Water Chemistry for Double IPA

[Figgy15]

Hello fellow Brewers.

I am currently building my first attempt at a 5 Gallon Double IPA. Would love to know what you all think of the recipe and would like to know, because of the water profile here in Albuquerque, NM, is there any kind of adjuncts I should add to the Mash like Gypsum.

I'm looking to make a piney, earthy type of IPA. Like northwest style. No citrus orange flavor.

As always I appreciate your help.

Recipe:
7.5lbs - 2 Row(US)
7.5lbs. - Maris Otter
12oz. - Crystal 60L
8oz. - Vienna Malt
4oz. - Wheat Malt

.50oz - Cascade (First Wort)
.50oz - Simcoe (First Wort)
.75oz - Centennial (60 Min)
.25oz - Zeus (45 min)
.50oz - Cascade (30 min)
.50oz - Zeus (15 min)
.50oz - Amarillo Gold (5 min)
.50oz - Chinook (0 min)
.50oz - Simcoe (0 min)
1.5oz - Chinook (Dry Hop for 7 Days)

1 tab of Whirlfloc
pH Stabilizer in Mash

2 pkgs of US-05

My Water Profile:
Calcium: 59
Magnesium: 7.7
So4: 87
Sodium: 60
Chlorine: 43
Alkalinity: 128
pH: 8

 

[Yooper]

Yes, some gypsum would be great. The alkalinity is high, so cutting the water with some distilled or RO water is indicated. Get rid of the 5.2 mash stabilizer junk, though. It doesn't actually help mash pH, and it can leave a salty taste in many beers. You will need some acid or acid malt to bring the mash pH into range.

There are free brewing water spreadsheets calculators out there, brewer's friend and Bru'n water are my favorites, and you can take the sulfate up to 150 ppm and target a mash pH of 5.4 and that would be great, and the gypsum will also increase the calcium.

 

[Figgy15]

Yes, some gypsum would be great. The alkalinity is high, so cutting the water with some distilled or RO water is indicated. Get rid of the 5.2 mash stabilizer junk, though. It doesn't actually help mash pH, and it can leave a salty taste in many beers. You will need some acid or acid malt to bring the mash pH into range.



There are free brewing water spreadsheets calculators out there, brewer's friend and Bru'n water are my favorites, and you can take the sulfate up to 150 ppm and target a mash pH of 5.4 and that would be great, and the gypsum will also increase the calcium.

I was actually thinking of using 50-50 tap water and distiller water. Is there any water profile I should try to match? I use Beersmith which has an awesome water profile tool that I can use to compare my water to a known IPA water profile and see my changes as I add any salts. Problem is the profiles are listed by region (city) of that water and I don't know what water region has the best water for IPAs.

 

[Figgy15]

I was actually thinking of using 50-50 tap water and distiller water. Is there any water profile I should try to match? I use Beersmith which has an awesome water profile tool that I can use to compare my water to a known IPA water profile and see my changes as I add any salts. Problem is the profiles are listed by region (city) of that water and I don't know what water region has the best water for IPAs.

 

[Figgy15]

I just found this profile on AHA website:

Ca: 102.5
Mg: 21.1
Na: 18.4
So4: 231.9
Ci: 40.9
Alkalinity: 24
pH: 5.5

Any thoughts???

 

[sandyeggoxj]

If you don't want citrus I'd drop the cascade. Put some Apollo in there maybe. Simcoe, columbus, northern brewer and Chinook are good choices.

For my dipa I use almost all base malt and target 1.080 og and 1.008 fg. I add 450ppm so4 and 180ppm cl to the mash only at 1.6qt/# grist thickness. I don't add to the kettle or sparge. The salts help mY mash pH down. I sit around 5.4 at 25°C with that setup.

Ymmv

 

[Natdavis777]

Everything Yooper said is what popped in my mind initially.

I would cut your water with 50% distilled/RO first. Then using a program like Bru' Water (what I use) or Brewers Friend, you can add gypsum to up your So4 levels to the desired level (150-200ppm should suffice) I wouldnt worry about any other mineral additions.

Again, playing around with programs like Bru'n water will help you see that acid/mineral additions along with water treatment will cure mash pH issues rather than 5.2 stabilizer. Toss it.

Lastly, I would pitch more yeast. Its easier to underpitch than overpitch. After listening to a recent podcast from Jamil and Palmer, JZ comfirmed the same premise. Underpitching can still ferment the beer out completely, but you can be impacted by off flavors. You can overpitch (according to them by a larger margin) without suffering from off flavors, and benefit greatly in the flavor dept.