Forcecarbing an IPA

Ideally, you want...
Ca
Mg
Na
Cl
SO4 -or- SO4 as S
HCO3 -or- CaCO3

 

If by fine you mean 'good enough to make drinkable beer,' I agree. But you'll usually not have ideal mash pH (which affects efficiency, flavor, color, and some other things) and usually not ideal ion concentrations for the style (which affect flavor, bitterness perception, mouthfeel, and some other things).

 

It is my understanding that public utilities are only required to provide water quality reports. After a couple of phone calls I reached the ‘right’ person at my utility and they mailed me a Lab Report on my water. Hopefully the supervisor will provide you with a Lab Report of your water. If not, you can send your tap water to a Lab like Ward Laboratories and they will provide you with an analysis of your tap water:

W-5A Brewers Test ................................................................................. $27.25

Sodium Nitrate Total Hardness (Lime)

Calcium Carbonate Total Alkalinity

Magnesium Bicarbonate Iron

Potassium Sulfate Phosphorus

Chloride Electrical Conductivity

pH Est. Total Dissolved Solids

Cheers!

 

In some locales, the water authorities are not required to test for or report those specific minerals. In my case, I sent a sample to Ward Lab.

 

Brewing ions are in the secondary standards, are do not have to reported. Some do some don't. Ward labs is where I sent my samples.

 

Never dryhop an IPA too early...and never assume an IPA will be ready in a hefeweissen timeframe...and never say never : )

 

“I guess all it really needed was additional time to mature.”

Thanks for reporting back.

Happy 4th of July!

Cheers!

 

I brewed an IPA last month. After I transfered it to the keg and force carbed it, it taste very subdued and not good at all. 2 weeks in the keg and its a completely different beer, I haven't had complaints from anyone who has tried it. Your beer probably just needs to be conditioned as everyone else has said.

 

Maybe bump up your bitter addition to a full ounce...and it looks like you're doing 2.5oz total at 10min and another 2.5oz at flame out - sounds like it should have plenty of aroma hoppiness.