Beer kits and very soft water

jpb · Sep 6, 2013

According to the water company my water profile is 'Very Soft'. So, when I brew lagers (I have tried Wilkos Cerveza & Betterbrew Czech Lager) they come out really nice, but when making IPA (Betterbrew, Best of British) they are not so good.

I use filtered tap water and the temperatures used for each were very similar - all a bit on the warm side during the recent hot weather. They were also made using the same equipment, in the same location. The only thing I can think of that could have an effect is the water, which as the subject says is very soft. Most posts I have read suggest that water hardness is only really an issue when making from grain, but could very soft water be affecting my kit beers?

I read a post somewhere that listed water hardness in various places known for brewing, with pilsen being the softest and Burton being the hardest so could this be a clue (accepting that kit 'lager' is really light ale as the wort isn't largered during fermentation).

Would adding gypsum to the brewing water help? If so how do I add it?

TIA

anthonyUK · Sep 6, 2013

Hi,
The water is important during the mash so in a malt kit, as this as already occurred it is not important. Just make sure there is no chlorine/chloramine and you are OK.

rpt · Sep 7, 2013

Minerals are not just important for the mash. They are also needed for the yeast and will affect the taste.

jpb · Sep 11, 2013

Thanks for the replies, as I suspected there are conflicting opinions! So I am thinking of adding a little gypsum (2tsp?) to see if it improves things - but if I add it and it is not actually required is it likely to cause a problem? If not then what is the procedure for adding it? Do I just add it to the FB with the other ingredients or do I need to dissolve it first?

TIA

Aleman · Sep 11, 2013

rpt said:
Minerals are not just important for the mash. They are also needed for the yeast and will affect the taste.

However, when the wort is concentrated, the minerals in the wort will be concentrated too . . .so as long as the manufacturer has used sufficient minerals to start with then there should not be an issue with using even distilled water to make a kit up.

If the OP wants to make sure that the kit manufacturer has done the job (and why wouldn't they using a proper water profile leads to a more efficient mash). Than adding a level tsp (5ml) of gypsum to the FV when making up a kit that should have a hoppy bitter profile will do no harm.