Please help me set up Bru'n Water Correctly. Water Report attached

[goatus]

At very low levels, Mg has little effect on flavor. But I do find that Epsom salt addition is a real bonus for hoppy beer flavor since it adds sulfate and the elevated Mg level does add to the perception of bitterness. That added Mg also reduces the amount of gypsum needed to reach the sulfate target. The calcium from the gypsum can cause the yeast to flocculate a little too early and that may affect attenuation.

The bottom line: You don't need to add any Mg to your brewing water since the malt supplies all that is needed for the yeast, but for more flavor in hoppy beers, add it.

So sulfate from Epsom vs Sulfate from Gypsum are different? Or are you saying its just a bonus that it adds sulphates too?

Ive just seen a lot of brewers (both homebrewers and pros) suggest not to add Epsom.

 

[mabrungard]

So sulfate from Epsom vs Sulfate from Gypsum are different? Or are you saying its just a bonus that it adds sulphates too?

Ive just seen a lot of brewers (both homebrewers and pros) suggest not to add Epsom.

No difference in the sulfate, but there is a flavor bonus from the magnesium that goes well in a hoppy beer. That advice to avoid Epsom is well founded since it takes very little magnesium to screw up the flavor of an otherwise fine beer. 0 to 40 ppm Mg is teeny compared to 0 to 400 ppm for sulfate. So you can see that you do need to be careful with Mg additions. With that said, there is still an advantage flavorwise to having enough Mg in your hoppy and bittered beers.

 

[Mardoo]

Wow, it's the Pope of Bru'nvania! Thanks for keeping up with our forum!

 

[rude]

What about calcium how much does the grain add to the wort for fermentation
or is the 50 to 100ppm no worries
Does the type of yeast you use come into play with the amount of calcium you use ie high floccer to low floccer

 

[mabrungard]

What about calcium how much does the grain add to the wort for fermentation
or is the 50 to 100ppm no worries
Does the type of yeast you use come into play with the amount of calcium you use ie high floccer to low floccer

When you think about it, its no surprise that brewing yeast have evolved to thrive on the levels of Ca and Mg supplied by typical malt. In the case of both ions, the malt provides all the Ca and Mg that the yeast need for their metabolism.

Rude, you did hit on the proper point regarding yeast type. Ca and Mg both improve the tendency of yeast to flocculate. For example, the high Ca and Mg of Burton waters made the Burton beers revered for their clarity. The type of yeast does matter with respect to extra calcium supplied with the water. As most know, there are some yeast that are quick to flocculate and there are others that don't. With respect to those quick floccers, you may want to limit the amount of Ca and Mg in the water to help reduce their tendency to flocculate. Another case where you might not want a lot of flocculation is with Weizens and Wits. Reducing the Ca content does improve that cloudiness that is a mark of those styles. If you have an ale yeast that tends to be powdery, boost the Ca content and that should help improve the floccing.

Another large distinction in Ca requirements is between lager and ale yeasts. Lager yeast performance can actually be diminished as the Ca content increases. There can be metabolic problems in lager yeast when the Ca content is too high. Keeping Ca low (<<40 ppm) for lagers is actually desirable. And while the low Ca does reduce lager yeast flocculation, the long lagering process makes the poor flocculation performance moot. For ale brewing, targeting 50 + ppm Ca is a good idea unless you want your ale to take forever to clear.

 

[rude]

Thanks Martin great post very helpfull
I have thought about water additions just never went there now it has opened up a new toolbox & hopefully better beers
So Im going to dilute or use %100 RO water depending on beer style
1st up will put salts,acidulated grain in mash tun with crushed grain
Add strike water 12 litres single infusion batch sparger here & stir mash in
2nd treat mashout sparge water with acid (lactic) then heat to strike temp
Mashout collect wort then sparge & collect wort
3rd add sparge salts to kettle
How does this procedure look will only be geussing ph no meter, Melville water West Aust ph8
Also I usually leave 5 litres at the bottom of HLT so will add this volume to adjust for sparge treatment
All comments apreciated cheers