After finally biting the bullet and getting a full water report from Ward Labs, I'm looking to expand on my current brewing practices and build my water profile for each beer. I've got a few questions about using Brun water and targeting specific ion concentrations...
1) How important is the role of bicarbonate and residual alkalinity in determining brewing water profiles?
2) How do you achieve a target mash pH of 5.3-5.5 with elevated levels of bicarbonate? It seems like the addition of lactic acid reduces the bicarbonate content -- I can't achieve a predicted mash pH of less than 5.6 with elevated bicarbonate content (>150 ppm).
3) Will an intermediate amount of sulfate (~100 ppm) increase the perception of dryness, even when moderated by chloride? Most of the beers I enjoy are definitely lower on the sulfate to chloride ratio.
Here's my existing and planned adjusted water profile:
Na: 29 / 29
Ca: 16 / 80
Mg: 3 / 8
SO4: 27 / 100
Cl: 5 / 80
HCO3: 97 / 150
I appreciate any input!
1) How important is the role of bicarbonate and residual alkalinity in determining brewing water profiles?
2) How do you achieve a target mash pH of 5.3-5.5 with elevated levels of bicarbonate? It seems like the addition of lactic acid reduces the bicarbonate content -- I can't achieve a predicted mash pH of less than 5.6 with elevated bicarbonate content (>150 ppm).
3) Will an intermediate amount of sulfate (~100 ppm) increase the perception of dryness, even when moderated by chloride? Most of the beers I enjoy are definitely lower on the sulfate to chloride ratio.
Here's my existing and planned adjusted water profile:
Na: 29 / 29
Ca: 16 / 80
Mg: 3 / 8
SO4: 27 / 100
Cl: 5 / 80
HCO3: 97 / 150
I appreciate any input!
