[denny]

In lagers, zero calcium is allowable since yeast flocculation can be accommodated in the lagering period. Keeping the calcium well below 50 ppm helps to keep the ferment from ending prematurely. If your lagers won't attenuate to the degree that the yeast report says it should, its probably because your water has too much calcium in it.

Wow, I never knew this. I have always been under the assumption that all fermentations benefitted from at least 50 PPM. Was I wrong, or is this a recent discovery?

I'd really be interested to learn more about this... any good resources? (If it's covered in the new Lager book, I just got it and am only a few pages into it so far...)

No, it's not a new discovery

[hopfenundmalz]

I brew many lagers these days. So what do I do?

1. I use RO water as my tap water is very alkaline. I add Gypsum and CaCl2 to get the calcium up, and adjust the SO4 and Cl levels depending on the style. More SO4 for a German Pilsner, more Cl for a Helles or Dunkel. Those water salts can be used by German brewers in the brewing liquor, as the RHG says "water" not which water, but they can't add to the mash. Rules y'all.

2. Some salts can be added to the kettle if I'm doing an IPA. and adding too much to the mash will screw up the pH.

3. I will use a gram scale to measure the additions, but I'm not obsessed with down to the last gram or fraction.

That's about it. Some Epsom salts sometimes, Pickling Lime for dark beers.

Many things depend on the beer. I brew LODO for Lagers that are mainly Pils malt. If I'm brewing an English ale using Pale Ale malt I don't.

Question for the group. How could plastic vs glass fermentets make a difference? I might speculate why, but did they say? I'm selling all my glass carboys, too dangerous for an old guy like me. I'm using plastic buckets and Stainless Steel now.

[Megary]

I always wondered how everyone knows what their mineral levels are if they don’t know what minerals are riding in on the malt itself?  Or do they?

I would be stunned if all malt had the same mineral content.  Surely maltster, terroir, process, grain variety etc. all play a part.

[CounterPressure]

Question for the group. How could plastic vs glass fermentets make a difference? I might speculate why, but did they say? I'm selling all my glass carboys, too dangerous for an old guy like me. I'm using plastic buckets and Stainless Steel now.

In the Brulosophy interview I linked above, he said this was likely due to the non-zero amount of oxygen that "can" pass through plastic, but can't in glass.  Been a while since I listened so I may be totally wrong there.  It wasn't enough difference to get him to switch from plastic fermenters to glass or ss though.

I always wondered how everyone knows what their mineral levels are if they don’t know what minerals are riding in on the malt itself?  Or do they?

I would be stunned if all malt had the same mineral content.  Surely maltster, terroir, process, grain variety etc. all play a part.

I think the malt is very predictable, and I doubt it's carrying many of the minerals we add to water (or that the water might already contain).

[hopfenundmalz]

I always wondered how everyone knows what their mineral levels are if they don’t know what minerals are riding in on the malt itself?  Or do they?

I would be stunned if all malt had the same mineral content.  Surely maltster, terroir, process, grain variety etc. all play a part.

The malt has high amounts of minerals, but those aren't available as those are in molecules and don't dissolve like the brewing salts.

[Megary]

I always wondered how everyone knows what their mineral levels are if they don’t know what minerals are riding in on the malt itself?  Or do they?

I would be stunned if all malt had the same mineral content.  Surely maltster, terroir, process, grain variety etc. all play a part.

The malt has high amounts of minerals, but those aren't available as those are in molecules and don't dissolve like the brewing salts.

Good to know.  But did I not read in Bru’n Water (or maybe Martin posted on here) that there is enough Calcium in Barley malt to be sufficient for mash purposes.  I certainly could be misremembering, or completely misunderstanding.