Calcium Chloride addition timing

[Swags]

I had been adding Calcium Chloride to our IPA mash to lower PH (and I thought to increase perceived bitterness). Recently, I forgot to add it. The beer does not taste as "bright" , the hop character is just not the same, but it's still plenty bitter. Is anyone else using Calcium Chloride in IPAs to get more out of the hops? Wondering if it's really the Calcium Chloride that's critical to our beer or I could be tasting something else that's gone wrong.

Also, if I had remembered later in the brew day, would it be possible to add Calcium Chloride to the boil and get the same water effect?

thanks

[Sauce]

We ad CaCl 2 to the mash to lower Ph a touch and to the boil to lower the perception of hop bitterness. Ad calcium sulphate (gypsum) if your looking to accentuate bitterness.... it also lowers Ph.

[Swags]

Calcium Chloride for hop bitterness

We ad CaCl 2 to the mash to lower Ph a touch and to the boil to lower the perception of hop bitterness. Ad calcium sulphate (gypsum) if your looking to accentuate bitterness.... it also lowers Ph.

Sauce, thanks for that. My cacl2 additions may have been why my brews seemed less bitter than the IBU total from my software.

[thelorax121]

A lower pH is often associated with a brighter, more crisp finish, so that alone may be the reason for the perceived effect. We use lactic acid to manipulate the pH further if our salt additions don't bring us in to range.