# Water vs. Bitterness **URL:** \ **Category:** General Homebrew Discussion\ **Created:** [April 29, 2020, 2:34pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/water-vs-bitterness/29869 "2020-04-29T14:34:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/original/1X/f1a2211dcb353b921ed70873794a31db2031eccc.png) [@system](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 2:34pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/water-vs-bitterness/29869/1 "2020-04-29T14:34:29Z")
Our freshly kegged Amber German Lager has a lingering bitterness (Mt. Hood), not unpleasant, but very perceptible. The water (filtered tap) had a moderate calcium content with other minerals. The Amber Czech Lager has a very soft bitterness (Saaz), not nearly as pronounced. The water was a 50/50 split, RO and filtered tap water. How much does the water profile impact the perceived bitterness level? ---
**Author:** ![goose](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/user_avatar/forum.homebrewersassociation.org/goose/32/20722_2.png) [@goose](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/goose)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/water-vs-bitterness/29869/2 "2020-04-29T14:51:27Z")
I guess the question is do you add other minerals to the brewing water? ---
**Author:** ![denny](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/user_avatar/forum.homebrewersassociation.org/denny/32/13092_2.png) [@denny](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/denny)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 3:11pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/water-vs-bitterness/29869/3 "2020-04-29T15:11:03Z")
> [@](#): > > Our freshly kegged Amber German Lager has a lingering bitterness (Mt. Hood), not unpleasant, but very perceptible. The water (filtered tap) had a moderate calcium content with other minerals. > > The Amber Czech Lager has a very soft bitterness (Saaz), not nearly as pronounced. The water was a 50/50 split, RO and filtered tap water. > > How much does the water profile impact the perceived bitterness level? Could be the difference in hops.  To me it looks like too many differences to nail it down to one thing. ---
**Author:** ![Village\_Taphouse](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/user_avatar/forum.homebrewersassociation.org/village_taphouse/32/9914_2.png) [@Village\_Taphouse](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/Village_Taphouse)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 3:18pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/water-vs-bitterness/29869/4 "2020-04-29T15:18:13Z")
Was the water the same for both batches?  If you added calcium sulfate or calcium chloride to the batches were the additions the same for both batches?  Higher sulfate levels can produce a crisper, drier beer and at some point that crispness can reach “harsh” levels.  It could be the hops as Denny mentioned and it can also be the number of IBUs you got from your bittering addition in both of the batches.  Sounds like more information is necessary.  I have forgotten to add CaCl in the past and my water is already higher in sulfate than it is in chloride… so I got a very crisp, dry finish in that beer.  You could also add more bittering hops than you wanted, possibly.  I had a brew bud who was using his scale and got his “grams” and “ounces” mixed up.  Whoo boy. ---
**Author:** ![hopfenundmalz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/user_avatar/forum.homebrewersassociation.org/hopfenundmalz/32/11193_2.png) [@hopfenundmalz](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/hopfenundmalz)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/water-vs-bitterness/29869/5 "2020-04-29T15:56:47Z")
A lingering bitterness is associated with sulfate Was there a big difference in the AA? Adding more hops to get the same IBU will add polyphenols from more bract material, that is often overlooked. ---
**Author:** ![a10t2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/user_avatar/forum.homebrewersassociation.org/a10t2/32/6257_2.png) [@a10t2](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/a10t2)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 4:22pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/water-vs-bitterness/29869/6 "2020-04-29T16:22:45Z")
Assuming it is due to the water, it could be reduced sulfate from dilution. Does your tap water use chloramine and if so are you removing it? Chlorophenols have a lingering aspirin-y bitterness and would also be reduced by dilution. But like Denny says, there are too many variables here to do more than guess. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/original/1X/f1a2211dcb353b921ed70873794a31db2031eccc.png) [@system](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 6:28pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/water-vs-bitterness/29869/7 "2020-04-29T18:28:21Z")
> [@hopfenundmalz](#): > > A lingering bitterness is associated with sulfate > > Was there a big difference in the AA? Adding more hops to get the same IBU will add polyphenols from more bract material, that is often overlooked. Yes! Saaz, 2% AA. Mt Hood, 6% AA. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/original/1X/f1a2211dcb353b921ed70873794a31db2031eccc.png) [@system](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 6:29pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/water-vs-bitterness/29869/8 "2020-04-29T18:29:19Z")
> [@Village\_Taphouse](#): > > Was the water the same for both batches?  If you added calcium sulfate or calcium chloride to the batches were the additions the same for both batches?  Higher sulfate levels can produce a crisper, drier beer and at some point that crispness can reach “harsh” levels.  It could be the hops as Denny mentioned and it can also be the number of IBUs you got from your bittering addition in both of the batches.  Sounds like more information is necessary.  I have forgotten to add CaCl in the past and my water is already higher in sulfate than it is in chloride… so I got a very crisp, dry finish in that beer.  You could also add more bittering hops than you wanted, possibly.  I had a brew bud who was using his scale and got his “grams” and “ounces” mixed up.  Whoo boy. No, water was not the same. ---
**Author:** ![goose](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/user_avatar/forum.homebrewersassociation.org/goose/32/20722_2.png) [@goose](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/goose)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/water-vs-bitterness/29869/9 "2020-04-29T18:31:30Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@hopfenundmalz](#): > > > > A lingering bitterness is associated with sulfate > > > > Was there a big difference in the AA? Adding more hops to get the same IBU will add polyphenols from more bract material, that is often overlooked. > > Yes! Saaz, 2% AA. Mt Hood, 6% AA. That could be it.  The difference in the water could also change the bitterness.  That is two variables. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/original/1X/f1a2211dcb353b921ed70873794a31db2031eccc.png) [@system](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 7:38pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/water-vs-bitterness/29869/10 "2020-04-29T19:38:45Z")
> [@goose](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > > [@hopfenundmalz](#): > > > > > > A lingering bitterness is associated with sulfate > > > > > > Was there a big difference in the AA? Adding more hops to get the same IBU will add polyphenols from more bract material, that is often overlooked. > > > > Yes! Saaz, 2% AA. Mt Hood, 6% AA. > > That could be it.  The difference in the water could also change the bitterness.  That is two variables. 8 ounces of Saaz, 3.5 ounces of Mt. Hood. Both were 10 gallon batches. The German Amber, with the Mt. Hood Hops (W-34/70), is close to a pils in bitterness level. Like a Bitburger, for example. ---
**Author:** ![mabrungard](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/user_avatar/forum.homebrewersassociation.org/mabrungard/32/12430_2.png) [@mabrungard](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/mabrungard)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 11:43pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/water-vs-bitterness/29869/11 "2020-04-29T23:43:35Z")
I’m less concerned with the mineral content and more concerned with pH. High pH can leach bitter components from the grist and increase the extraction and conversion of hop bittering. Typical tap water will require acidification for brewing pale beers.