New all grain brewer water question

[Alwaysoverkill]

hello all,

I’ve got the remainder of my equipment in order and can’t wait to start with a nice oatmeal stout on my Robobrew V3. It’ll be fermented in a fast ferment conical.

My question is, does water matter much for a Stout. I’m wondering if PH matters for stout va lager. I’ve read lager it matters more than dark beers?

Also, any harm in metabisulfate to remove some chlorine?

I want first batch to go well without getting overly complicated, but I’m jumping straight into all-grain so I can learn from day one.

I think the rest is pretty straight forward. Batch 1 is stout. Batch 2 probably lager

 

[Rob2010SS]

hello all,

I’ve got the remainder of my equipment in order and can’t wait to start with a nice oatmeal stout on my Robobrew V3. It’ll be fermented in a fast ferment conical.

My question is, does water matter much for a Stout. I’m wondering if PH matters for stout va lager. I’ve read lager it matters more than dark beers?

Also, any harm in metabisulfate to remove some chlorine?

I want first batch to go well without getting overly complicated, but I’m jumping straight into all-grain so I can learn from day one.

I think the rest is pretty straight forward. Batch 1 is stout. Batch 2 probably lager

Water chemistry of course matters. With the darker grains of a stout, your acidity will be higher therefore you'll have a lower mash pH. Not sure what happens fully with too low of a pH. Tannin extraction maybe...? I would think you'd want to add baking soda at the very least.

 

[BigCrazyAl]

If you're brand new to all-grain, I'd recommend to just use the water you've been using. Run it through a carbon filter at the very least. No need to further complicate your first all grain brew day. You can make a very good beer with water that isn't modified.

As for chlorine, if you can't filter the water I've heard you can sit your water out overnight in your brew pot and it will evaporate but I haven't tried it.

If you're set on modifying water then I highly recommend taking a look at Bru'n Water (free) to help you modify water based on style. You can buy RO water or distilled water and build from scratch. This will require buying 5-6 minerals and possibly lactic acid to get everything right.

Good luck with your first AG brew day! It's a lot of work but it does go faster as you get used to it and can multitask during the mash and boil.

 

[mabrungard]

As the largest component, water is pretty important to the overall perception of the finished beer. You don’t mention what your tap water contains and its difficult to know if your water is well suited to your planned stout or other styles. Knowing your water is the first step.

Your proposed use of meta is at least a good first step since municipal tap water will contain some sort of chlorine.

The needs for your brewing water change in accordance with your grist. Therefore, its difficult to provide one solution. But you don’t have to get carried away or fret over it. Every aspect of brewing can be as simple or complicated as you prefer.

 

[RM-MN]

If you're brand new to all-grain, I'd recommend to just use the water you've been using. Run it through a carbon filter at the very least. No need to further complicate your first all grain brew day. You can make a very good beer with water that isn't modified.

As for chlorine, if you can't filter the water I've heard you can sit your water out overnight in your brew pot and it will evaporate but I haven't tried it.

If you're set on modifying water then I highly recommend taking a look at Bru'n Water (free) to help you modify water based on style. You can buy RO water or distilled water and build from scratch. This will require buying 5-6 minerals and possibly lactic acid to get everything right.

Good luck with your first AG brew day! It's a lot of work but it does go faster as you get used to it and can multitask during the mash and boil.

Chlorine isn't all that hard to get rid of as it evaporates if left in the open. However, a lot of municipalities are switching to chloramine because it doesn't evaporate. One Campden tablet per 20 gallons of water will eliminate both chlorine and chloramine. It's a really cheap fix and quick too.

 

[Gameface]

If you're brand new to all-grain, I'd recommend to just use the water you've been using. Run it through a carbon filter at the very least. No need to further complicate your first all grain brew day. You can make a very good beer with water that isn't modified.

As for chlorine, if you can't filter the water I've heard you can sit your water out overnight in your brew pot and it will evaporate but I haven't tried it.

If you're set on modifying water then I highly recommend taking a look at Bru'n Water (free) to help you modify water based on style. You can buy RO water or distilled water and build from scratch. This will require buying 5-6 minerals and possibly lactic acid to get everything right.

Good luck with your first AG brew day! It's a lot of work but it does go faster as you get used to it and can multitask during the mash and boil.

I don't have 5-6 minerals, I have gypsum, calcium chloride, baking soda and lactic acid. I haven't had any issues using RO water using just those (usually don't need baking soda, but do use it on some dark beers).

 

[VirginiaHops1]

At the very least use campden, unless you're 100% certain your water source contains no chlorine/chloramines.

I found a water report on mine and have used the water spreadsheets to modify my water. Can't yet say for certain it makes much difference at least at the small additions I've been doing, but it's fun to play around with, like any other variable in brewing.