8 replies to this topic

[LiverDance]

I'm brewing a ordinary bitter for a competiton and think i should burtonize my water. When doing this do i apply the additions to the total volume of water and then mash directly with that, or do i only burtonize the mash water? CheersLD

[MakeMeHoppy]

I think before you add chemicals to your water you at least want an idea of what you are starting with. Maybe your water is already close.

[LiverDance]

Thanks for the reply MMH, i have my water profile and it is very soft water so i'm not even close to what i'm shooting for. Does anyone know of any other better water profiles for ordinary bitters? I'm just wondering if i burtonize all the water or just the mash water? Cheers,LD

[jasonrobertcohen]

Thanks for the reply MMH, i have my water profile and it is very soft water so i'm not even close to what i'm shooting for. Does anyone know of any other better water profiles for ordinary bitters? I'm just wondering if i burtonize all the water or just the mash water? Cheers,LD

Don't overdo it! I decided how great it would be to actually achieve authentic Burton-level mineral levels and proceeded to raise sulfate and calcium levels up to the listed content in Burton on Trent water reports.Big mistake.My ESB tastes like liquid drywall.I should have been clued in when the pre-mash water tasted horrid. Somehow the prevailing thought at the time was, "this probably wont be so bad when the grain flavors are there."Palmer lists Burton water as having 800+ppm SO4 and 350+ppm Calcium. After nearly hitting these numbers and ending up with the drywall taste I did, I would recommend aiming for no more than 200ppm Calcium and no more than 300ppm SO4. BTW, I only burtonized the mash, but the strike volume of water was over half the batch volume. I don't believe these minerals boil out, so it probably resulted in around 2/3 contribution to the end product.

[MtnBrewer]

Thanks for the reply MMH, i have my water profile and it is very soft water so i'm not even close to what i'm shooting for. Does anyone know of any other better water profiles for ordinary bitters? I'm just wondering if i burtonize all the water or just the mash water? Cheers,LD

I use Terry Foster's profile from his book on pale ales. Something like 75 ppm of calcium and 150 ppm of SO₄. I add it to both mash water and sparge water proportionately.

[LiverDance]

MTN, my profile now isCa 5.1Mg 0.5Na 12.0SO4 8.0Cl 8.0HCO3 19Should i just bring the Ca up to 75 and SO4 up to 150 and leave the rest?

[MtnBrewer]

MTN, my profile now isCa 5.1Mg 0.5Na 12.0SO4 8.0Cl 8.0HCO3 19Should i just bring the Ca up to 75 and SO4 up to 150 and leave the rest?

That's what I do. My water is not that different from yours (Ca - 17, HCO₃ - 59, everything else about the same). Part of my calcium comes from CaCl₂ so that also brings my Cl up to about 20 ppm.

[jasonrobertcohen]

I use Terry Foster's profile from his book on pale ales. Something like 75 ppm of calcium and 150 ppm of SO₄. I add it to both mash water and sparge water proportionately.

Mtn, what's the theory behind adding to the sparge water? Taste only? Are there any benefits for saccarification or extraction after mash is complete?

[MtnBrewer]

Mtn, what's the theory behind adding to the sparge water? Taste only? Are there any benefits for saccarification or extraction after mash is complete?

Yes, flavor only - almost entirely due to the sulfate.