Water salt additions

How would you treat this water for a Vienna lager

What’s the Grain bill?

I think your water looks soft enough… Compared to mine. I would ask the same question as Loopie is… Sneezles61

I’d enter it and the grain bill into Brunwater.

Probably use different hops got to look what I have

Only takes 1 oz of acid malt to get your pH in range?!

The water in Germany, according to most of the info in Brunwater, is aparently pretty soft. So I don’t think you need add much to be honest. Maybe boost your calcium if you want it to be crystal clear?

For me water additions are mostly about pH balance. I add sulfates to bitter beers and since my water is on the harder side seldom need to add calcium for clarity.

Looks like an interesting recipe. Is the chocolate malt for flavor or color?

Can you tell me what does Epsom salt do for a brew? Sneezles61

Magnesium and sulfate. My water has 0 Mg which I don’t care about the sulfate apparently enhances the flavors. I never added it so that’s why I’m asking . The calcium chloride increases the malt flavor so that is why I added that instead of gypsum. I’m just adding to this batch for a test. I’ve had the report but never bothered adding anything

1oz gets me 5.59 I could add more but I backed it down when I was getting that sour taste. The small amount of chocolate malt is for color you can drop it without changing much. I know my water is soft so I don’t have to treat my water except for the pH. But just playing. Ive made this before not adding anything and it comes out good.

When I started tinkering with water, I couldn’t detect if/what the calcium or gypsum did… Maybe because my water is some what hard… But then I played with the pre-mash pH and that’s where I did notice a difference…
Sneezles61

Yes I have my pH under control was just wondering about getting some more of the malt character out of the Vienna and my ESB in particular. I believe the British styles like hard water the German styles not so much

As far as my pH I just try to keep it under 5.6ph I get 80% extraction and my yeast always attenuates lower than the predicted average. Because of the soft water when I started brewing I added yeast nutrients but don’t anymore

Higher calcium also helps make the beer more malt focused right? And lowering the sulfates a bit.

Chloride is what I read calcium for pH

Yea Chloride…correct.

With a soft water, you can manipulate it with other salts to enhance the flavor… Chlorides will up the malt… Where as sulphates bring out the hoppy bitterness… But when your water contains more minerals, hence a bit “harder” it takes more additions to over come the minerals… That’s where really knowing water chemistry will help you to not over do it… And therefore I don’t know jack about jack and just stick to pH corrections which I can attest to, you do get results.
I have yet to do much X-beermenting with different malts… But I believe that is where you enhance the “maltyness”… Sneezles61

True and I’m enjoying using this Vienna right now. Just trying to get some more pop from it. I’m generally using 40-50% Vienna. I’m using avengard which is available to me I can get weyerman as well

I would like to try Mecca grade and Proximity malt… Been mostly held hostage with Rahr and Briess… Oh I should say, doesn’t matter what color mash-tun you use… B is still grainy! :smirk: Sneezles61

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