts I time working on a water profile. I know a lot of people want to Burtonize the water, but I'm concerned that the result is going to be really minerally. Here is a profile I landed on and would your feedback.

Calcium 150 ppm
Magnesium 10ppm
Sodium 83ppm
Sulfate 214ppm
Chloride 151ppm
Bicarbonate 91ppm

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Skipp, how are you building up to this water profile? Are you starting with your tap water or R/O?

 

[Skipp107]

Distilled

 

[Skipp107]

Used Bru'n water also

 

[jambop]

liquor should be somewhere around this for English bitter beer
Alkalinity 25 ppm
Calcium 150 ppm
Magnesium 10 ppm
Sodium 40ppm
Carbonate 15ppm
Sulphate 275 ppm
Chloride 136 ppm

 

[user 338926]

One thing I started doing was to simply quit doing sparge water adds. I no longer add any mineral content there, only the acid, be it phosphoric or lactic acid. I add the sparge minerals to the kettle at pre-boil. I can only speak anecdotally, but I want to say it helped the results. Might be placebo effect, but I'm convinced it does matter. I swear it makes for a healthier fermentation and the yeast cake actually 'looks' different afterward, more compact. And this is more so in any recipe I'm making with a magnesium addition since my mag doesn't dissolve worth a ____.

 

[brian320fo]

Hey All...

I've been brewing for a while now, but have stayed away from water chem. After I got some feedback from a recent conversation I found that I can't stay away from it.
I've brewed the same ESB recipe for a really long time, but can't seem to get the score into the 40s.

After spending the weekend learning, reading, watching videos, and listening to podcasts I time working on a water profile. I know a lot of people want to Burtonize the water, but I'm concerned that the result is going to be really minerally. Here is a profile I landed on and would your feedback.

Calcium 150 ppm
Magnesium 10ppm
Sodium 83ppm
Sulfate 214ppm
Chloride 151ppm
Bicarbonate 91ppm

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

There’s a water calculator at the address below that answers those exact questions.

www.phantomwingbrewing.com