When can you add salt?

Ingredients
1

Does it make any difference to the beer when you add salt in the brewing process?

I had intended to add 1/4 teaspoon of salt in the bottling bucket for a brown ale but forgot to do it.  When I remember, I’ve been adding it at the bottling stage because that’s when another brewer posted that’s when he adds it.  But, can I do it earlier? Does it interfere with fermentation in any way?

I do have a “procedure” check list I use to keep me on task up until the time the wort and yeast go into the fermenter.  After that, I’ve just been “winging it.”

If it won’t harm anything to add it earlier, I can add it to my brew day procedure checklist and I’ll be more likely to get it in the brew.

Thanks in advance for your advise.

2

If you are adding it for flavor, the timing shouldn’t matter.  For mashing, calcium and carbonate salts affect pH and alkalinity which affects that process.  But it seems to me you are only trying to impact flavor.  And in either case, regular table salt (sodium chloride) only affects flavor.  So then don’t worry.

3

What Dave said with the addition that you are using non-iodized salt.