The results are in…and I am a new convert! Sign me up!
Two Classic German Pilsners were brewed, with the same recipe. Only difference was one used straight (filtered) city tap water, and the other used filtered tap water with chemical additions.
Here is the flavor profile for the non-treated beer:
Nice malty nose.
Slightly malt forward in taste.
Hop character very subdued.
Very smooth, mellow, “rounded” in overall impression.
ABV 4.8%
And the treated beer:
Nice hop nose, with hints of malt.
Nice hop profile in flavor, with pronounced bitterness, but not overly bitter.
Hops linger in the after taste slightly.
Overall this has a “sharp” profile.
ABV 5.7%
Both of these beers are very good. It would come down to personal taste in selecting a winner.
I like the Pils with the water treatment.
While these were both the same recipes, there is a .9% difference in ABV.
The non treated example has been aging for about 6 weeks, where the other one was put in kegs 5 days ago.
There is not a single water in Germany. German brewers can add CaCl2 and/or CaSO4 to the brewing water, that is allowed. The RHG says “water”, not a specific water.
Beers around Southern Germany tend to be softer than in other parts.
That ABV is correct…unless my refractometer readings were off!
When brewing a Helles, mostly soft water is used. Like a 60% RO water blend with 40% filtered tap water.
I always thought that 100, or 200 years ago, the brewers in Europe simply used the indigenous (i.e., local) water supply. And the resulting beer would have a flavor profile that was a result of that particular water.
After digging through the Star-Date Brewing Logs, I might have found the answer. There was a one pound difference in the grain bill. The higher ABV beer had one more pound of malt.
Other than that, the recipes are identical. Except for the water treatment.
Unknowingly (and accidentally?) a larger malt bill was used on one batch, even though they’re “the same recipe”.
The ABV difference between “same recipe” beers is 0.9%ABV - that’s a lot for a pilsner.
One beer is 6+weeks old and the other is 5 days kegged.
Without trying to sound rude, this comparison is poorly done and should not influence you in any direction as it relates to water adjustments. The exceptions are that it should encourage you to redo this comparison is a way that’s more controlled, and that you should want to have some knowledge of your brewing water ion concentrations.
I would expect the second (fresher) Pilsner to have more hop presence since it’s so much younger than the previous batch, and as those hops shine through it serves to hide the maltiness a bit. Additionally, as hops fade away, the malt should come forward a bit. Finally, as a beer starts heading down the freshness curve there is a period things just “mellow out” in all regards which it sounds like Pilsner#1 is currently at.
It was two beers, randomly brewed, with no intent of being anything close to a real scientific experiment. The lower ABV beer was made using my recipe calculator, with a specific target for alcohol content.
The other was made quite literally from habit, 10 pounds of this, 10 pounds of that. But with treated water.
So this is just a comparison of the two. Not intended to influence anyone here. But I like the higher ABV better. More crisp, slightly drier.
But that flavor profile will change over time, for sure.
The only way to do this correctly is to brew a split batch, then compare the two. Ain’t gonna happen in my brewery!
My misunderstanding. I thought you were trying to brew identical beers with the exception of water treatment. I’m sure both are world class based on past posts. Congrats!
What can I say? Just slow, I guess. Like using refractometers. Brewed for decades with no clue as to the OG and FG. If anything, we showed it is possible to brew good beer, and remain clueless the entire time.
For most brewing, the most effective (and necessary) water treatment (beside chlorine removal) is to reduce water alkalinity. Most people will find that that one act will do the most for their brews.
Most water supplies have more alkalinity then desirable for brewing pale beers and adding acid to neutralize alkalinity, will have a profound effect on their pale beers. Crisper and brighter flavored beers will be the result. As reported by txflyguy, it is worth your attention.
This was definitely my experience here in the greater Los Angeles area, where our tap water has an incredible bicarbonate load (between 144 and 210 ppm bicarbonate, depending on the time of year). For years, I had issues with flabby blonde ales and pale lagers, and once I started getting serious about neutralizing alkalinity or building from RO, I noticed a big difference.
I am embarrassed to admit it, but my friend Dave did all of the leg work.
He was provided with the analysis of our city tap water. Then told him the beer was going to be a classic German Pils.
He loaded everything into Bru’n Water, and I followed his instructions. Dave was kind enough to give me the chemicals needed.
Andy, you don’t know what some of us have in the Midwest do you? My bicarbonate is 364 ppm. Others report higher, even over 400ppm. RO water allowed me to make crisp lagers.