BaldyOnFire
Active Member
TL;DR. My RO systems adds back in "calcium carbonate". Is this the same as calcium chloride dihydrate?
Hey all. And thank you for your time and help in advance.
I'm looking for simplicity here since I'm brewing a batch of beer very soon. Based on the sticky that says this, "Baseline: Add 1 tsp of calcium chloride dihydrate (what your LHBS sells) to each 5 gallons of water treated. Add 2% sauermalz to the grist", what do I do?
I just installed an APEC six stage RO system (ROES-PH75). The sixth stage says it remineralizes the water by "adds calcium carbonate to increase water alkalinity". The supply to this filter is softened water that is softened using potassium chloride, NOT sodium chloride. I feel like this is moot since the filter will remove nearly all of that anyway. Also, let's assume for now that my RO filter system works very well and I'm starting with nearly pure RO water.
1. How does the fact that the 6th stage adds calcium carbonate translate to brewing? As in, what mineral now does NOT need to be added to my RO water? Let's assume that it adds a "normal" amount. IOW, does this 6th stage add back the equivalent of "Add 1 tsp of calcium chloride dihydrate..."?
2. WTF is sauermalz? I see people suggesting lactic acid but then the amounts suggested are all over the place.
I'm just looking for an answer something like, "you just need to add x amount of x mineral to get back to the baseline suggested in the quotes above."
NOTES:
1. I'm only brewing pale ales and balanced IPA's. That's the only water profile I care about.
2. I live in Phoenix, AZ and we have really hard water.
3. I bought this RO system so that I didn't have to go the store to buy water.
4. 5 gallon all grain batches
5. Soon I WILL be sending my water off to Ward Labs to get it tested.
6. I will be emailing/asking the RO filter maker more about this 6th stage and how much and what it adds back in.
7. I will NOT remove the sixth stage to gather brewing water. I don't want to be messing with valves under my sink, hastening their failure.
8. Since I have Amazon prime I'll hope to find whatever I need there instead of spending $7 for shipping on $6 of salts that I might need.
9. I'm not looking to make the best beer ever made so I don't need a perfect water profile, just looking to get a simple enough baseline water profile for pale ales until I can get my water tested.
10. For years I've been brewing with RO water (from the machines at the store) and adding my LHBS's free "salts". I've had no complaints ever about any of my ales. It's this 6th stage filter that has me confused a bit.
11. Lastly, obviously this is my first real venture into water profiling beyond knowing that if I used RO water I need to add something back in.
12. I recently brewed a rye pale ale and for the first time ever, used my my softened water that at the time was run through only this counter-top activated filter and IMO the beer came out great.
Hey all. And thank you for your time and help in advance.
I'm looking for simplicity here since I'm brewing a batch of beer very soon. Based on the sticky that says this, "Baseline: Add 1 tsp of calcium chloride dihydrate (what your LHBS sells) to each 5 gallons of water treated. Add 2% sauermalz to the grist", what do I do?
I just installed an APEC six stage RO system (ROES-PH75). The sixth stage says it remineralizes the water by "adds calcium carbonate to increase water alkalinity". The supply to this filter is softened water that is softened using potassium chloride, NOT sodium chloride. I feel like this is moot since the filter will remove nearly all of that anyway. Also, let's assume for now that my RO filter system works very well and I'm starting with nearly pure RO water.
1. How does the fact that the 6th stage adds calcium carbonate translate to brewing? As in, what mineral now does NOT need to be added to my RO water? Let's assume that it adds a "normal" amount. IOW, does this 6th stage add back the equivalent of "Add 1 tsp of calcium chloride dihydrate..."?
2. WTF is sauermalz? I see people suggesting lactic acid but then the amounts suggested are all over the place.
I'm just looking for an answer something like, "you just need to add x amount of x mineral to get back to the baseline suggested in the quotes above."
NOTES:
1. I'm only brewing pale ales and balanced IPA's. That's the only water profile I care about.
2. I live in Phoenix, AZ and we have really hard water.
3. I bought this RO system so that I didn't have to go the store to buy water.
4. 5 gallon all grain batches
5. Soon I WILL be sending my water off to Ward Labs to get it tested.
6. I will be emailing/asking the RO filter maker more about this 6th stage and how much and what it adds back in.
7. I will NOT remove the sixth stage to gather brewing water. I don't want to be messing with valves under my sink, hastening their failure.
8. Since I have Amazon prime I'll hope to find whatever I need there instead of spending $7 for shipping on $6 of salts that I might need.
9. I'm not looking to make the best beer ever made so I don't need a perfect water profile, just looking to get a simple enough baseline water profile for pale ales until I can get my water tested.
10. For years I've been brewing with RO water (from the machines at the store) and adding my LHBS's free "salts". I've had no complaints ever about any of my ales. It's this 6th stage filter that has me confused a bit.
11. Lastly, obviously this is my first real venture into water profiling beyond knowing that if I used RO water I need to add something back in.
12. I recently brewed a rye pale ale and for the first time ever, used my my softened water that at the time was run through only this counter-top activated filter and IMO the beer came out great.
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