Dark & Roasty Foundation
Dark & Roasty Foundation
Dark & Roasty Foundation

Dark & Roasty Foundation

$5.99
Dublin-inspired mineral blend that balances dark roasted malt.
  • Pre-measured brewing water salts for stouts & porters
  • 11.3 g, treats one 5-gal batch (extract or all-grain)
  • Use with RO or distilled water, not tap
  • Bicarbonate-balanced (98 ppm) to smooth roasted-malt bite

Dark roasted malts are acidic. Without bicarbonate to buffer the mash, stouts and porters can taste thin, sharp, astringent. This Dublin-inspired blend pairs moderate chloride with meaningful bicarbonate — the exact water stack behind the world's great dry stouts — so roasted barley and chocolate malt read as smooth, rich, and full. One pouch into 5 gallons of RO or distilled water gets you there.

Target Water Profile
The mix of minerals in your brewing water (measured in ppm) is what shapes hop bitterness, malt sweetness, and body. These numbers are the target this pouch builds in 5 gallons of RO or distilled water: the ideal mineral balance for this style, pre-measured so you don't have to calculate a thing.
Per 5 Gal RO/Distilled

All values in ppm. Sulfate-to-chloride ratio 0.9:1 (malt-forward with bicarbonate).

In this pouch
  • 4.3g Calcium Chloride — chloride builds roundness against roast
  • 2.9g Epsom Salt — magnesium rounds the mineral profile
  • 2.6g Sodium Bicarbonate — raises alkalinity to balance roasted grain acidity
  • 1.5g Gypsum — minor sulfate keeps hops present
  • Stout
  • Porter
  • Brown Ale
  • Imperial Stout
  • Dry Stout
  • Irish Stout

Extract brewers

Empty the entire pouch into 5 gallons of RO or distilled water. Stir until fully dissolved (about 60 seconds). Brew your recipe as usual — no further mineral additions needed.

All-grain brewers

Dissolve the pouch into your total brewing water (mash + sparge combined, typically 7–8 gallons for a 5-gallon batch). Split roughly 60% in mash water, 40% in sparge. Brew as usual.

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Quality You Can Trust.

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The "We Got You" Guarantee.

We’re committed to your first batch being a great one. If something goes sideways, we’ll help you troubleshoot or replace what you need - fast.
Dark & Roasty Foundation
$5.99

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Frequently Asked Questions

Empty the entire pouch into 5 gallons of RO or distilled water and stir about 60 seconds until dissolved, then brew as usual. All-grain brewers: dissolve in your total brewing water (7–8 gal for a 5-gallon batch) and split roughly 60% in the mash, 40% in the sparge.

These blends are built from a zero-mineral baseline, so tap water's existing minerals would stack on top unpredictably. RO water is about $0.40 per gallon at most grocery stores, and distilled water works just as well.

Yes. One pouch is formulated for a 5-gallon batch either way — one pouch, one brew day.

It's formulated for final water mineral profile, not precise mash pH. The calcium and bicarbonate will influence mash pH, but exact pH management may still call for acid adjustments based on your grist.

No. The bicarbonate is there to balance roasted-malt acidity, not to be tasted — it keeps dark beers smooth rather than thin and sharp.

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