Hello, i’m going to brew an APA next weekend. If i use brun’ water, what desired profile do you usually choose? Pale Ale profile or yellow bitter? i’m a little worried about the pale ale profile that has 300 ppm of sulfate…
What do you recommend me?
Thanks!
I wouldn’t be worried about the sulfate. I recently increased mine to about 200 ppm with such good results that I intend to go higher the next time. You could also look at a profile based on the color and flavor you’re going for.
I’m sure this is an oversimplification, but if you want hoppy (my definition of an APA is basically a session AIPA), lots of sulfate is good.
One question you can pose for deciding your sulfate level is: how dry do you want the beer to finish?
If you want it to finish malty and wetter, then you should find that the Yellow Bitter profile is still going to leave you with that impression in a pale ale. If you want the finish to dry nicely, then the 300 ppm sulfate in the Pale Ale profile will treat you well. 300 is not an excessive concentration in my experience.
with sulfate 200+…what about the chloride levels - under 100? i don’t understand the relationship but see it noted as important.
For pale ales and IPAs, I have had good results with SO4 in the 225–250 ppm range. My Cl levels are about 55 ppm. While that strikes me as a pretty high ratio of SO4:Cl, it works well for the style. Typically, for hoppy beers like a Pilsner, I keep the ratio at closer to 2:1.
Go to the water chemistry thread for more info re sulfates and chlorides: http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=14929.msg189670#msg189670