Too much or too little water treatment-which is best?

(That's water to the rest of us!) Beer is about 95% water, so if you want to discuss water treatment, filtering etc this is the place to do it!
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guypettigrew
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Too much or too little water treatment-which is best?

Post by guypettigrew » Sat May 21, 2016 11:33 am

Today's brew is a fairly standard bitter. OG should be about 1.055, with 44 IBUs from Cascade and Golding hops.

As always I weighed the grains out last night, filled the HLT and put it on a timer so the liquor would be hot when I got up this morning.

When I got to the brewery (aka the garage!) this morning I couldn't, for the life of me, remember whether or not I'd put the water treatment salts into the grain. I use 17.5g of Brupak's DLS, also known as DWB.

After much dithering I decided not add any salts to the grain, making the assumption that none at all would be better than double the amount. I then continued with the brew, got a mash pH of 5.2 and a mash efficiency of just under 80%. OK by me! I'm guessing the salts must have been in the grain to get this result, but perhaps not.

So, which is best, not enough or too much water treatment salts in the grain?

Guy
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Jocky
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Re: Too much or too little water treatment-which is best?

Post by Jocky » Sat May 21, 2016 11:52 am

Think of it like seasoning your food - would you prefer too much or too little salt and pepper?
Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast, Seaweed, Blood, Sweat, The swim bladder of a sturgeon, My enemies tears, Scenes of mild peril, An otter's handbag and Riboflavin.
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Fil
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Re: Too much or too little water treatment-which is best?

Post by Fil » Sat May 21, 2016 2:49 pm

I think you called it right.. but im too chicken to even attempt any water treatment beyond a campden tab ;) if brewing a beer that benefits from softer water i buy 5l bottles of the stuff
ist update for months n months..
Fermnting: not a lot..
Conditioning: nowt
Maturing: Challenger smash, and a kit lager
Drinking: dry one minikeg left in the store
Coming Soon Lots planned for the near future nowt for the immediate :(
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orlando
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Re: Too much or too little water treatment-which is best?

Post by orlando » Sat May 21, 2016 4:54 pm

Jocky wrote:Think of it like seasoning your food - would you prefer too much or too little salt and pepper?

Exactly, but a Otters handbag, please? :D Whatever next, brewing without an airlock? :lol:
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer
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McMullan

Re: Too much or too little water treatment-which is best?

Post by McMullan » Sat May 21, 2016 5:05 pm

orlando wrote:Whatever next, brewing without an airlock? :lol:
What's wrong with brewing without a 'can of worms', sorry, an airlock? :lol:
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