IPA without adjusting Ph

I have never heard they need to be adjusted more than say a Helles or Pilsner. Where did you get that? Oh, for what base water?

 

I would want to know what base water looks like. I've made great IPAs with 1 Tbsp of Gypsum in the boil, but that is on basically RO water.

 

Theres brewing water calculators out there but without balancing ions I would say you could throw some gypsum in there. I have similar well water and I have used a few teaspoons of gypsum. Haven't noticed a big difference personally. It's worth a side by side experiment for sure

 

I always have to add quite a bit of acid to my IPA's or light beers to get the pH in the right range. Since I have been doing so, the overall quality of my IPA's has improved quite a bit... Flavors pop a bit more, for one. I believe by sulfate/chloride ratio is around 4:1 on top of it to enhance the bitterness perception.

 

That's a convoluted water report. Do you know which water profile you are using?

My water pH starts ~7.5. For my 10-gal batch of IPAs, I include 8oz acidulated malt to get my pH down to 5.3-5.4. Without a pH meter, you're really shooting in the dark.

"What are you sacrificing?" Probably just some crispness and maybe a little efficiency.

 

Water pH is essentially irrelevant to determining mash pH. It is the water minerals that determine how much acid is required.

 

I'm of the "don't worry about it" opinion myself. Now where I live we have great water, but I feel like water chemistry is towards the end of the list of homebrewing things to perfect.

 

Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Chloride, Sulfate and Bicarbonate.

Cheers!

 

I brew with my tap water. When I brew pale colored beer I need to add some lactic acid to acidify the water to achieve a proper mash pH.

Cheers!

 

IPAs, unless you are not using any caramel, shouldn't need "extra" ph adjustment....it's mostly a flavor proposition with a lot of the hardening minerals going in the boil, IMHO.

 

Hitting an appropriate mash pH will definitely help you make better beer, no matter what style you are brewing. To elaborate on @GreenKrusty101's comment, the Ozark water is fairly soft, and so for a typical IPA with some crystal malt and some added Ca salts you may hit a decent pH without any other adjustment (added acid). But details do matter, and answers to the following questions would be helpful.

(1) What is your grain bill? (2) Are you using Ozark Natural Spring Water or Ozark Drinking Water? (3) Do you have (or can you easily obtain) any CaSO4 and/or CaCl2?

 

In the experiments Brulosophy.com has been doing surprisingly the water adjustments come out significant far more often than the rest, including things like lager fermentation temperature.

 

That's fair. I kinda meant I'd worry about sanitation, ferm temps, pitch rates, first.

But the OP may be an experienced brewer and have that stuff taken care of

 

IPA grainbill? ...at a minimum, way too much sugar, imho