Hey everybody,
First timer, about to venture into brewing, and I have a question. ...I have gone through the book "How to Brew," and have searched this site for opinions, but have found none specific to my question. I have a VERY experienced "brewing friend" who has given me his opinion so far, but I'm also interested in what the folks on here think; there seems to be a TON of quality collective knowledge on here.
Planning on brewing a Hefeweizen, BIAB with DME.
My water is from an underground source. Pertinent analysis is:
pH = 7.8
Alkalinity (total) = 211
Hardness (total as CaCo3) = 220
Calcium = 71
Magnesium = 11
Sulfate = 7.4
Sodium = 8.7
Chloride = 18
TDS (if folks are curious) = 310
My comment to my friend was, "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right - the first time." So... knowing my pH is a bit high, my question to him - and to you all - is, can I bring down the pre-mash water pH to around 7, using Carbonic Acid (dissolving CO2 into my tap water) instead of having to add brewing salts? Will that mess anything up; i.e. off flavors???
And yes, I have a "scientific" background, so I very well may be over-thinking/analyzing things already, but - I want to do it right.
Thanks for any thoughts/opinions!
Chris
First timer, about to venture into brewing, and I have a question. ...I have gone through the book "How to Brew," and have searched this site for opinions, but have found none specific to my question. I have a VERY experienced "brewing friend" who has given me his opinion so far, but I'm also interested in what the folks on here think; there seems to be a TON of quality collective knowledge on here.
Planning on brewing a Hefeweizen, BIAB with DME.
My water is from an underground source. Pertinent analysis is:
pH = 7.8
Alkalinity (total) = 211
Hardness (total as CaCo3) = 220
Calcium = 71
Magnesium = 11
Sulfate = 7.4
Sodium = 8.7
Chloride = 18
TDS (if folks are curious) = 310
My comment to my friend was, "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right - the first time." So... knowing my pH is a bit high, my question to him - and to you all - is, can I bring down the pre-mash water pH to around 7, using Carbonic Acid (dissolving CO2 into my tap water) instead of having to add brewing salts? Will that mess anything up; i.e. off flavors???
And yes, I have a "scientific" background, so I very well may be over-thinking/analyzing things already, but - I want to do it right.
Thanks for any thoughts/opinions!
Chris