Water profile for a Festbier, Vienna and Dunkel.

[duelerx]

Soon i will brew these styles of beers but first i would like to know your opinion of your favourite water profile for these style beers

 

[Gnomebrewer]

For Viennas and oktoberfests (I haven't done a dunkel for years) I target 'amber full' to 'amber balanced' from Bru'n water, but with a little bit more calcium. Roughly:
Calcium: 60
Magnesium: 5
Sodium: 15
Sulfate: 80
Chloride: 80
And a mash pH of 5.4 to 5.5.

 

[mabrungard]

Calcium: 60
Magnesium: 5
Sodium: 15
Sulfate: 80
Chloride: 80

I recommend cutting the calcium, sulfate, and chloride in half from these values if you are wanting a nice malty beer. You don't want much calcium when brewing lagers. Its unnecessary and can hurt the yeast. I would also target a pH of 5.4 or less in maltier styles like these.

 

[duelerx]

I recommend cutting the calcium, sulfate, and chloride in half from these values if you are wanting a nice malty beer. You don't want much calcium when brewing lagers. Its unnecessary and can hurt the yeast. I would also target a pH of 5.4 or less in maltier styles like these.

For a Festbier do you also recommend a mash pH of 5.4?
I use the supported version of Brun'water and i was considering maybe using Munich Boiled profile for the Dunkel and the Festbier and Vienna Boiled for Vienna.

 

[mabrungard]

The boiled versions for the Munich and Vienna water are in the ballpark. However, I caution against getting too literal with them.

AJ and others have found that malty lagers do benefit from having a bit more chloride in the water than shown for the Munich water. On the order of 30 ppm seems good.

Conversely, the Vienna profile MIGHT benefit from a little less sulfate, but its not excessive as-is. That sulfate is one of the drivers in the drying finish that the Vienna style typically has.