Anyone filter there water with this? Chalky off flavor.

[BrotherBock]

http://www.rei.com/product/737349/katadyn-base-camp-water-filter

In an effort to get rid of chlorophenols I've recently tried using this to filter out cholrine and chloramines from my tap water. My understanding is that since it is an active carbon filter it will do this. I did two test batches. A Kolsch and Saison.

I'm noticing an almost chalky/minerally mouthfeel on my tongue and am wondering if its related to the filter. It's stronger in the saison. The saison also added 2.25g of gypsum in 2.5 gallon batch.

Here's my water profile:
Ca 23
Mg 4
Na+ 12
Cl- 27
SO4 25
Alkalinity 45 (HCO3)
pH 8

Anybody use a filter like this and get a similiar feeling? Any thoughts on why this may have happened?

 

[mabrungard]

Uh....that isn't much of a water filter in respect to brewing. You need a larger activated carbon filter and the flow rate through the filter must be very slow if chloramines are in the water.

I'm not sure what is in that REI filter, but its not typical that a filter would add a chalky/minerally taste. I'm not sure how it could create a mouthfeel either. However, failing to neutralize alkalinity will definitely extract tannins and that does come across in the taste and mouthfeel.

 

[BrotherBock]

Uh....that isn't much of a water filter in respect to brewing. You need a larger activated carbon filter and the flow rate through the filter must be very slow if chloramines are in the water.

It's just something I had on hand and thought "what the hell, lets try it."

It is activated carbon and the flow rate is painfully slow. So in those respects I think it does its job. Especially for these test batches that were 1 and 2.5 gallons.

But I can't put my finger on what the flavor is. Perhaps I used too much gypsum? I forget exactly but I think the calculator I used put my Ca at around 70 and the SO4 around 100. But there is a similar (though subdued) mouthfeel in the Kolsch.

I did use the same Fuggles that had been in my freezer for the past year throughout for both brews. Could old hops be the culprit?

In regards to alkalinity and tannin extraction. These were both extract batches with just a a few ounces of Red X in each. I added gypsum to just the saison and did it during the boil. Would the alkalinity thing still be an issue?

 

[mabrungard]

If the water alkalinity is significant, it still matters in extract brewing too. The kettle wort pH can be higher than desirable and that affects the flavor, bittering, and can lead to harshness.

 

[BrotherBock]

So I plugged my numbers back into a calculator and my chloride:sulfate ratio is balanced towards "very bitter."

27:155


Can I add CaCl to the fermenter and balance it more towards where I'd like? Or has that ship sailed?

 

[McKnuckle]

No point in doing that, because it's not the ratio that matters, it's the raw amounts of SO4 and Cl that account for bitter/dry and malty/full perceptions. Despite the calculator's verbiage (Brewer's Friend?), the concept of a ratio reflecting a continuum from malty to bitter has been largely debunked by the HBT water cognoscenti. Since you can't take out the gypsum, there's not much to do. Both of those styles are light and malty, and probably don't do well with so much sulfate.

 

[BrotherBock]

No point in doing that, because it's not the ratio that matters, it's the raw amounts of SO4 and Cl that account for bitter/dry and malty/full perceptions.

If its raw amounts that matter why doesn't adding some CaCl to the fermenter now help? Wouldn't that be adding to the raw amounts of Chloride?

I only added gypsum to the saison, not the Kolsch, to help accentuate the dryness. It was low hopped. From what I've read Saisons/Farmhouses have been known (not always) to have a fair amount of bitterenss also.

 

[McKnuckle]

It's your beer so you should experiment! I'm not sure that adding CaCl now would offset the effects of the gypsum that's already in there. Kind of like adding more molasses to chili to offset too much salt - or something like that. It can work but it can make things worse.

But really, this is a taste thing rather than pure science.

 

[BrotherBock]

Update for anyone that's interested. I think I may have been interpreting a kind of bitterness for that "chalky" mouthfeel. The saison has been bottled and I've drank a couple bottles.

That sensation is SIGNIFICANTLY reduced. It remains very slight in the finish...like a lingering dry bitterness. The kolsch has diminished as well and was never as significant. I think I can chalk this up (pun intended) to the gypsum I added to the saison.