Does water chemistry affect acetaldehyde production?

[Franktalk]

I think that some people are more sensitive to acetaldehyde in beer. I think that because I am one of those people. In my light beers, kolsch, light lager, and wit, if I have one, they taste great, no acetaldehyde. When I taste someone else's homebrew, sometimes it hits me right away if it's there. But even in my own light beers, if I have a bunch, I will eventually be overcome with it. I don't usually drink light beers, but once in a while it do because I brew them for my wife and my friends. After 4 or 5 of my really light colored beers I will begin to taste it. Could it be that you are ultra sensitive to it? Do you taste it right away or does it accumulate? Just trying to get to the bottom of it.

 

[sharpbeer]

It's been a few months but I have come with an update.

I am not OP so I am not sure if he and I have the same issue. However, since he has been using distilled water and having this possible acetaldehyde issue, and I started having this issue when switching to DI water, it may be related. Back in February, when I last posted, I had brewed up an English bitter and a wee heavy, both using DI water and added in the appropriate amount of brewing salts per BeerSmith3, both of those beers came out just fine, my wife, friends, and I had not detected anything like in the previous beers. The following month, March, I brewed up a light IPA with DI water+brewing salts+servomyces (zinc yeast nutrient). As the beer fermented it had an acetaldehyde/green apple smell when I nudged the pressure relief valve on my conical fermenter. After pressure transferring the beer to a keg and carbing, when served it still had this green apple smell/taste.

I got tired of tasting apples in all my brews so I gave up on DI water and adjusting water chemistry. I went back to using Chicago tap water since I never had any 'acetaldehyde' issues with it before. Since March, I have brewed up 4 different beers with tap water, 2 light I/APA's, a Belgian Dubbel, and a stout. None of them have had this 'acetaldehyde' issue. I don't know if the culprit was the DI water, (CVS brand, Primo brand, Hinckley brand distilled water), my brewing salts are bad, or whatever other reason, but all of the lighter beer styles I have brewed with DI water since Aug of 2019 (6 different brews) have had this green apple or acetaldehyde smell AND flavor.

 

[sharpbeer]

So, its been 2 years... I'm not sure if this will help anyone in any way but... I just got back into brewing after settling in to our new home. I figured out what my 'acetaldehyde' 'green apple' issue was. It was cascade hops I had left out one day while brewing, they sat and cooked in the summer heat for a good few hours. I then went on and used the rest of these hops in my light ales, which is where I had all these green apple notes.