Alkalinity for a Belgium Dubbel

Despite brewing for many years I’m about to brew my first Belgium clone, a Westmalle Dubbel. Trying to find the ideal pre mash alkalinity. Googleing seems to throw up differing answers. Thoughts please.

Westmalle got much softer water than the other Trappists, 43 mg/l CaCO3. Westvleteren got about five times that much. If your source water is fairly soft there is no real need to modify for this beer, the dark candi suryp and the Westmalle yeast are by far the main contributors to the overall taste anyway.

Thanks for that, my water is very hard so will treat accordingly.

As you already know,I’m sure, people tend to treat it with lime and gypsum. However, in Belgium they just exchange some base malt with sour malt and be done with it.

High temporary or permanent hardness?

Most of the time not pemanent, in those areas.