Gypsum add?

[Brienmt]

I bought gypsum because I saw a video that said it clears up beer.
I am starting a Hefeweizen in the next few days.
Starting with bottled spring water (but could switch to distilled water if it’d be better?)

shoukd I add gypsum? If so when?

 

[3 Dawg Night]

You don't really want a hefeweizen to be clear, right?

 

[Jag75]

https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/6KDwm8vWwW/

 

[Brienmt]

Not necessarily looking to clear up the wheat beer. Just trying to get a good feel for gypsum usage; why is it used and when, as well as how much.

 

[McKnuckle]

Gypsum is primarily used to add both sulfate and calcium to the brewing liquor. This lowers pH in the mash, and adds a crisp or dry mouthfeel that tends to accentuate hop bitterness.

Calcium content does have some positive impact on yeast flocculation, but gypsum is only one way to add calcium, hence it is not used primarily to influence clearing.

Amount used is dependent on style and preference, to achieve sulfate concentration anywhere from 0-300 ppm, with 25-100 ppm being the most prevalent across the spectrum of styles.

 

[camonick]

By reading a few of your other threads, I assume you are using extract in which case the gypsum wouldn’t really be necessary.

 

[dmtaylor]

By reading a few of your other threads, I assume you are using extract in which case the gypsum wouldn’t really be necessary.

If using extract, don't add gypsum or other salts. Use distilled water, not spring water. The extract already contains all the minerals you need, so you want to use the most neutral water possible. If you use spring water and/or add more salts, you're effectively ending up with double or even triple the salts of any other beer.

Anyway, gypsum is not a clarifying agent. And as others mentioned, hefeweizen isn't a clear beer style. It's as if you were trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist, and in doing so you create a lot of problems instead of fixing anything. Homebrewers love to overcomplicate matters, when more often, the best thing to do is to keep it very simple.

 

[ncbrewer]

If using extract, don't add gypsum or other salts. Use distilled water, not spring water. The extract already contains all the minerals you need, so you want to use the most neutral water possible.

I always assumed the same, but I checked with Williams Brewing. It turns out their malt extract is mashed without any added brewing salts. Tap water is used, so mineral content is unknown. I did taste tests adding salts to a finished beer to find out how much to add when brewing.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

By reading a few of [OPs] other threads, I assume you are using extract in which case the gypsum wouldn’t really be necessary.

Agreed - starting out (this is the 'beginners beer brewing forum') with extract, use distilled, RO, or low mineral spring water to put back the water that was taken out.

But as @ncbrewer noted, one can "season to taste" in the glass with various salts and add that back into the recipe for the next time it is brewed. Over time (with experience), one can develop an understanding of specific brands of DME (each brand can have different mineral content) and could start new recipe with a safe amount of additional salts.

 

[dmtaylor]

Water is an advanced topic that even advanced people don't understand (even when they'll usually claim they do).