NEIPA Water Chemistry

While a hallmark of the NEIPA style is softness, you may still need the calcium and magnesium to get your mash ph into the proper range, so unless you’re using acids to achieve ph adjustments, ca and mg will probably be used in some capacity.
As far as a chloride to sulfate ratio, I see no issues with 164:55 and I believe that significantly higher chloride is where the softer mouthfeel of a neipa comes from, based on what I’ve read and heard.

 

Also, the softness referred to in NEIPA is more of a commentary on the malt profile than the water. So while the water may seem somewhat hard on paper, the soft malt profile is achieved via the chloride additions over sulfate. Which you are obviously getting to using NaCl.

If you like what you are doing then who cares really. As CShell1234 stated, I too think you might want to be sure you have enough Calcium to hit the right pH and to support good fermentation later in process. Because if those two things aren't right it won't matter what everything else is doing.

 

The often quoted 50 ppm recommendation for calcium is mostly about flocculation, not so much about the health of the yeast during fermentation. You can get away with a lot less.

That said, if you subscribe to the theory (and I do) that, in NEIPAs, fast flocculation gets the yeast out of the way so that they don't drag dry hop oils out of suspension, then a high-ish calcium concentration might be helpful for retaining haze.

 

Interesting, I’ve never heard of that before... is there a sweet spot for increasing flocculation, or is higher the better. I understand there are reasons not to go crazy, but as it relates to flocculation, is there a ceiling or at least a point of diminishing returns?

 

I really don't know. I've never noticed faster flocculation with calcium concentrations higher than 50 ppm, but I can't say that I was watching for it either.

ETA: I don't think I've brewed more than a few batches with calcium much higher than 50 ppm.