Oh come on, Dave. Calcium is virtually tasteless, not chalky or metallic. Sulfate is not bitter at all. It is very drying though. Chloride does not have a salty taste. Its only when combined with sodium that its salty and that is only at levels much higher than typically used in brewing.
At the levels we typically use in brewing, any of those ions are only adding nuances to the flavor and pushing our perceptions of other beer flavors in one way or another. Don’t worry too much about a perfect level of any of those ions.
In the case of Munich water, the sulfate and chloride are both naturally low. Around 20 ppm sulfate and 10 ppm chloride in the tap water. Of course, the brewers are free to add minerals to their water and there is no telling what they may be doing for a O’fest. I don’t think they are adding much of anything, maybe some CaCl2 and possibly a teeny bit of gypsum.
Since O’fest is a lager, you don’t have to target 50 ppm calcium. Lower is probably better. Something like the Amber Malty profile that is diluted a bit, should be fine.
Martin, thanks for posting and clearing that up. Your water knowledge is always warranted. It’s funny how Martin and AJ go back and forth on HomeBrewTalk whenever a water subject comes up. Two very knowledgeable guys on the subject, just differing views. Both are very informative.
This might be of interest. Na is what triggers “salty”, this says it can also inhibit bitterness receptors. There is some good stuff here. I knew sweet would counter bitterness, but salt (Na ion) does too.
It was the first time I saw some science behind it. An uncle put salt in his beer too, it also knocks out some CO2 as nucleation sites.
Edited to correct the auto complete error.
Thank you Martin, this is perhaps the one piece of information that all homebrewers need to keep in mind. There has been entirely too much time wasted on worrying over water profiles these past few years and not enough decoction mashes happening!
Spending an afternoon doing a double decoction marzen, enjoying the process, and ultimately the finished product is no waste in my book, Denny. This is a hobby for me, one of the few things in my life that doesn’t get ran on a schedule. So I’m going to take my time and do what I want to do, no matter what the “experts” say.
