Water for IPA

You’re ignorant if you’re simply doing it because it works… get a clue!

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=122681[/quote]

Yeah I better stop doing it till I understand the science behind it :lol:

That’s right. I’ve already enrolled in the 4 year brewing major at UC-Davis. Apparently I am doomed to fail if I don’t have a phd in brewing science and chemistry… DOOMED!

You’re ignorant if you’re simply doing it because it works… get a clue!http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=122681[/quote]

Yeah, I guess I’m a total dumbass (can I say that here?) because if it works for me, I keep doing it the same way, time after time …

You’re ignorant if you’re simply doing it because it works… get a clue!http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=122681[/quote]

Yeah, I guess I’m a total dumbass (can I say that here?) because if it works for me, I keep doing it the same way, time after time … :roll: [/quote]
well when it stops workin and you don’t know why then you’ll feel really dumb! :blah:

Lol, ignorance is bliss.

well when it stops workin and you don’t know why then you’ll feel really dumb! :blah: [/quote]

It’s a risk I’m willing to take… :mrgreen:

1 Like

[quote=“dannyboy58”]I’m brewing an IPA tomorrow and wanted to get opinions on my water adjustment. I thought I might have to dilute my well water with distilled but it doesn’t look like it.

Here’s the recipe:

Style: American IPA
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications

Boil Size: 6.7 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.67 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.25 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.058 SG
Estimated Color: 7.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 63.0 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 83.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:

Amt Name Type # %/IBU
10 lbs Briess 2 Row (1.8 SRM) Grain 1 90.9 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 2 9.1 %
0.75 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 3 26.7 IBUs
1.02 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 4 22.1 IBUs
0.26 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 5 -
2.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 6 14.2 IBUs
1.0 pkg American Ale II (Wyeast Labs #1272) [124 Yeast 7 -
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 8 0.0 IBUs

If I use the Pale Ale water profile in Brunwater I find that just adding gypsum to get to the sulfate target of 300 and calcium chloride to hit the chloride target of 55 actually puts me at 5.4 mash pH. With most of the beers I brew I’m ok with that. Should I shoot for a lower pH on the IPA?[/quote]

whats your water profile? it is not shown. PH is fine but you will have to experiment to your taste you might like a little lower or higher.
If your kegging play with carbonation to, a lot of people dont realize how much carbonation changes a beer

[quote=“grainbelt”][quote=“dannyboy58”]I’m brewing an IPA tomorrow and wanted to get opinions on my water adjustment. I thought I might have to dilute my well water with distilled but it doesn’t look like it.

Here’s the recipe:

Style: American IPA
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications

Boil Size: 6.7 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.67 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.25 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.058 SG
Estimated Color: 7.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 63.0 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 83.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:

Amt Name Type # %/IBU
10 lbs Briess 2 Row (1.8 SRM) Grain 1 90.9 %
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 2 9.1 %
0.75 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 3 26.7 IBUs
1.02 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 4 22.1 IBUs
0.26 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 5 -
2.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 6 14.2 IBUs
1.0 pkg American Ale II (Wyeast Labs #1272) [124 Yeast 7 -
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 8 0.0 IBUs

If I use the Pale Ale water profile in Brunwater I find that just adding gypsum to get to the sulfate target of 300 and calcium chloride to hit the chloride target of 55 actually puts me at 5.4 mash pH. With most of the beers I brew I’m ok with that. Should I shoot for a lower pH on the IPA?[/quote]

whats your water profile? it is not shown. PH is fine but you will have to experiment to your taste you might like a little lower or higher.
If your kegging play with carbonation to, a lot of people dont realize how much carbonation changes a beer[/quote]

Water profile for the most recent version was:

Ca 155
Mg 9
Na 10
Su 270
Cl 40
Bicarb 134

I would bring Calcium, SUlfate and Bicarb down a bit for my taste but that doesnt look horrible

That’s my natural well water level but may have changed since a year ago since my pH has come down in the well. I’m sending a new sample to Ward Lab today.

How do you lower bicarb? I’ve been trying to find info on it and no one seems to address it specifically.

edit - Would II have to dilute with distilled? Acids and other salts used to lower alkalinity don’t seem to affect the bicarb number in brunwater.

That’s my natural well water level but may have changed since a year ago since my pH has come down in the well. I’m sending a new sample to Ward Lab today.

How do you lower bicarb? I’ve been trying to find info on it and no one seems to address it specifically.

edit - Would II have to dilute with distilled? Acids and other salts used to lower alkalinity don’t seem to affect the bicarb number in brunwater.[/quote]

You cut it with distilled to get where you want, then you add salts back for everything else to get those back in the range you want

That water profile looks really similar to mine with a gypsum boost. Personally, I would leave it be or even go higher. Works great for me. (not sure if anyone here saw it but on another board a fella sent Heady Topper to Ward and the sulfate was around 600ppm)

Acid does reduce the bicarb, it’s just not reflected in the spreadsheet.

Saturday’s IPA was 1.072 with 8oz @15m and 8oz 30m hopstand, forgoing a dry hop. Everything goes into the fermenter. I bump the recipe to 6G for hop material losses. At first it looks like nearly half of the carboy is hops but they compact nicely after fermentation and I only lose a gallon.

Also implemented a new starter trick. I bump the starter up 500ml and draw it off into a jar so I don’t have to fool with washing yeast from the IPA…

Getting back onto the original premise, I tried all sorts of pH and 5.4 is my favorite. Both lower and higher and the hops fade faster. That said, I think all IPAs fade and a month is pushing it.

I also think Chloride, (in addition to sulfate) has a good effect on hoppy beers, I heard this from Shaun Hill @HillFarmstead and tried it out and changed my brewing water because of it. Helped a lot IMO

I’ve seen reference a couple of places to a sulfate:chloride balance but I haven’t been able to determine what the ratio is.

Anyone have any info on this?

I think the SO4:Cl ratio is bunk but both salts contribute to flavor. From memory Palmer was the big name suggesting the ratio concept, but not really familiar with his works. (I am old school)

I fooled with chloride a while back and it didn’t really change much for me. Even jacked it up to 350ppm in a mild… Might have to try it again. What ppm did Shaun suggest?

[quote=“zwiller”]I think the SO4:Cl ratio is bunk but both salts contribute to flavor. From memory Palmer was the big name suggesting the ratio concept, but not really familiar with his works. (I am old school)

I fooled with chloride a while back and it didn’t really change much for me. Even jacked it up to 350ppm in a mild… Might have to try it again. What ppm did Shaun suggest?[/quote]

I wasn’t talking about any ratios just that chloride helps.
That ratio is bunk IMO (2:1)…Never get why people follow it.
10 ppm sulfate and 5 ppm chloride will not have the same affect as one with 200 ppm sulfate and 100ppm chloride, even though the same 2:1 ratio.

[quote=“zwiller”]I think the SO4:Cl ratio is bunk but both salts contribute to flavor. From memory Palmer was the big name suggesting the ratio concept, but not really familiar with his works. (I am old school)

I fooled with chloride a while back and it didn’t really change much for me. Even jacked it up to 350ppm in a mild… Might have to try it again. What ppm did Shaun suggest?[/quote]

He didn’t mention how much just that he does it, and as most brewers give a round about answer and you have to figure it out on your own.

resurrecting this thread. @dannyboy58 so am I reading that you do not adjust kettle pH down from a mash pH of 5.4?

@pietro, during this time when I was experimenting with the effects of mash and post mash pH on IPAs I did adjust the kettle pH a couple of times. I found that lowering it below 5.3 made the beer much more dry and also seemed to suppress the expression of hops in the final beer. Probably due to the fact that my yeast of choice for these tests, wy1272 produces some acid on it’s own and drove the final beer pH lower. More than say german yeast varieties, which I understand are lower acid producers.

Interesting. I probably need to do some research as to whether Conan produces a lot of acid or not, because I have heard this practice is key with Vermont IPA’s.