How can your software of choice have never let you down once, while at the same time you admit that you have been dissatisfied with every dark beer you have ever brewed to date?
I haven't brewed a very dark beer in many years because I felt my base water wasn't good for those styles. Back then I was using EZwater which did not suggest any additional alkalinity was needed. I basically tabled darker styles to focus on styles I knew would come out well with my base water.
Since then I've switched to Brun water, but haven't brewed anything darker than a brown ale. The various water spreadsheets don't yield drastically different results for lighter styles so this wasn't a point of contention. My lighter colored beers have never had an issue with the final product regardless of software as the recommendations on those are relatively consistent
This will be my first time adding alkalinity to any beer which is why I'm wary to use too much.
Are you trying to help me or troll me?
If someone from out of town asks you for directions on how to get from point A to B (pretend this is before everyone had a smart phone) do you give them advise on best route based on your experience? Or do you ask them to test out various routes by themselves, read your college thesis on the subject, then make an informed decision on their own.
If you've added alkinity to your water on several occasions you should at least be able to speak to your experience on how the final results tasted.
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