Newer to all grain with water questions

[psujeeperman02]

Brewing a hoppy pale this weekend. My beers have been drinkable, but looking to improve them. To me, water is the next part to adjust.

My water profile looks like this:
Calcium/CaC03 5 mg/L
Chloride 2 mg/L
Sulfate 2 mg/L

A little confused with Bru'n water, I entered in what appears correct and it spit out an estimated 5.23 estimated mash pH.

So, with that estimation, what or how should I adjust my water? I have both gypsum and calc chloride.

I would really like the hops to stand out in this batch.
It's a 10 gal batch with about a pound of hops being added to it.

Do I need to adjust my water?
If so, when should I add the gypsum and Calcium chlroide?

 

[TheHopfather]

You'd need to post your water report and your grain bill for anyone to really be able to help you.

Are you saying your water report shows those calcium, chloride and sulfate numbers? That is same damn pure water coming out of your taps. A pH of 5.23 with basically zero salts in your water seems low, do you have a bunch of crystal malt in your recipe?

I would select the "Yellow Bitter" profile in Brun Water and match the profile with your salt additions. See what your pH is looking like at that point. Typically on a pale beer you need some sort of acid to lower the pH into range. It seems odd to me that you're seeing a pH of 5.23 with your water and no acid additions.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

A bit of baking soda will raise the mash pH.

 

[psujeeperman02]

You'd need to post your water report and your grain bill for anyone to really be able to help you.

Are you saying your water report shows those calcium, chloride and sulfate numbers? That is same damn pure water coming out of your taps. A pH of 5.23 with basically zero salts in your water seems low, do you have a bunch of crystal malt in your recipe?

I would select the "Yellow Bitter" profile in Brun Water and match the profile with your salt additions. See what your pH is looking like at that point. Typically on a pale beer you need some sort of acid to lower the pH into range. It seems odd to me that you're seeing a pH of 5.23 with your water and no acid additions.

Malts:
25lb Pale 2 row
2.5 lb munich 10L
1lb cara
1lb crystal 60L
1lb Melanoidin

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Do you know either of the alkalinity or the bicarbonate values for your water? What is the source of your water? Is Cara intended to be Carapils?

Given a moderate level of added mineralization, I can't imagine such a grain bill mashing at below 5.4 pH, even with no alkalinity present. The more likely scenario is for the mash pH to be a bit above 5.4, and perhaps as high as 5.5. pH 5.23 seems oddly low.

 

[TheHopfather]

It looks like 10 gal at about 1.080? SRM looks like it'll be about 17.5. That is a strong, dark colored pale ale!

If I plug your numbers into Brun Water, use 100% RO which yours looks like it is, and add no salts I get a pH of 5.50. You've got a lot of crystal in that recipe, 10.8% of the grain bill, that is what is driving your pH down that far.

For a hoppy pale ideally you'd want your sulfate up around 150 ppm (or higher) and chloride around 50 ppm. It depends on how much water you're using on this batch for mash and sparge. But my quick back of a napkin calculations show a total of 10g gypsum and 3g calcium chloride will get you to 150 ppm SO4 and 55 ppm Cl with a pH of 5.28.

Really just guessing without more info.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Melanoidin is not a crystal malt. Ditto Munich. And at a Lovibond color of 1.5, Carapils isn't a very pH threatening (as in acidic) one. I figure around 10 SRM for the batch. But I assumed pale 2-Row to be brewers malt at 1.8L. If it is more like 3.5L, that bumps the color to about 12, and drops the mash pH to about 5.28. 5.28 isn't a bad mash pH.

 

[psujeeperman02]

For brewing water, I fill 5gal containers at the local spring water kiosk for $1.
Can't beat the price.

Carafoam.

I believe the alkalinity is 5.

 

[psujeeperman02]

The recipe is just a zombie dust clone.

So basically I'm brewing with Spring Water and wanting to brew a 10gal zombie dust clone.
What do you guys recommend for water additives?