Brewing my first AG (BIAB) this weekend and trying to figure out the water side of it. I was able to get the following info from the local water company for ions. Source Tap/Well Water (reported ions ppm) Ca Mg Na Cl SO4 HCO3 53 14 24.2 39.3 53.1 n/a Hardness- 192 mg/L Alkalinity- 160 mg/L Water pH - 7.1 They were unable to tell me bicarbonate level. Can I adjust based off of just what they gave me or should I really be concerned with the bicarb number as well? With the tap water I would go with 2g CaCl2, 1 CaSO4 and 3ml lactic acid. If I go with distilled water only and build with it I was looking at 3.5g CaCl2, 4g CaSO4, 1g NaCl, 4ml Lactic Acid. I have no clue if those are reasonable amounts. Using 8 gallons of water and 10lbs Pale Ale Malt, .75lbs caramel 20L.
The alkalinity should say "Alkalinity as HCO3" or "Alkalinity as CaCO3." If the latter, multiply the "as CaCO3" number by 1.22 to get the value "as HCO3." Your SO4 number could just be the true SO4 number or it could be "SO4 as S." If the latter, you need to multiply by 3 to get the true SO4 number. Are you using one of the water spreadsheets? That will tell you the expected mash pH and also the final ion concentrations. You need to know them in order to evaluate if the weights of salts you are contemplating are reasonable.
Based on ion balance, my best guess is (i) S04 is the actual S04 concentration, and (ii) the alkalinity is "as CaCO3". If you use 4 gallons of water and all the salts and acid in this volume, I estimate a mash pH of 5.55, which isn't too bad. However, if you use the whole 8 gallons for the mash, I estimate a mash pH of 5.7, which is a bit high. Cheers!
Brewing a Saison. Below are the results I got back from brewcipher for the two different options. And yes it was alkalinity as CaCO3 and doing the full 8 gallon mash. Both are pretty similar but I had no clue how big a deal the missing HCO3 numbers were. Tap Water Ca Mg Na Cl SO4 HCO3 79 14 24 71 72 n/a Cl to SO4 ration 1.00 Mash pH 5.29 Distilled water Ca Mg Na Cl SO4 HCO3 63 0 13 76 74 0 Cl to SO4 ration 1.03 Mash pH 5.31
You need to add the Alkalinity ("HCO3") number in the tap water section. In your case, it's 195 (i.e. 160 x 1.22). That would bring your predicted pH to 5.69, which is a bit too high. That would work.
This is a nice water tool I like to use to confirm my salt additions. It uses the ppm recomendations from Palmer's How to Brew. http://www.ezwatercalculator.com/
I wish I understood more about this. Anyone have good reads? I just take tap water through a 1 micron filter and direct to the brew pot for steeping.
