[morticaixavier]

since we are on the oktoberfest - i have a water chemistry question. using the munich water profile inbru n water, i need about 300ppm of bicarb. my well water is plenty high in bicarb, but also has too much sodium at 114ppm. therefore, i must use distilled water and add my minerals.

too bump my bicarb up, am I adding calcium carb? when i add the amount of calcium carb necessary to get bicarb ppm right, my PH shoots up - requiring lactic acid to drop the PH in range. however the lactic acid addition also drops the bicarb. how do i manage this..should i be adding acid malt to manage the ph and skip the lactic acid addition so i can just use moderate amount of calcium carb to hit the desired bicarb ppm? 

for magnesium, what product should i be using..i only see magnesium flakes out there for sale..is this what i use?

Acid malt is just malt sprayed with lactic acid, so that's not going to help with the bicarb. don't know the answer to this though

magnesium, use epsom salts.

epsom salts - same calculation (1 for 1 substitute) used in bru n water for the magnesium addition?

I don't remember cause I never bother with Magnesium, but I THINK it's set up to use Epsom Salts as the magnesium addition yes.

[denny]

since we are on the oktoberfest - i have a water chemistry question. using the munich water profile inbru n water, i need about 300ppm of bicarb. my well water is plenty high in bicarb, but also has too much sodium at 114ppm. therefore, i must use distilled water and add my minerals.

too bump my bicarb up, am I adding calcium carb? when i add the amount of calcium carb necessary to get bicarb ppm right, my PH shoots up - requiring lactic acid to drop the PH in range. however the lactic acid addition also drops the bicarb. how do i manage this..should i be adding acid malt to manage the ph and skip the lactic acid addition so i can just use moderate amount of calcium carb to hit the desired bicarb ppm? 

for magnesium, what product should i be using..i only see magnesium flakes out there for sale..is this what i use?

I think it's unlikely you need to add Mg.  The grain should supply plenty, but I'll leave it to smarter people to confirm that.  Also, you might consider using the color/flavor profiles rather than a city profile. 

[denny]

since we are on the oktoberfest - i have a water chemistry question. using the munich water profile inbru n water, i need about 300ppm of bicarb. my well water is plenty high in bicarb, but also has too much sodium at 114ppm. therefore, i must use distilled water and add my minerals.

too bump my bicarb up, am I adding calcium carb? when i add the amount of calcium carb necessary to get bicarb ppm right, my PH shoots up - requiring lactic acid to drop the PH in range. however the lactic acid addition also drops the bicarb. how do i manage this..should i be adding acid malt to manage the ph and skip the lactic acid addition so i can just use moderate amount of calcium carb to hit the desired bicarb ppm? 

for magnesium, what product should i be using..i only see magnesium flakes out there for sale..is this what i use?

Acid malt is just malt sprayed with lactic acid, so that's not going to help with the bicarb. don't know the answer to this though

magnesium, use epsom salts.

epsom salts - same calculation (1 for 1 substitute) used in bru n water for the magnesium addition?

I don't remember cause I never bother with Magnesium, but I THINK it's set up to use Epsom Salts as the magnesium addition yes.

If you use Epsom you need to account for the sodium it adds, too.

[hopfenundmalz]

Munich was known for dark beers before water chemistry was figured out. Use the amber malty profile. With your grain bill you don't want that much alkalinity, so amber malty.

Did a good on last year using 833.

You don't need to add Mg, it will come from the mash. If you want to add, use Epsom salts MgSO4. No Na in Epsom salts.

[yugamrap]

I've had good results with WY2308, WLP833, and WLP830 but I think I like WY2206 best.

[denny]

You don't need to add Mg, it will come from the mash. If you want to add, use Epsom salts MgSO4. No Na in Epsom salts.

Thanks for the correction, Jeff.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

Munich was known for dark beers before water chemistry was figured out. Use the amber malty profile. With your grain bill you don't want that much alkalinity, so amber malty.

Did a good on last year using 833.

You don't need to add Mg, it will come from the mash. If you want to add, use Epsom salts MgSO4. No Na in Epsom salts.

good god thanks for that profile suggestion..i couldn't come up with anyway to hit the munich. using amber malty and i'm all set.ive never used magnesium, so we will stick to that plan and let it ride as is.

thanks again

[Wort-H.O.G.]

Munich was known for dark beers before water chemistry was figured out. Use the amber malty profile. With your grain bill you don't want that much alkalinity, so amber malty.

Did a good on last year using 833.

You don't need to add Mg, it will come from the mash. If you want to add, use Epsom salts MgSO4. No Na in Epsom salts.

is 154F the most appropriate mash temp you would use for an oktoberfest? thinking i'm going with 2206 for my yeast, and with a 154F mash, beer smith calculates FG of 1.014.

[hopfenundmalz]

Munich was known for dark beers before water chemistry was figured out. Use the amber malty profile. With your grain bill you don't want that much alkalinity, so amber malty.

Did a good on last year using 833.

You don't need to add Mg, it will come from the mash. If you want to add, use Epsom salts MgSO4. No Na in Epsom salts.

You have to decide, as I did a Hochkurz double decoction.

is 154F the most appropriate mash temp you would use for an oktoberfest? thinking i'm going with 2206 for my yeast, and with a 154F mash, beer smith calculates FG of 1.014.

[denny]

Munich was known for dark beers before water chemistry was figured out. Use the amber malty profile. With your grain bill you don't want that much alkalinity, so amber malty.

Did a good on last year using 833.

You don't need to add Mg, it will come from the mash. If you want to add, use Epsom salts MgSO4. No Na in Epsom salts.

is 154F the most appropriate mash temp you would use for an oktoberfest? thinking i'm going with 2206 for my yeast, and with a 154F mash, beer smith calculates FG of 1.014.

154ish sounds good to me.  Don't worry too much about what Beersmith predicts for FG.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

Munich was known for dark beers before water chemistry was figured out. Use the amber malty profile. With your grain bill you don't want that much alkalinity, so amber malty.

Did a good on last year using 833.

You don't need to add Mg, it will come from the mash. If you want to add, use Epsom salts MgSO4. No Na in Epsom salts.

is 154F the most appropriate mash temp you would use for an oktoberfest? thinking i'm going with 2206 for my yeast, and with a 154F mash, beer smith calculates FG of 1.014.

154ish sounds good to me.  Don't worry too much about what Beersmith predicts for FG.

i may give the Hochkurz double decoction a try with the step hot water infusion procedure..seems reasonably straight forward and simple to perform. 

[denny]

i may give the Hochkurz double decoction a try with the step hot water infusion procedure..seems reasonably straight forward and simple to perform.

I considered that for the doppelbock I'm doing tomorrow.  I think I'm too lazy....er, pragmatic....to really do it, though.  We'll see what tomorrow brings....

[redbeerman]

I use WLP833 (getting back to the original question).  I like the malt profile it leaves.  Also makes a good starter for my doppelbock.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

I use WLP833 (getting back to the original question).  I like the malt profile it leaves.  Also makes a good starter for my doppelbock.

have you used another? any compare and contrast highlights you noticed?

[davidgzach]

i may give the Hochkurz double decoction a try with the step hot water infusion procedure..seems reasonably straight forward and simple to perform.

I considered that for the doppelbock I'm doing tomorrow.  I think I'm too lazy....er, pragmatic....to really do it, though.  We'll see what tomorrow brings....

C'mon guys, go for it!