[therealmccoy]

If I used distilled water is there a standard that can applied for adding salts to imitate Burton water.

On a side note I used 5 teaspoons of BrewCraft Burton salts to my 5 gallon batch brewed with distilled water.  I think the package said each teaspoon to 1 gallon would add 889 points.

The styles I brewed were an Amber and a brown

Did I really mess this up?

[tomsawyer]

I loooked at that and immediately thought you'd added twice what you should have, but looking at Palmer's Burton water salt levels it appears right.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter15-2.html

[nateo]

The problem with trying to emulate other place's water profiles is that we only know what the water was like as it entered the brew house, not how it was treated by the brewers.

Trying to mash a fairly light (in color) ale with 320ppm of bicarbonate doesn't sound fun.

[a10t2]

"Burtonizing" water, in the sense of adding some sulfate, is a good idea for hoppy beers. Adding 300+ ppm SO₄ is a Bad Idea. It's a laxative.

[hopfenundmalz]

For therealmccoy, do you know what is in the BrewCraft Burton salts?  To some Burtinization means adding just gypsum to get the SO4 up.

What level to shoot for?  You see widely varying numbers for SO4 ppm in Burton brewing water, 600 to about 800 ppm (both darned high).  That depends on which brewery's water was quoted.  The sulfate level would vary as to where the bore hole was drilled and what strata it would draw from.

Palmer also says that over 400 ppm the SO4 can make the bitterness seem astringent (to me this is reason enouigh to stay under 250 to 300 ppm for beer).  Over 750 ppm diarrhea. EPA guideline is 250 ppm for taste and ordor.

There is an interesting study here, where they went as high a 1200 ppm.
http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-WATER/1999/February/Day-11/w3427.htm

[jmcamerlengo]

"Burtonizing" water, in the sense of adding some sulfate, is a good idea for hoppy beers. Adding 300+ ppm SO₄ is a Bad Idea. It's a laxative.

Now we know how to get that jerkwad or ex back that we just cant stand

[nateo]

SO4 + Mg = Epsom salt. The German word for Epsom is Bittersalz. Not something you should really drink. The Brewcraft Burton salts contain CaSO4, MgSO4 and K2SO4, although I'm not sure the relative % of each. You'd be better off just using CaSO4. 

[therealmccoy]

I forgot to mention that I added the salts just before the boil, not during the mash (which is where I think I should have)

I'm guessing the beer should be drinkable, but perhaps a little bitter because its a low alchol level.

Thoughts on adding it at boil instead of mash?

Thanks all for the info and links. Still digesting. 

[a10t2]

Still digesting.

Not for long!