Water Chemistry on the fly

[arrup85]

Hi there, so I have brewed a couple of porters that have been duds. I found online that water chemistry might be the cause of this because the roasted grains have such acidity. The site recommended 1gram of baking soda per gallon of brewing water in a porter. I don't have access to my water report, so I'm hesitate to try this. Has anyone used that guideline before? If I tried it out, would 1 gram really have that big an effect?

 

[mabrungard]

Depending on the water, water chemistry can make a huge difference in beer. Whether a water adjustment would have made a difference in your porter does depend on your tap water quality. Knowing what's in your water is the first step.

 

[Lefou]

My first attempt at a dark beer failed, too. It ended up thin and acidic.
After a while, it dawned on me about water because none of my light brews turned out that way.
Why?
I was using "soft" filtered tap water at around 7.5pH. Since then, I've switched to "soft" spring water with a lower pH, added CaCl2, a pinch of Epsom (not too much), and sodium bicarbonate with the help of a good water calculator. My beers have improved and a lot of that credit goes to the info found on this forum. I can't wait to try brewing a porter or stout later on in the year as I learn a bit more.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

NO WAY! Water chemistry can make a BIG difference in a beer, and pH may well be your problem with dark beers (if your source water is soft). BUT, 1g per gallon of water is too much unless you're brewing a VERY dark beer with VERY soft water. Try using a water calculator (eg. Bru'n water) to work out the correct addition for your beer and your water. It will probably be much less than 1g per gallon.

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

Without knowing your source water properties beforehand, trying to' guesstimate' how to make it better is anyone's guess. A lot of trial and error batches, and taking good brewing notes, will produce the results you are after eventually, if you have the patience to wait.