First beer with adjusted water, finished product is "salty?"

[jc587491]

Hey guys,
I have a quick question about water profiles. I just kegged a mosaic pale ale and it is the first beer i have added water adjustments to. The finished product tastes mineral-y and almost salty in the finish. I used bru'n water and used the "pale ale profile" to adjust my water. I was going for a low hopped basic pale ale.

I believe I may have added too much gypsum or there were not enough bittering hops to balance out the water additions. Since this is my first time using the water additions i would just like some feedback to make sure I used the program correctly and/or suggestions to improve my beer. I will attach the water adjustments and post recipe below.

Thank you in advance for any help!

Mosaic Pale Ale - 6 Gal All-Grain
10.5 lb 2-row brewers malt
1.5 lb Caramunich 1
.25 oz Mosaic (Cryo 24.1%) 60 min
.25 oz Mosaic (Cryo 24.1%) 30 min
.50 oz Mosaic (Cryo 24.1%) 0 min
.50 oz Mosaic (Cryo 24.1%) Dry Hop
Wlp008 East Coast Ale
1 campden tab
irish moss
OG 1.059 FG 1.010
Fermented 12 days under 10psi pressure in fermentasaurus.

 

[Homercidal]

What is your source of water? I've heard water from a water softener has a high amount of sodium.

 

[jc587491]

It is untreated/unsoftened well water. The sodium from the water report is 9.0 ppm

 

[Yooper]

I dislike that much sulfate in most of my beers. I have one recipe that is good at 250 ppm, but most of my IPAs are best at 135-150 ppm in my opinion. For lighter pale ales, I go with a bit less.

The calcium is very high, but it shouldn’t have a flavor impact. I like 80 ppm or so for my calcium level.

 

[jc587491]

Thanks Yooper! I appreciate the recommendations.

 

[ESBrewer]

I think gypsum will more like reinforce the hop bitterness. Your profile would be good for brewing bitters but for a standard pale ale you can probably cut the gypsum a bit. Maybe add a little bit chloride instead if you prefer a full body. If you feel that bitterness is not enough you should focus on hops and maybe cut down the maltiness a bit to emphasize the bitterness (pay attention to IBUs/OG ratio) . Your yeast choice is also masking some bitterness.