West Coast IPA MidWest US Water/RA Question

[BrendanM]

I am looking to brew a West Coast influenced IIPA, and am located in Nebraska and I have fairly hard, and fairly Alkaline water.

The water in Lincoln is approximately (in ppms):

ph 7.62 - 8

Ca - 67.4
Na - 37.7
Mg - ~15
Cl - 21.5
SO4 - 101

Total Alkalinity CaCO3 - 190ppm
Total Hardness CaCO3 - 242 ppm

I think I have an RA of ~134

The recipe is basically 100% 2-row and a little sugar, and maybe a Hi-Malt Corn Syrup to boost gravity a bit.

Maybe 90% 2-row, 5% Cane Sugar, 5% HiMalt Syrup. Targeting ~ -40 RA

So, after brewing for several years, I am now starting to wrap my head around RA. I have learned from trial and error Lincoln's water is really good for Browns and Stouts... Anyhow, I usually add 100 ppm Ca from CaSO4 as well as some Phosphoric Acid to reach 5.2 in the mash. For IPAs I have been adding just 50ppm Ca from CaCl2 to the mash for IPAs, because Lincoln's water can make some really harsh bitterness/astringency without that added Chloride.

In any event, I am looking to make a ripping WC/IPA at about 1.070/70IBUS and an SRM of ~3-5.

After looking at a few successful homebrewer's/pro-brewers' water treatments I am not real sure which way to go... I am not really hung up on "certain people's"/famous homebrewers' water profiles, but they are what's on the internet...
Tasty McDole's water for his IPA/Pales
Ca- 110
Mg - 18
Na - 17
SO4 - 350
Cl 50
HCO3 - 0

SO4:Cl2 7

As well as looking into Green Flash's/Russian River's source water and the profiles people are targeting as a clone.
I don't think I need to get that extreme with the SO4:Cl2 ratio.

I am finding that if I add 50 ppm ca from CaSO4 and 50 ppm Ca from CaCl2 that I wind up with a SO4 :Cl Ratio of 1.65.
ppms are around Cl2-120 and SO4-198. Does anyone think these levels, specifically the Cl2 are too high?

I am looking for a fairly balanced mineral profile, and not overly dry since there isn't any Caramel malts and with the Wpl001, I would expect the beer to attenuate well. I don't want it retardedly dry.

Going from Palmer's RA spread sheet, I will have about 153ppm Calcium and maybe 20 Magnesium. If I am able to get the RA into the 30s from the salts alone, essentially all I need to do is use Acid (phosphoric) to get the mash down to 5.2?



Furthermore I am considering adding the 50ppm Ca from CaCl2 and 25ppm Ca from CaSO4, and then add Phosphoric to get to 5.2 in the mash. and then adding the rest - 25ppm Ca from CaSO4 into the entire volume of Wort in the boil.



Thoughts? Suggestions?

[WaterEng]

The selection of a target sulfate level for a PA or IPA is dependent upon your palate and the preferences of your clientele. 350 ppm SO4 is typically regarded as the upper end of commercial ales. 300 ppm may be a softer option for sulfate, especially if the beer is already going to be well attenuated due to the dose of sugar.

I note that the tap water does have somewhat high sulfate. Its no wonder you find that some beers present a harshness. Assuming those harsh beers are less hop-focused, I suggest that your real goal should be to reduce the sulfate instead of over-mineralizing the brewing liquor to cover up that flaw. Maybe its time to consider a small RO system to provide dilution water for those beers?

Use the total levels of chloride and sulfate as your primary indicators instead of using their ratio. The ratio can quickly lead you down the wrong path. Your suggestion to increase the chloride content to 120 ppm is a case in point. You are far better off keeping the chloride well below 100 ppm and reducing the sulfate too, than trying the seek a certain ratio.

Don't fixate on RA as your brewing water criteria. Its only a surrogate to help you reach the proper mash pH. Unfortunately, its a poor surrogate. Focus on mash pH and observe what RA gets you there. I see that you are aiming for a mash pH of 5.2. Is that at a room-temperature measurement? If it is, that may be a little too low. A tenth or two higher pH will help with the hop expression and helps avoid a tart perception in the beer. If you are measuring at mash temperature, that's pretty hard on your probe.