Chemical question

[Blacksmith1]

Will any of the following interfere with fermentation?
Sodium bicarbonate
Calcium cloride
Magnesium sulfate
My stepson wants to get a 5gallon of filtered water with that stuff added.

 

[doug293cz]

Depends on how much of each of the ions is present. Calcium, chloride and sulfate concentrations below 100 ppm won't cause any issues, and some beers may go significantly higher on sulfate (e.g. beers looking for higher hop bitterness.) You probably want to keep sodium below about 20 ppm (unless you want a salty taste), and magnesium less than 10 ppm. None of these values are hard and fast limits, but you will be ok if you stay below them. Bicarbonate needs to be low enough so that the fermentation pH stays below about 5.

Brew on

 

[Seamonkey84]

Just mineral salts... should be fine. Though I’ve tested some bottled waters that were too high in ph to use for fish... that might just help buffer the ph during fermentation like the potassium bicarbonate in the BOMM.

 

[Lefou]

Be careful of using too much sodium bicarbonate.
It adds sodium you really won't need as much as you would calcium and it has a side effect that raises the water pH - but again, it depends on how much is used. I use sodium bicarb by the pound to add or balance alkalinity in my pool water ... and then again, my pool volume is in the neighborhood of 42,000 gallons.