I recently picked up a RO/Di filter for a salt water aquarium and I was considering using it for brewing this weekend. I am planning on running it through the RO (no Di) and adding minerals back in order to make my own water, but I have never done so. Can anyone give me a good base water profile and what additions would be needed to do so? All I currently have are burtons brewing salts but will be going to my lhbs to pick up supplies tomorrow. Any guidance would be appreciated.
Brewing NE (vermont) style DIPA with RO water. Suggestions on mineral additions.
- Thread starter D_Nyholm
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The recommendation is always the same. Add 1/2 tsp of calcium chloride to each 5 gallons of RO water you use to brew - mash and sparge and add sauermalz in the amount of 2% of the other grains by weight. You almost guaranteed a decent beer if you do these things. Brewing water treatment is really pretty simple.
If you are brewing ales you will probably want to experiment with adding sulfate. Put some of your beer in a glass and taste it critically. Now add minute amounts of gypsum (make a solution and add a drop or 2) and then taste again. If you think the beer tastes better with the sulfate add more and taste again. Keep doing this until the taste stops improving. Scale the addition that gives you the best tasting beer to the full brew length and add that much gypsum to the brew the next time you do the beer. Critically taste that beer and as you brew it subsequent times keep adjusting until you achieve Nirvana. Depending on the style of beer you may find this at anywhere from 0 (lagers brewed with noble hops) to 400 mg/L (some ales). You should also experiment with chloride levels.
If you are brewing ales you will probably want to experiment with adding sulfate. Put some of your beer in a glass and taste it critically. Now add minute amounts of gypsum (make a solution and add a drop or 2) and then taste again. If you think the beer tastes better with the sulfate add more and taste again. Keep doing this until the taste stops improving. Scale the addition that gives you the best tasting beer to the full brew length and add that much gypsum to the brew the next time you do the beer. Critically taste that beer and as you brew it subsequent times keep adjusting until you achieve Nirvana. Depending on the style of beer you may find this at anywhere from 0 (lagers brewed with noble hops) to 400 mg/L (some ales). You should also experiment with chloride levels.
You can try to hit this profile as a start
http://www.alesoftheriverwards.com/2015/08/tired-hands-hophands-clone-revisted.html?m=1
rtracer
Well-Known Member
When the Primer was written 6 years ago everyone wanted lots and lots of minerals in his beer. I was just starting to push the less is better notion and figured I be laughed out of town if I suggested half a gram per gallon of calcium chloride though in fact I have always used much less than that. In the ensuing 6 years more and more people have tried brewing with substantially less salts and found they like the result. Thus the Primer, to be current, should talk about half the amounts of salts it does. Indeed Yooper has asked me to re-write it and I promised to do so over the summer but did not keep my promise as the summer did not turn out quite as planned. This fall. I promise.
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