Hi all, I recently moved from NH to Cambridge, MA. In NH I was on well water and had my water chemistry figured out. I really just want a sanity check for my salt and acid additions to my new cambridge water. I am brewing up an IPA tomorrow, it will be moderately hopped and by about 7.4% alcohol. The following is a link to my water additions on Brewers Friend. I will be adding 6g gypsum and 2g calcium chloride to the mash along with 3ml of lactic acid. I will also be acidifying my sarge water with 1mL of lactic acid. Any comments? Thanks. http://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/?id=X9S7FC2
I'm still no pro on water. The basics are there. Your water should taste pretty good out of the tap, yes?
Like most lucky Mofos in New England you have soft water. Your final numbers look fine, but I would not add the lactic acid until I checked the pH of the mash. Good luck.
Yes tap water tastes fine. I guess we are lucky to have soft water, it is all I know! That was the plan, check the pH prior to the acid addition. Thanks for the replies.
My buddy I brew with lives in Melrose. You're both on MWRA for water. Go online to check their monthly water reports. I believe they have a high pH (around 9 last time I checked). Also, don't forget to get rid of that chlorine.
Water pH doesn't have much impact in brewing, the alkalinity is low, so that pH will not be a problem. Goode call on the chlorine removal.
Looks good to me. I believe Carapils should be input as a crystal malt, but this makes very little difference in the calculations.
I am almost positive that Cambridge has their own water supply, not MWRA. I know this because, this past winter Cambridge was temporarily using MWRA water because of construction or something, but there is a post on their website stating they are back to using cambridge water. Thanks for the chlorine reminder, I have been using Camden tablets. I always assumed carapils would be considered a base malt, should it be input as a crystal?
One other thing....I have created an alternate water profile (see link below) which significantly increases the SO4 and calcium. Which water profile would you prefer for an IPA? Thanks. http://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/?id=JXT4BWD
While you are correct about the pH not having a major direct impact, one has to ask why the water pH is 9. Most natural waters with pH this high derive that high pH from having a lot of dissolved carbonates, which can have a big impact. I'd want more info before I brewed with a water that has a pH that is this high.
I am pretty sure the city intentionally raises the pH to help with corrosion control of the water pipes. The alkalinity is low though, so it does not really pose an issue.
Exactly. Soft water can be pretty corrosive and raising the pH, usually with a little CaOH, helps. Water systems with hard water do the same to precipitate out some of the carbonate.
