Water follow up...

So, as I mentioned previously, I bought a R/O system. That's Reverse Osmosis, which forces water, under pressure, through membranes that operate on the microscopic level, rejecting certain sized molecules. Essentially it strips water clean, allowing only H2O through the other side. There is a downside, that is 2:1 rejection water. That water is super concentrated from the source and must be rejected to wash away the encrustations of contaminants from the filter, or it would quickly clog up. De-ionization is another step (that I chose not to take) that will eliminate any residual ions in the output.

Fortunately, my water is pretty soft, just saturated with bicarbonate (chalk), which creates real problems reaching adequate mash pH levels. Before the RO system, water pH was 8.4-8.6. After - I am coming in around 6.2-6.4 pH—measurements taken at room temperature.

Since my Houston We have a Pale Ale 1.0 tap water batch is done, and kegged today, I will rebrew it with RO water and some salt adjustments later this week. I'll make sure to note those adjustments after some more research. Early tastes of the 1.0 put it right on the edge between pale ale and IPA. Today's sip, flat, tasted surprisingly like Bell's Two Hearted - smooth bitterness and rich hop flavor and aroma. So I may have gotten more IBU efficiency than I planned! Or, it is the sulfate/chloride levels in the tap with a small gypsum and calcium chloride bump.

So we will see. Will try to do a side-by-side comparison and get some expert tastebuds in the mix.

If you would like to see the discussion on Homebrewtalk.com, it's here! HUGE thanks to AJ and Martin for their input... it helped me to hone in on the right solution at the right price and still allow me to DIY the project!