Calcium Sulphate (Gypsum) 200g
Gypsum (calcium sulfate) adds permanent hardness (calcium ions) to brewing water.
Calcium Sulphate causes permanent hardness because it doesn't get removed by boiling.
It is believed that sulphate suppresses harshness and astringent flavours which therefore allows brewers to use large amounts of hops without extracting undesirable harshness from other components of the hop.
Calcium Sulphate shouldn't be overused though, as it can create a harsh taste and impact on other aspects of the brew.
This is food grade Calcium Sulphate.
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Questions & answers
How do I work out how much gypsum to add to my brewing water?
Use your starting water’s mineral analysis, the volume of water you are treating and your desired beer profile in a brewing-water calculator. Include the calcium and sulphate already in the water. As a guide to the calculation, 1 g of gypsum in 10 L adds about 23 mg/L calcium and 56 mg/L sulphate; those are additions, not target levels. Weigh the calculated dose rather than using the same spoonful for every brew.
For a 23 L brew with Nelson water, how much gypsum suits lager, hazy IPA or IPA?
For a 23 L all-grain batch using about 32 L of total mash and sparge water, estimated starting additions are: lager with little bitterness, no gypsum; pilsner/helles, 1.6 g gypsum; hazy/NE IPA, 2.2 g; hoppy pale ale or IPA, 6.6–8.8 g. The matching calcium chloride additions are 3.6 g, 2.4 g, 4.8 g and 3.0 g respectively, so gypsum alone is not the complete adjustment. These estimates assume the Nelson profile of about 12 mg/L calcium, 2 mg/L sulphate and 5 mg/L chloride. Scale by your total brewing-water volume, not the finished beer volume. Recalculate for a different water analysis and check mash pH for your grain bill. Most NZ water from towns supply won't be too far from this guidance.
