Confused about gypsum

[BansheeRider]

Gonna brew my first AG next week, it's gonna be an American IPA. When I was at my LHBS buying ingredients the guy said I should add gypsum to the mash since I'm brewing an IPA. He said all pale ales, IPAs, and amber ales would benefit from gypsum. He also said dark beers don't need it because dark grains stabilize PH on their own.

I went ahead and bought some gypsum because it was only .99 cents for a small bag. After doing some research I am thoroughly confused as to when to add gypsum, in the mash or boil? I read it's better in the boil for hop utilization reasons. I also have never looked at my towns water profile so I don't know what changes need to be made to my strike or sparge water.

I've never brewed AG. Should I rdwhahb? Should I not worry about water chemistry this early on in AG brewing? Can I make good beer without worrying about this stuff?

 

[IL1kebeer]

Gypsum is used to increase the ratio of sulfates to chlorides. When the ratio is favorable for sulfates then hop bitterness will be more pronounced. You will need a water report too determine how much gypsum to use because of your water is already sulfate favorable then you might end up doing more harm than good. If you don't have a water report you can go on the safe side and add a gram or two and see how it works. Less is usually more when it comes to using minerals for brewing.

Gypsum can also be used to lower your mash Ph, which is useful for a IPAs since you won't be using malts that contribute much acidity. Using gypsum for Ph adjustments should only be done if you have a water report in hand and have some understanding of brewing water chemistry.

That all being said, if you want to accentuate hop bitterness only, then put it in the boil. If you want to work your mash Ph and also accentuate hop bitterness then put it in your mash.

 

[BansheeRider]

Gypsum is used to increase the ratio of sulfates to chlorides. When the ratio is favorable for sulfates then hop bitterness will be more pronounced. You will need a water report too determine how much gypsum to use because of your water is already sulfate favorable then you might end up doing more harm than good. If you don't have a water report you can go on the safe side and add a gram or two and see how it works. Less is usually more when it comes to using minerals for brewing.

Gypsum can also be used to lower your mash Ph, which is useful for a IPAs since you won't be using malts that contribute much acidity. Using gypsum for Ph adjustments should only be done if you have a water report in hand and have some understanding of brewing water chemistry.

That all being said, if you want to accentuate hop bitterness only, then put it in the boil. If you want to work your mash Ph and also accentuate hop bitterness then put it in your mash.

Thanks for the info. I'll get a report of my water profile. Can I make good beer without all these additions to my water? It feels like a lot to absorb and kinda makes me think about brewing extract. I know this is part of the hobby and eventually I'll get it. It's just a little intimidating at first. I just bought Palmers book, maybe that'll help me understand.

 

[BansheeRider]

http://cityofpetaluma.net/wrcd/pdf/water_quality_report_2012.pdf

Any red flags? Is this report good?

 

[IL1kebeer]

http://cityofpetaluma.net/wrcd/pdf/water_quality_report_2012.pdf Any red flags? Is this report good?

It doesn't look like they listed the amount of chlorides in the water. Your sulfates are rather low so I'd imagine your water is favored on the chloride side but it's anyone's guess as to how much. However, I bet one or two grams of gypsum might do you some good.

It also doesn't show your alkalinity or bicarbonate level, which is important in figuring your water profile.

 

[DaveHunter5]

Water is the largest ingredient in beer, so yes you want to have a good water profile to make great beer. That's not saying you can't make good beer by not paying strict attention to it. You are missing a few components on your water report: calcium, magnesium, chloride, and bicarbonate, however I saw hardness which is usually in the form of calcium carbonate which can move back and forth with bicarb so you can probably say the hardness is your bicarb. You can use a brewing program such as beersmith to help calculate how much you want to add of what salt to meet your target water profile. Definitely read Water by Palmer or at least start by reading the section in How to Brew.

 

[pacman]

Gypsum is, I understand, added to brewing water in an attempt to replicate the spring waters of Burton upon Trent, the brewing capital of 19th century Great Britain, and one of, if not, the major suppliers of IPA to Queen Victoria's troops stationed in India during that period. A highly
hopped high alcohol brew, by the standards of the day, designed to withstand the rigours of a 3 month or so sailing ship voyage encountering often rough seas and extremely high temperatures, conditions that resulted in everyday brews from Britain becoming more or less undrinkable.

Adding gypsum to water is sometimes referred to as "Burtonisation", and I believe is a cult practice with some homebrewers. One can do the science, or experiment by adding a small amount, and gradually increasing or decreasing this addition until the desired result is achieved.

Try a bottle of Marston's IPA from Burton to get a feel of what gypsum is all about.