Basic Water Chemistry

IMO the Water Knowledge page is the basics, or at least parts of it are. There are many ways to hit a mash pH of 5.4 (or whatever), and the spreadsheets allow all of them. (I've seen some ridiculous adjusted water profiles by users of Bru'nWater, EZWater, and Beersmith.) Knowing what the choices will do to flavor is no less important. Maybe moreso.

 

Do not assume. I get my water from Lake Michigan but the suburb right next to me does not.
Easy to find out. Just google your town and water treatment.
I have the water profile (as do MANY others) for chicago/Evanston treated Lake Michigan water if applicable.

 

Agreed. I guess I was assuming he's read through a few different things about the basics and just needs to know how to put it to use. Like all things in brewing, simplicity usually works best.

 

Based on the calculator, and what I understand could be reasonable (will revisit Bru'n Water/HtB tonight) additions of 1 tsp each of Gypsum and Calcium Chloride, plus half a tsp of Epsom Salt and 3 oz of acid malt (1.7%) should get me to an acceptable(?), though imperfect, pH of 5.47.

Though now that I'm thinking about it...what constitutes 'normal' vs. 'extreme/absurd' amounts of additions. I know that it's all dependent on the water itself, but I'm just looking for ballpark areas of 'that's alright' to 'what the hell are you thinking?!'

 

Minimal adjustments which affect the changes desired. People can easily add to much of one thing, then add another ingredient to adjust the adjustment, etc.

 

Don't over do the Epsom Salts. Mg can give some harsh tastes, and you really don't need to add it. You might want to up the gypsum to keep the pH the same.

What are you brewing? Many beers will be better around 5.5 - 5.6 in the mash. Read the Bru'nwater knowledge page, it talks about pH targets for different styles.

 

I'm doing a 2-Row/Simcoe SMaSH. According to Bru'n Water, my pH would be a bit high after playing around with the numbers some. My RA was way low (-150) so by adding 1 tsp of Baking Soda it brings my pH up to 5.63. It seems a little high for a Pale Ale. When I try to lower the pH it drops the RA. I'm not terribly concerned about it, but I'm curious...how does one find that balance...the 'perfect' water?

 

Worry about the mash pH. For all pilsner malt beers a negative RA is not a bad thing. Why not add a1/2 tsp of baking soda? Or less? I don't worry much about RA these days.
Can you measure mash pH? That is when you want to really dial things in.

 

Good to know. I don't have pH measuring strips or anything. But it doesn't mean I can't get some by the time I brew this (shooting for August 12).

 

A big issue I have a hard time dealing with is the wide range of constituents listed in my City's water reports. In addition, the blend of groundwater and imported water varies. Not being able to know the true level of constituents in my water I usually resort to RO water and build it up for what I'm brewing. Do others usually assume the average value in their water report and make their adjustments based on that?

 

The RA number itself should not be a target or cause for concern. And there's nothing wrong wih a negative RA, as long as the mash pH is good, you have enough calcium, and the 'flavor' ions (sulfates and chlorides) are where you want them.

 

Seasonal variation here, but I use RO, as the water is very alkaline.

 

When do you measure your mash PH? Shortly after mixing? 10 minutes later? More?

 

Dough in, stir, take temp, adjust temp to target if off. After 10 minutes, pull a sample, cool to room temp, measure pH. That takes 10'to 15 minutes, which is the recommended time. The reactions of malt and the Ca and Mg need some time to stabilize.

 

A lot of water chemistry is about getting the mash pH right. If you are just interested in hoppiness, you could skip mash chemistry. You could split a single batch into multiple small batches, boiling each separately and dosing with with differing amounts of gypsum to get a sense for whether it does anything for you. Sort of a pain; you might decided learning a bit about your water chemistry isn't such a bad idea.

 

I like this idea a lot. I'll have to try it out some time.

 

I normally shoot for a hoppy beer to be atleast 100ppm calcium, and then 3:1 sulfate to chlorides. Usually around 130ppm : 40ppm chlorides. Makes for a harder water and seems to be working well for me.

This is assuming RO water though.

 

I've never used strips that weren't a complete waste of time. Always show about 5.4 pH no matter what in my experience. Save up and get a meter if you really want to dial in your brewing. Otherwise just pick a spreadsheet and use it and tweak as necessary.