I went to using acidulated malt for pH adjustment and then add very minimal salts, but along the lines of 3 grams each of both CaCl and CaSO4 for most lagers that I brew - occasionally a more malty style will be adjusted toward CaCl and a crispier style adjusted toward CaSO4. Like others, I adopted a simplistic approach to water and live with it in all but truly rare occasions when I am seeking something unique for a particular reason.
This reminds me of the simplified method AJ DeLange recommends:
Baseline: Add 1 tsp of calcium chloride to each 5 gallons of water treated. Add 2% sauermalz to the grist.
Deviate from the baseline as follows:
For soft water beers (i.e Pils, Helles). Use half the baseline amount of calcium chloride and increase the sauermalz to 3%
For beers that use roast malt (Stout, porter): Skip the sauermalz.
For British beers: Add 1 tsp gypsum as well as 1 tsp calcium chloride
For very minerally beers (Export, Burton ale): Double the calcium chloride and the gypsum.
— break —
A while back I mixed a 5000 ppm solution/suspension of chloride and one of sulfate using CaCl and Gypsum. I poured three beers and began dosing at 50 ppm of each while maintaining a undosed control.
I didn’t begin tasting anything until 150 and really began noticing at 200-300 ppm.
However, the CaCl dosed beer seemed to become ‘softer’ as the gypsum dosed beer began to become ’sharper’ ...but like I said, those changes weren’t evident to me until 150 ppm and even then just slightly.
Of course, I am the one pouring, dosing, and tasting so my play time was far from any kind of legit study.
Based on that, I concluded for me, salt additions may not be detectable until they meet a perception threshold.
Of course this breaks the ‘100 ppm chloride rule’. Depending on who you ask, the upper limit can be anywhere between 100-400. I was at 150 before I even noticed a change.
*Disclaimer*: Any comment I add is simply the way I brew beer. I am not paid or sponsored by anyone. There are certainly other ways that can be equally effective which other brewers may contribute. This is what I’ve found that works for me using my equipment and processes so I offer this for your consideration. YMMV