about right ?

[beer today]

I have brewed my last few stouts and porters using the following additions based essentially on the Trigger level of water chemistry insight, - alright Dave !
Water is very soft -North West.
10 gallon brew Ive been adding
3 tspns BWC
2 tspns Gypsum
2 tspns chloride flakes
1 tspn Epsom salts

my mash pH from the limited number of brews has come out at 5.1, which seems on the low side of ok, and maybe something I am at ease with, due to my ignorance.
I am looking at a higher gravity (1.086) brew, so more malt, and this time 10 US Gal, so less product. I am thinking the pH may go down due to the extra grain, and wondering whether I need to add some precipitated chalk, or merely try less Gypsum and chloride which I believe lowers pH.
I'm obviously going down the suck it and see route, but is it just possible this time next year we could all be millionaires ?
cheers
bt

[Matt12398]

You can't really just add those amounts without considering the grainbill. Roasted malts will lower the mash pH most significantly so the amounts of these malts also have an impact. Salt additions can't really be considered in isolation of grain bill.

[Eric]

Not saying you won't brew a decent beer, but there'll be no tiger in your tank making a stout with that water.
Unless you want to explore the subject of more alkaline waters, you might instead conquer paler beers. Just reducing salts won't solve that problem, your water's a bit short of calcium anyway.
Think about supplementing your mash liquor with some more highly alkaline bottled water and keep your salts, the chlorides especially. You might then find your water, as it comes, fine for sparging.
Don't expect next year to be a millionaire, that comes after a year spent among friends on your back with a silly smile on your face.

[killer]

I admit to being a bit of a poindexter when it to water chemistry. I like to have as many numbers as possible to see if I can figure out what combinations make the beer I like best. In your case i agree with the comments made above. If you want to have a bit more control without going too hardcore into the chemistry I would suggest removing the BWC - they are just a mix of epsom salts and gypsum which you add anyway - plus the increased sulfate from them will make a beer with a profile more suited to enhancing hops than malt, which is not really what you want in a stout. I would maybe keep a spoon each of chloride flakes and gypsum for the mash and one for the boil. I would also make up your mash with about 50% Evian - as Eric suggests. I recall that their water contains about 360ppm Bicarbonate and 80ppm calcium. A mash with half Evian and those salts should put you in the right ballpark for a stout. I would stress that it's not proper water control where you have analyses of your water and so forth but for your suck it and see approach it should be a good starting point.

[beer today]

thanks for the pointers chaps, just got a headache of a £1000 quote from my garage for an new ABS pump, not sure whether Im going left or right at the moment, but I will defo be brewing Sunday, so your input is very much appreciated.