Touche’. Most do add Ca to kettle, I was just trying to make a point how much gets lost. A lot.
The only thing I can really add is that pH trumps water composition. It is very easy to get lost in ratios, historical profiles, etc but don’t forget the main thing is to get pH into proper range then you can “season to taste”. I usually do this in the kettle BTW.
The secret ingredient in Ben and Jerry’s chocolate ice cream recipe is table salt. Sodium chloride. Chocolate is a roasty flavor… What brewing salt raises mash pH and contributes sodium? Sodium bicarbonate AKA baking salt. Actually, the key is the pH, nearly all homebrewers porters pH will be too low and will be biting and harsh.
Wow, that’s interesting. I know I’ve never made a Porter that I thought was as phenomenal as my over the top hoppy styles, I knew water was somewhat to blame, but a pH that high? I always tried to keep it down.
I’ll have to try this “baking salt” you speak of–like a good soda bread.
How much CaSO4 or CaCl would you add to 7 gallons of wort to get it to 50pmm if your mash was, say, 30ppm Ca?
Sodium Chloride is indeed a significant flavor component in porters as evidenced from London porter breweries. There is an extensive article on London water in one of last year’s issues of Zymurgy that explains the origins of water use in London and the various breweries that used the two major sources.
The bottom line: London porters were made with water that had a fairly significant sodium and chloride content.
I recommend that anyone interested in this subject should review that article. AHA membership has its value!
oops. Not baking salt, baking soda. Sodium bicarbonate is baking soda. This will raise mash pH and contribute to sodium levels.
My water has 40ppm Ca and I don’t add any Ca salts to dark beers. In BNW I would add baking soda to a mash pH of 5.6, acidify sparge with phosphoric to same, and leave the Ca salts out of the mash. Give it a shot. Maybe throw some CaCl in the kettle if you want to bump Ca to 50ppm.
My water has 4ppm Ca. Its a very soft water in general, tastes good to drink and its a great starting water for brewing, but I always add some Gypsum and CaCl to the strike water and sparge, I’ll keep it low for my porter, shooting for a higher pH using Baking Soda too, and then try to get my hands on Martin’s article.
Sounds good. Normally I just add salts destined for the sparge into the kettle to ensure I don’t lose any Ca along the way… I should also point out anyone using table salt in a brew should use the non-iodized variety as iodine is toxic to yeast. Feel free to experiment with it in finished beer too.
