Water Profile Newbie

[Markalanbrown]

I am just staring to work on my water profile and I have lots of notes but little knowledge or experience.

I am planning on using RO water as a base, my next brew will be a German Hefeweizen.
What should I add to my base to get the correct profile?

Also is there anywhere that list additions to RO water for each style of beer?

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

It is likely that most everyone does it (mineralization) differently, and what you like may not be what others like.

 

[ajdelange]

Start with half a tsp of CaCl2 per 5 gallons of RO water. That will get you a very nice Hefe. Once you have it you can experiment by adding small amounts of additional CaCl2, CaSO4, NaCl in the glass to see if any of those improve the beer any. It's not likely that you will find that it does but taste is an individual thing and you just might.

 

[jturman35]

Brunwater and profile for the beer you are brewing. Start on the low end of the style spectrum so you don’t end up with a minerally beer.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Brunwater and profile for the beer you are brewing. Start on the low end of the style spectrum so you don’t end up with a minerally beer.

Personally, I find these profiles to be close to useless.

For most beers, I'd suggest keeping salt additions as low as possible whilst getting Calcium up a bit (for me 30ppm for lagers, 50ppm for most other beers). I also like to boost my Sodium a bit.

 

[jturman35]

Personally, I find these profiles to be close to useless.

For most beers, I'd suggest keeping salt additions as low as possible whilst getting Calcium up a bit (for me 30ppm for lagers, 50ppm for most other beers). I also like to boost my Sodium a bit.

They serve as a good starting point for someone new such as myself. I have only been brewing for a year and use them for a baseline and tweak from there.

 

[ajdelange]

You will get to good beer faster with just a half tsp of CaCl2 per 5 gal and taste test adjustments in the glass as recommended in No. 3. See the Primer (its a long slog and we now recommend half what the first post in that thread specified). Profiles early on are more likely to lead you astray than help you out.

 

[Markalanbrown]

Thanks for advice. I like the idea of keeping it simple.
Before today I have been online looking at Hefe waterprofiles. Could not get Bru'n Water spreadsheet to work on my ChromeBook / Google Sheets but I did get EZ Water to work.
Based on EZ Water and Palmer's Style guideline (I tried to land in the middle of the range) -here is my plan for a 3 gallon batch (an odd brew size I know)


Mash 2.5 gal at 152 for 60 minutes

1.5g Gypsum/CaSo4

3g Calcium Chloride/Cacl2

2g Epsom Salt/MgSo4

2.7g Baking Soda/NaHCo3

Sparge 2 gal at 170

1.5g Calcium Chloride/Cacl2

1g Epsom Salt/MgSo4

2.2g Baking Soda/NaHCo3

Or should I just go with .3 tsp (half tsp of CaCl2 per 5 gal cur down for a 3 gal brew)?

All comments, criticisms, and advice is appreciated.

 

[ajdelange]

First off I'll comment that wheat beers are made all over Germany and Austria with waters that are quite diverse. Most of them are very good but the only bad beer I was ever given in Germany was a Weizen.

So, as is usually the case with whatever beer you are brewing the simplest water usually gives the best beer and it's hard to get much simpler than 2.5 g calcium chloride per 5 gal. RO. Wheat beers rely very little on hops so you don't need sulfate for hops augmentation and wheat beers are rich, full and tart so you don'y need sulfate for a dry finish. However, if you find you like some go ahead and use it. What you definitely do not need is baking soda either in the mash but especially in the sparge water. Epsom salts is probably going to be more of a detriment than a benefit too. But definitely stay away from the bicarbonate. It will raise the pH of the mash which is taking it in the wrong direction.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Thanks for advice. I like the idea of keeping it simple.

1.5g Gypsum/CaSo4
3g Calcium Chloride/Cacl2
2g Epsom Salt/MgSo4
2.7g Baking Soda/NaHCo3

Sparge 2 gal at 170
1.5g Calcium Chloride/Cacl2
1g Epsom Salt/MgSo4
2.2g Baking Soda/NaHCo3

Or should I just go with .3 tsp (half tsp of CaCl2 per 5 gal cur down for a 3 gal brew)?

All comments, criticisms, and advice is appreciated.

The first option you list is definitely not keeping it simple. I'm assuming it comes from trying to match a profile? This is why blindly matching profiles is not good - you've ended up adding baking soda (bicarbonate) which then needs to be balanced by adding acid (to correct the pH) which ends up being useless. Also, never add alkalinity (carbonates or bicarbonates) to sparge water.

Your second option (a bit of CaCl2) will be much better. Use a weight rather than volume measurement though - CaCl2 comes in different forms (granules, flakes, powder) that make volume measurements highly variable.

For my next hefe, I'm going to keep it really basic - aim for 20ppm Calcium from Calcium chloride.
Also, the link below to Braukaiser's water profiles may be useful
http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php/Various_water_recipes

 

[Markalanbrown]

Thanks for the advice. Once it warms up a bit this weekend I am going to brew and I am going to follow the advice and keep it simple.
Just adding a little CaCl2 to the RO water.