Adding magnesium with epsom salt.

[larrydcarter]

I would like to raise the level of magnesium in my brewing water with raising the amount of sulfates. Anyone know how? Thanks in advance.

 

[mblanks2]

Take a look at the Bru'n Water spreadsheet and read up on it's use. Adding Epsom Salt will raise the Mg and sulfate content. It will lower the PH as well. Build you proposed beer in Bru'n Water and play around with the water adjustments page for a specific profile to achieve what you're after.
This sheet works very well. You can download the free version to try and once your comfortable using I highly recommend the paid version.You will need to know your existing water's profile though if you aren't purchasing RO water.

 

[PlinyTheMiddleAged]

Never mind. My comprehension skills are poor at this time of the morning.

 

[mabrungard]

Only add magnesium to your brewing water if you know the starting level on magnesium in your tap water. Magnesium is one of those ions that can get out of hand very quickly and ruin your beer. Anything less than 20 ppm is OK in many styles. Sneaking into the 30 or 40 ppm range could be risking for beer flavor. While I typically add 5 to 15 ppm Mg to many of my beers, you really don't need Mg in your brewing water unless you want it there for flavor. Epsom salt is a very good addition when brewing hoppy and bittered styles, since the flavor of that salt can greatly enhance those styles.

 

[ajdelange]

I would like to raise the level of magnesium in my brewing water with raising the amount of sulfates. Anyone know how? Thanks in advance.

Putting aside the question "why would you want to?" I'll move on to ask whether you really mean you want to increase magnesium 'with raising the amount of sulfate' in which case the answer is add magnesium sulfate. But the phrasing suggests a typo and that you might have meant 'without raising the sulfates' in which case the answer is different. You would have to use a different magnesium salt. Please clarify.