Water

[Dude]

How many of you guys mess with your water profiles?

I think I finally figured out my stout problem.

Just racked over the oatmeal stout, missed the target once again. I'm getting a real overpowering roasted flavor.

I'm stumped. This is the third stout I've tried and all of them have been off the mark. The last 2 are too "roasted", IMHO, and it is overpowering everything else.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=5053

I've been doing some reading on water profiles and that urged me to see what my local water report was. Result: Very low alkalinity. That explains the harsh bitterness I've been getting. Palmer recommends to add baking soda to my mash, that will help smooth out the flavor. Guess I'm brewing a test batch of stout soon, to see if this fixes it.

Any experts out there?

I'm considering adjusting the profile for every style I do from now on. It can only make my beers better, right?

 

[cowain]

Thankfully, Little Rock has pretty neutral water. It's not really high in anything. So far I haven't had to mess with my water and I've made most styles of beer. However, I haven't done a stout yet, so perhaps I'll come across a problem.

 

[user 574]

I add some gypsum to my sparge water to lower the PH which is higher (about 8) but if I test it afterwards it's still a bit high. Might get some of that PH balancer... Have you tried that yet?

I don't understand how this product can perfectly balance your PH though. With my pool I either have to add acid if it's high or soda ash if it's low. How can this stuff be both

 

[david_42]

I'm lazy. I just use pH 5.2. I have the local water report, but it doesn't list the minerals that a homebrewer would can about. Buffering chemicals are a mix of an acid and a base that are almost identical (other than the -H or -OH). Adding acid to the mix makes the base more active forcing the pH back to the balance point, adding a base pushes it the other way.

Too expensive to use in a pool, though.

 

[Kaiser]

Try an acidification rest or acid malt to regulate your mash PH. I don't think there is a place for pure acid in brewing except for cleaning equipment.

Only my opinion, though.

Kai

 

[Dude]

After some research, according to my water report, we have very low alkalinity here which is NOT good for brewing dark beers. It is suggested I add some bicarbonates to my mash to fix it. Refrenced Palmer, Daniels, and a neat calculator from the Antioch Sudsuckers website.

Guess that explains why my stouts have sucked.

 

[Sasquatch]

My understanding is that both Ph and the permanent hardness have to be right for all types of beers. Generally speaking, don't dark beers require harder water than light ones?

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

My understanding is that both Ph and the permanent hardness have to be right for all types of beers. Generally speaking, don't dark beers require harder water than light ones?

That's because harder water has higher buffering ability to deal with the high acidity of the dark roasted specialty grains like patent and chocolate etc. If the water is too soft and you try to make a dark beer the mash pH will be pushed too low and your conversion will suffer. The mash pH should be about the same for all beers, it's getting there that's the problem.

...or something

 

[SwAMi75]

Water is the aspect of brewing I'm the weakest in. I gotta do my homework!

 

[Dude]

Water is the aspect of brewing I'm the weakest in. I gotta do my homework!

I found a great program to figure it for you.

Our water here, is fine for pale ales--explains why ours are so tasty!

It is anything over 15 SRM that might give an undesired bitterness. Especially uh, stouts.

 

[Sir Sudster]

Dude, what program are you using? I use the Brewater 3.0. I was going to post the link but it doesn't work anymore.

 

[boo boo]

I check the PH of my mash and may add gypsum sometimes but so far haven't delved into my water chemistry yet. I just got my municipal water supply profile so I'll have a look, but I think there are parts missing that I need. I may have to contact them for some missing info.

 

[KopyKat]

Well, there is water companies for everything else, spring water, distilled, drinking, mineral, flavored and soda. I think I will start a company and produce Homebrew Waters - My bottles will read as follows:

Stout Water
Porter Water
Rye Water
Brown Ale Water
Pale Ale Water
Big Beer Water
IPA Water

I could have endless varities and get rich on homebrewers.

Whadda ya think?

 

[Sir Sudster]

I think your on to something here. Get a good marketing company behind you and your set. Beer and More Beer sells individual mineral packs to dissolve in distilled water. They have a variety but if you mix it I'll buy a few drums of it.

 

[Dude]

Dude, what program are you using? I use the Brewater 3.0. I was going to post the link but it doesn't work anymore.

Yeah, that's the one I found too. It worked for me the other night, I downloaded it so I have it now. Great program, that is IF my next stout works out.