agroff383
Well-Known Member
Hey all, wondering if anyone can tell me how much RO water I would use to balance out my city tap water. A lot of the lighter color beers I make just get dominated by a harsh, lingering bitterness. Some beers it is way more pronounced and I want to change it.
I can get RO water from a vending machine and I blend it with my tap water for strike and sparge volumes. I have been mashing with RO and sparging with tap water. According to a 2008 report, my sulfate is 79ppm and my sodium is 19.5ppm and my calcium is 161ppm. I don't know if this changes over time.
I want to know why I can't do all RO water. I do all grain. I have read I need minerals. I understand the mash needs minerals to convert, how much do I need? Or does this ride on what kind of beer I am making? If I used all RO water, would my efficency suffer? Or would only the most experienced beer taster be able to tell?
I really don't want to build water if I can get it close with a combo of tap and RO water. I did a SNPA clone last weekend that I only used about 2 gallons of tap water for my sparge and 5+ gallons for the mash/sparge. I am excited to see how this came out and if I can tell if it made a difference.
I know I would need absolute info on my water but this is the closest that I could find. I am going to call the water authority to get an updated report. It seems that everyone thinks my beers are too hoppy, but they are experiencing this excessive bitterness as well. I think if I change the amount of tap water I can lower this bitterness and let the malt/hops shine!
I can get RO water from a vending machine and I blend it with my tap water for strike and sparge volumes. I have been mashing with RO and sparging with tap water. According to a 2008 report, my sulfate is 79ppm and my sodium is 19.5ppm and my calcium is 161ppm. I don't know if this changes over time.
I want to know why I can't do all RO water. I do all grain. I have read I need minerals. I understand the mash needs minerals to convert, how much do I need? Or does this ride on what kind of beer I am making? If I used all RO water, would my efficency suffer? Or would only the most experienced beer taster be able to tell?
I really don't want to build water if I can get it close with a combo of tap and RO water. I did a SNPA clone last weekend that I only used about 2 gallons of tap water for my sparge and 5+ gallons for the mash/sparge. I am excited to see how this came out and if I can tell if it made a difference.
I know I would need absolute info on my water but this is the closest that I could find. I am going to call the water authority to get an updated report. It seems that everyone thinks my beers are too hoppy, but they are experiencing this excessive bitterness as well. I think if I change the amount of tap water I can lower this bitterness and let the malt/hops shine!