Are roasted flavors affected by CL/SO4 ratio ?

I'm trying to brew a warsteiner dunkel clone. But all my attempts are missing the roasted
flavors (and some of its particular sweetness)

I've tried amber malty / black malty water profiles, as well as various suppliers for roasted barley, chocoate, etc. Roasted barley is the correct grain, but at the low levels (1/4 lb)
for 5 gals, there isn't much of a roasted flavor coming out.

Lately, I'm using distilled water as the muni seems to change source every week.

Thanks

 

Not by the ratio. However, I find that roast and sulfate both produce a drying of the palate and including too much sulfate in a roasty beer can be over the top. Keep sulfate well below 100 ppm in roasty beers. Chloride can be somewhat high without much detriment.

 

See http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=526109 for discussion of the merits, or lack thereof WRT chloride/sulfate ratio.

 

The grain bill is ~80% pilsner, ~18% munich, ~2% roasted barley (or other) Roasted is restrained to keep color at 16 SRM.

Ive tried water from RO + 1tsp CaCl, tap water ~(50 Ca, 5 Mg, 50 Na, 80-100 HCO3, 80-90 SO4, 38 CL), RO + (40 CA, 21 NA, 12 SO4, 64 CL, 57 HCO3)[last trial]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try adding some CaCL2 to see what it does.

 

Part of the problem may be high mash pH. Even with 0 alkalinity some acid would be needed. Try a couple (2 - 3) % sauermalz along with the CaCl2 and leave out the bicarbonate in the RO mix. In any case I don't think you can expect much roast flavor out of 2% roast barley.