Water Profile for an Imperial Stout

this multi-part article might help http://beerandwinejournal.com/ris-intro/

 

only thought I have is do you have your water numbers? do you have software to calculate the changes needed to match a water profile? aka beersmith? you must not have beersmith becuase this is built in to the software. once you KNOW your waters numbers, the software will calculate the amounts needed to match profile

Name: Burton On Trent, UK
PH: 8.00

Ions:
Calcium: 295.00
Magnesium: 45.00
Sodium: 55.00
Sulfate: 725.00
Chloride: 25.00
Bicarbonate: 300.00

Additions:
Gypsum: 0.0
Salt: 0.0
Epsom Salts: 0.0
Baking Soda: 0.0
Chalk: 0.0
Calcium Chloride: 0.0

Notes: Distinctive pale ales strongly hopped. Very hard water accentuates the hops flavor.
Example: Bass Ale

Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com
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Not to far off from my water. sadly. I have to add sulfate.
http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter15-4.html
see chapter 7 in water.
no expert on water yet. learning though.

 

I'm a fan of a decent amount of carbonate say, ~250 PPM for the mash. No need to load up on the carbonate for the sparge though.

In terms of hitting mash pH, baking soda or slaked lime seem to be the best options. Chalk takes too long to dissolve and go to work (although some brewers dissolve it in carbonated water to get around this). For me raising the pH slightly gives the really dark malts a smoother, less acrid, charcoal roast.

I usually don't do much for the flavor ions, but sometimes aim for slightly elevated chloride and sodium. I'd rather enhance the more sweet, rounded, malty flavors at the expense of the sulfate and hops.

 

In my big stouts, I shoot for the following in my finished water profile:

Ca: 60
Mg: 5
Na: 15
SO4: 30
Cl: 40

Bicarbonate around 290ppm to hit my target mash pH of 5.40.

Works well for me, definitely enhances the maltiness of the beer.

 

Some say to have the pH around 5.5 to 5.6 for dark beers. Alkalinity helps, but don't go overboard.

One technique some use is to mash the light grains, and add the dark acidic grains at the end of the mash, or even do a cold steep of the dark grains and add the liquid and grains at the sparge.

 

I second what OldSock said. Also, consider Gordon Strong's method of adding the toasted and roasted malts after the mash to minimize their effect on lowering mash pH and reduce harsh flavors from over-steeping them. You will still have to adapt the water profile for the base malts, but it shouldn't be as much of a challenge to manage the pH without those acidic malt additions.

 

That is fine as far as mash pH goes, but it doesn't fix any flavor issues in the finished beer.

 

Depending on the brewing water you can avoid acrid and harsh flavors by cold steeping. This is what I have been doing for many years. It did improve my dark beers flavor.

 

After being disappointed with a few dark beers in a row, I was very happy with the Robust Porter I did using this profile:

Ca - 70
Na - 18
Sulfate - 30
Chloride - 51
Bicarbonate - 135

Estimate mash pH - 5.5