Salifert test kit

[Troutman47]

So my last water report says alkalinity as CaCO3 is 6!

If I was to get one of these kits and it agrees with 6 what do I need to do next?

[alexlark]

If your water is soft then a teaspoon or 2 of calcium sulphate (Gypsum) will help those hops along.

Except of course if you're brewing a big Stout .

Had my APA cap on last night lol


Troutman, what I did is measure alkalinity and calcium then put those figures into the water calculator on this site. Picked a water profile and used that. I've used the lager and standard water profiles so far. Both with good results. I only add Calcium sulphate and Calcium chloride, both readily available on eBay if you want to save on postage.

I got some cheap Ph strips just to check the mash and it was within range too.

[MTW]

If your water is soft then a teaspoon or 2 of calcium sulphate (Gypsum) will help those hops along.

Except of course if you're brewing a big Stout .

Had my APA cap on last night lol

It's OK... the OP did start by saying the hops weren't coming through enough in a Cascade. All the water advice is good, but it is taking his assumption (that it may be a water issue) as granted. Unless it is a pretty fine tweak he is looking for on an exacting palate, then I'd say it's possible to get hops through fairly strongly in most water. Which is why I asked about his hopping process.