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Author Topic: Water Question for IPAs and Mineral Additions  (Read 4958 times)

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Water Question for IPAs and Mineral Additions
« Reply #15 on: April 24, 2017, 08:46:21 am »
I brewed quite a few APAs and IPAs with the Tasty/Pale Ale profile and have backed off, too. I've been using around 150ppm SO4 lately and liking it. I still end up fairly dry since I use very little crystal and finish around 1.010.
Jon H.

Offline zwiller

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Re: Water Question for IPAs and Mineral Additions
« Reply #16 on: April 24, 2017, 10:43:54 am »
All of the suggestions are good and work but there is no substitute for trying various methods.  When debating on these sort of things, I suggest you identify a commercial example that is similar to what you are trying to and then we could offer better advice. 
Sam
Sandusky, OH

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Water Question for IPAs and Mineral Additions
« Reply #17 on: April 24, 2017, 10:45:07 am »
All of the suggestions are good and work but there is no substitute for trying various methods.  When debating on these sort of things, I suggest you identify a commercial example that is similar to what you are trying to and then we could offer better advice. 



Totally agree.
Jon H.

Offline yso191

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Re: Water Question for IPAs and Mineral Additions
« Reply #18 on: April 28, 2017, 11:07:09 am »
I find myself wondering the role hop choice makes in this discussion of pH in IPA's.  In other words take your typical juicy (I use that descriptor for Denny's benefit) NE IPA compared to a PNW dank, piney, citrusy IPA.  I would imagine pH would affect these differently.

Does anyone have any experience with this?  By 'this' I specifically mean changing pH to match hop character.
Steve
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Offline zwiller

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Re: Water Question for IPAs and Mineral Additions
« Reply #19 on: April 28, 2017, 12:08:44 pm »
Yep, for danky go higher 5.4 for juicy go lower 5.2.  "It has been shown that this solubility increases with pH (see Figure 4) [Briggs, 2004] which is why the bitterness extraction from hops is greater at a higher boil pH. Many brewers, however, have reported that the quality of the bitterness extracted at high boil pH is perceived as being harsher compared to bitterness gained from a boil at a lower pH." http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=How_pH_affects_brewing 

Also, the sparge/pre boil pH are equally important...  Mash pH is not set and forget.  My personal approach is to acidify sparge liquor to same of mash.   
Sam
Sandusky, OH

Offline yso191

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Re: Water Question for IPAs and Mineral Additions
« Reply #20 on: April 29, 2017, 12:00:50 pm »
Very interesting.  Thank you.
Steve
BJCP #D1667

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Offline skyler

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Re: Water Question for IPAs and Mineral Additions
« Reply #21 on: May 01, 2017, 09:11:22 am »
I also prefer lower sulfate levels, basically, I just add enough gypsum to get my Calcium levels to ~60 ppm, then I add sea salt to give me a decent Sulfate/Chloride balance (I like 1.5/1 or 2/1). The resulting sodium levels are anywhere from 20-40, depending on what exact profile I shoot for. I had been using acid malt to adjust pH, but my newest batch seems more acidic than previous batches, so I am switching to regular acid.

Through some experimentation, I am beginning to believe that increased sodium levels permit higher sulfate levels to taste palatable and not come across as harsh/astringent/bitter. I have had very soft water in most of the places where I've brewed (Portland, OR and East Bay Area, CA) and found that I found my beers unpleasantly harsh when I brewed with more than 150 ppm sulfate. However, I remembered that when I had just used "burton salts" with RO or DI water before, I hadn't noticed the same problem. I also tasted plenty of great homebrew from people using Tasty's pale ale profile...

Anyway, I finally considered that my super-low sodium level might be the culprit, and started testing out higher sodium levels (20-50 ppm) by adding sea salt. Sure enough, higher sulfate levels are a lot more tolerable with sodium levels over 20 ppm. I've stopped using calcium chloride when I adjust minerals for hoppy pale beer. Now I adjust chlorides by adding sea salt, then increase the sulfate and calcium levels to get me where I need to be with gypsum. The balance has worked well for me, flavor-wise.