ICWiener
Well-Known Member
Hi all,
I've been brewing for about 10 years or so. I make some fantastic beers and some decent beers. Some garbage too, once in a while. I've never really worried about my water. I've always followed the old mantra "If it's good to drink, it's good to brew with."
This approach has always been fine, except now I want to get into the nuts and bolts of brewing water. My liberal arts-granola brain is having a tough time. Long story short, my hoppier beers have never been as good as I think they should be. Luckily I don't make them often. So, can anyone help me make sense of this? My Belgians, stouts/porters, and English beers turn out great. Can't say the same for my IPAs and IIPAs. Is my water to blame?
Here's my water profile:
Sulfate: 2.1 ppm
Total Dissolved Solids: 56 ppm
Alkalinity as CaCO3: 23.1 ppm (range of 16-33 depending on time of year)
Bicarbonate Alkalinity: 39 ppm
Calcium: 8.6 ppm
Magnesium: 1.9 ppm
Sodium: 4.0 ppm
Total Hardness: 29 ppm
pH: 8.1 average (ranges from 7.3 to 9.1)
I don't check my mash pH, and very rarely have I ever added anything to my water. I was under the impression that unless my mineral levels were really high, I shouldn't worry...so I haven't.
Should I be adding gypsum or calcium chloride to my mash when making hoppy beers, or should I be looking elsewhere to solve this problem?
I've been brewing for about 10 years or so. I make some fantastic beers and some decent beers. Some garbage too, once in a while. I've never really worried about my water. I've always followed the old mantra "If it's good to drink, it's good to brew with."
This approach has always been fine, except now I want to get into the nuts and bolts of brewing water. My liberal arts-granola brain is having a tough time. Long story short, my hoppier beers have never been as good as I think they should be. Luckily I don't make them often. So, can anyone help me make sense of this? My Belgians, stouts/porters, and English beers turn out great. Can't say the same for my IPAs and IIPAs. Is my water to blame?
Here's my water profile:
Sulfate: 2.1 ppm
Total Dissolved Solids: 56 ppm
Alkalinity as CaCO3: 23.1 ppm (range of 16-33 depending on time of year)
Bicarbonate Alkalinity: 39 ppm
Calcium: 8.6 ppm
Magnesium: 1.9 ppm
Sodium: 4.0 ppm
Total Hardness: 29 ppm
pH: 8.1 average (ranges from 7.3 to 9.1)
I don't check my mash pH, and very rarely have I ever added anything to my water. I was under the impression that unless my mineral levels were really high, I shouldn't worry...so I haven't.
Should I be adding gypsum or calcium chloride to my mash when making hoppy beers, or should I be looking elsewhere to solve this problem?