Hard or Soft Water?

[brewsterk2]

I know that our tap water here in Eugene, OR is very soft and I've heard talk on the web that it's necessary to harden up the water with a salt base for brewing, especially with an IPA.

Am I mistaken? If it is necessary, why is that so?

Thanks!

 

[wyzazz]

Are you brewing Extract, Partial Mash or All Grain? In Partial Mash and Extract Brewing your water is not so much of a concern. That being said, I have pretty soft water and do all 3 methods with no issues.

If you get your water from a municipal source you may want to filter it for Chloramines that way you don't get any off flavors.

 

[android]

you can find water adjustment calculators that will tell you how much gypsum, etc. to add to fit particular styles better. i think some breweries in oregon probably add some gypsum (i know deschutes does for sure), so you might benefit from it. but you could always just brew one up (i'm sure it'd be good either way) and see if you want to adjust from there.