Beer Forum

Ok, so I'm brewing an ESB today and I can't decide if I should add gypsum to my brewing water or not. I have never brewed an ESB nor have I adjusted my brewing water. I have a water analysis and It looks a bit low in calcium and sulfate. I'm thinking maybe I should brew without water adjustment now and next time I brew an ESB I'll adjust it then and compare. What to do hmm....

Starting Water (ppm):
Ca: 13
Mg: 3
Na: 68
Cl: 91
SO4: 27
HCO3: 28

That's not a bad idea - to establish a baseline. You are low in calcium and, to some peoples' taste, sulfate but for many adding sulfate would not be deemed a good idea.

Have a look at http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/brewin ... er-198460/. It's intended to try to simplify things for those just starting out.