Right. I posted above that for German pils, I prefer a drier Jever-type profile where I do what I posted last night to hit the profile. As for most OTHER, more malty lagers, I hold the sulfate to that which I get from the SMB portion of the trifecta blend (ie., ~ 45ppm SO4), then get my Ca content from CaCl2. So you’re right, that works out to ~ 80ish ppm chloride. Two different approaches, depending on what I’m brewing. For the Jever profile (as I’ve been lodo brewing), I simply add 45ppm less SO4 into software. Sorry for the confusion, Phil. I’m trying to give advice lodo-free first, unless someone specifically asks for it.
Sounds like we need to start a new thread about water. 8)
An additional 40ppm of Cl is not gonna take something from very dry to very full. I once did a mild with 350ppm Cl and it was not “full” at all. WRT epsom, I recall that magnesium levels jump pretty high using it and there is definitely a flavor component to epsom (metallic sour to me) and remember that malt has plenty of these minerals in it already… A good salt to use for Cl without the Ca is NaCl, just be sure to used non iodized as iodine kills yeast.
That is something in Brunwater that is confusing. It bases full, balanced or dry on the ratio of Cl to SO4 not the total amounts.
Sulfate definitely enhances dryness, chloride enhances malt/body fullness. Aside from that one of my takeaways from Brunwater is to keep either sulfate or chloride under 100 if the other exceeds 100ppm, to avoid minerally beer. I don’t focus on the ratio at all and more on the amounts. It’s all personal preference anyway - I try a profile and make changes based on what I want, as in reducing sulfate from the super high levels of the pale ale profile.
I’m pretty sure that the total amounts are listed right there in those profiles. The fact that the ratio is also presented, is secondary. It’s when brewers try to apply the ratio when total amounts are either very low or very large that the ratio shouldn’t be applied. The ratio is applicable at the SO4 and Cl levels presented in the color-based profiles.