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I'll try to get the values for my tap water. But I really hope the PH is to blame for the harsh taste, otherwise I really don't know what to make of it.

BTW, the reason I wanna use saaz is that I believe that it's responsible for much of the flavor of my favorite brew (belgian tripel)

Sorry for not stating it before; I'm an extract+specialty grain steeping guy. Unfortunately I don't know the make up of my tap water. Maybe I'll be able to test it in the next couple of weeks. But for now I think it will be a good experiment to brew with the spring water which is surely very...

Guys, thanks for trying to help, but please read the question. I'm not from the US, and we don't have RO water in the stores here. I'm also too poor to buy a RO filter for hundreds of $. All I have available is tap water with ph of 8-8.5. Or spring water with these values: Ca++ 80 Mg++ 16 SO4--...

I was talking about spring (mineral) water. It has high levels of chloride (Cl-), not chloramines or chlorine. I don't see how using a single malt and hop will help anything.

It's a bit of a complex question and there are a few factors to consider: 1. Water values: My last few brews had a harsh bitter aftertaste that I blame on the (presumably high) bicarbonate levels in the tap water that I use. After searching for solutions in my area, the only option I came up...

It's hard for me to get RO\distilled water here. But, according to this: ( http://www.brewersfriend.com/2009/03/14/all-grain-water-chemistry-brewing-information/ ) the mineral levels in my mineral water are just fine. I'll copy the label, so you can tell me what you think: Ca++ 80 Mg++ 16 SO4--...

Hmm... how about if I filter it with Brita?

Haven't seen any RO machines around these parts... Would bottled mineral water with PH 6.8 work? It's more acidic than distilled water and cheaper, so it's a double win, right?

I try to keep the temp between 65-72 Celsius, the grains are the specialty malt specified in the recipe. I use tap water and I don't know the ph.

Well, I did move apartments around the time the bitter flavors appeared... And I do use tap water, but I don't know about the bicarbonate levels. Is there an easy way to check this or to negate its effects?

I'm doing extract brewing, but I do steep some specialty grains. Do you think anything in the steeping process can cause the bitter taste?

My last few beers had an unpleasant bitter taste\after-taste. I brewed a beer today, and I wanna try to make sure this one is not too bitter. One thing that I noticed today (unfortunately it was too late to change anything at that point) is that my northen brewer hops are ~10% AA and the recipe...

Hey, thanks a lot man! But I'm not from the US, so I don't think it will be practical. I think maybe if I use iodine and then rinse it off with boiled water, I can save myself the trouble of de-labeling and baking the bottles.

Thanks guys, I'll go with the oven method. Do I have to remove all the labels from the bottles before I bake them?

I've been using iodine to sanitize my bottles, but now I've become paranoid that it makes my beer taste bitter. It will also be a while until I can get my hands on some starsan. Aaaand I don't own a dishwasher. Is there any other possible way for me to sanitize my bottles reliably?

So I'm gonna brew a porter today... is there a consensus that it's an infection caused during the bottling stage? Or should I try change something in the brew process to try to make it less bitter?

How should an infection taste? I have to say that even though the taste is not ideal, it's still more drinkable than much of the stuff you can get at the grocery shop. I thought an infection would completely ruin the beer...

All recipes are extract, primary time: minimum 2 weeks; 3 or more for the tripel. I use 96% drinking alcohol for everything and water with iodine for the bottles. Prior to filling I clean the bottles using a device that sprays the iodine water up the bottle, then let them dry for an hour or so...

I'm a noob brewer that has done 5 batches so far. My first 2 were amazing (1 amber and 1 Belgian tripel). The third one was the same recipe as the 1st amber ale, but it turned out pretty bad. Every time I would open a bottle the head would start pouring out and wouldn't stop for minutes...