Denver Water Profile

Hey could someone tell me what this means. I plan on using my tap water so If theres something I could adjust or just filter with charcoal that would be great. heres my water profile for Denver from 2012. 2013 isn't posted yet. Im not going to use 5.2 stabilizer this batch as Denny stated it doesn't really work and mutes the hop flavor.

Data Tables For Treated Water
Moffat Treated Water
Analysis
MCL
Average
Range

General (mg/L)
Total Alkalinity as CaCO3
25
19 - 35

Bicarbonate
30
27 - 32

Total Chlorine
1.64
1.32 - 1.96

Hardness as CaCO3
39
34 - 44

pH (SU)
>7.5 daily average
7.83
7.50 - 8.89

Specific Conductance (μS)
106
92 - 120

Temperature (°C)
15
4 - 20

Total Dissolved Solids
64
32 - 74

Turbidity (NTU)
Treatment Technique
0.040
0.03 - 0.11


Metals (μg/L)
Aluminum
<20
<20 - 28

Barium
2,000
17
15 - 20

Boron
5
4- 6

Calcium (mg/L)
12
11 - 14

Magnesium (mg/L)
2.0
1.6 - 2.6

Manganese
<2
<2 - 2

Molybdenum
<1
<1 - 1

Potassium (mg/L)
0.7
0.6 - 0.7

Sodium (mg/L)
6
5- 7

Strontium (mg/L)
0.05
n/a

Ions (mg/L)
Chloride
4.1
3.5 - 4.7

Fluoride
4.0
0.57
0.23 - 0.63

Nitrate + Nitrite-Nitrogen
10 Nitrate, Nitrite is 1 ppm
0.04
<0.04 - 0.05

Silicon
2.8
2.3 - 3.2

Sulfate
20
18 - 23

Sulfate
20
17 - 23

Very simplistically, use a charcoal filter to remove the Chlorine. Then add gypsum to increase Ca ppm to 50-100.

May want acidity the sparse water some. But download Brue'n Water excel spreadsheet and it'll guide you.

Far better starting point than my highly alkaline, hard well water. This weekend will be my first post Water book batch where I'll put my learnings to use and see how much it impacts my results which have been poor since return to the states and using the well water.

juggabrew said:

Hey could someone tell me what this means. I plan on using my tap water so If theres something I could adjust or just filter with charcoal that would be great. heres my water profile for Denver from 2012.

Click to expand...

juggabrew said:

Total Alkalinity as CaCO3
25
19 - 35

Click to expand...

This means that the average alkalinity is 25 ppm as CaCO3 (0.5 mVal) and ranges over 19 - 35 ppm. This is good. It is low enough that you can treat the water as if it were RO.

juggabrew said:

Bicarbonate
30
27 - 32

Click to expand...

These are the amounts of bicarbonate associated with the alkalinity numbers. They are not really important as there is a 1 to 1 mapping between alkalinity and carbonate in potable water.

juggabrew said:

Total Chlorine
1.64
1.32 - 1.96

Click to expand...

These are the numbers for equivalent free chlorine. If the chlorine is all really free then you need do nothing about it. It will dissipate if the water is allowed to stand over night or when it is heated in the HLT. If part of it is in chloramine then a campden tablet will take care of it (1 tablet per 20 gallons). See the Sticky on Metabite/Campden tablets for how to tell if chloramine is present.

juggabrew said:

Hardness as CaCO3
39
34 - 44

Click to expand...

These are hardness numbers in ppm as CaCO3. Divide by 50 to get mVal (~ 0.8 mVal) if all this were from calcium then the calcium ion content would be 16 mg/L. That's not much. Some beers are brewed with calcium levels this low (but remember this calcium level is the maximum it can be given this hardness). Below, they give a Ca/Mg breakdown. Calcium is actually (average) 12 mg/L. You will want to augment at least the chloride and probably the sulfate as well and as you do that with calcium salts the calcium level will wind up closer to what most people consider acceptable which is 50 mg/L or more.

juggabrew said:

pH (SU)
>7.5 daily average
7.83
7.50 - 8.89

Click to expand...

The pH of the water itself has minimal impact. It is necessary for precise calculation (especially when it gets hi-ish like this) but usually knowledge of just the alkalinity is sufficient.

None of the stuff I've omitted is important to you as a brewer.

juggabrew said:

Calcium (mg/L)
12
11 - 14

Magnesium (mg/L)
2.0
1.6 - 2.6



Sodium (mg/L)
6
5- 7


Ions (mg/L)
Chloride
4.1
3.5 - 4.7


Sulfate
20
18 - 23

Click to expand...

Sodium at this level is "don't care". Chloride is low as is sulfate but sulfate is edging up to where it is close to being a problem in beers using noble hops. For ales which satisfy most peoples' taste it is too low. Chloride is low for most beers.

This water is, thus, suitable for the recommendations of the Primer. Whether you choose to augment just the chloride (CaCl2) or the chloride and the sulfate (with gypsum) will depend on personal taste and the type of beer being brewed.

Note that acid is required in some form for most beers (including some dark ones). 1 - 3% sauermalz usually fills the bill. For darker beers, if you want to match some brewing water ion profile then use one of the spreadsheets or calculators.

Sodium at this level is "don't care". Chloride is low as is sulfate but sulfate is edging up to where it is close to being a problem in beers using noble hops. For ales which satisfy most peoples' taste it is too low. Chloride is low for most beers.

This water is, thus, suitable for the recommendations of the Primer. Whether you choose to augment just the chloride (CaCl2) or the chloride and the sulfate (with gypsum) will depend on personal taste and the type of beer being brewed

Click to expand...

.

AJ wow, thanks this really helps. So if my thinking is correct I could just start out with some gypsum and see how that goes? ill either let my water sit over night or filter it&#8230;

You mention the primer, should I still cut it with RO and add gypsum or don't even mess with RO for now?

You are low on chloride and you will definitely want to boost that. Beer made with very low chloride tends to taste dry and thin. Whether the sulfate should be boosted or not depends on the hops you intend to use and how you want the bitterness to come across. There are some that will tell you that any beer made with less than about 200 mg/L sulfate are insipid, lack pop etc and there are those who will tell you that beers made with that level of sulfate are harsh. For these reasons I usually advise starting out with the chloride and then tasting with added sulfate in the glass but you could do it the other way round.

Your water is low enough in everything that you don't really need to add RO unless you want alkalinity (and/or sulfate) really low. Then a 1:1 dilution, for example, would cut everything in half.

ajdelange said:

You are low on chloride and you will definitely want to boost that. Beer made with very low chloride tends to taste dry and thin. Whether the sulfate should be boosted or not depends on the hops you intend to use and how you want the bitterness to come across. There are some that will tell you that any beer made with less than about 200 mg/L sulfate are insipid, lack pop etc and there are those who will tell you that beers made with that level of sulfate are harsh. For these reasons I usually advise starting out with the chloride and then tasting with added sulfate in the glass but you could do it the other way round.

Your water is low enough in everything that you don't really need to add RO unless you want alkalinity (and/or sulfate) really low. Then a 1:1 dilution, for example, would cut everything in half.

Click to expand...

Sorry If I'm repeating myself. Im caught up in two diff post. Heres what brewers friend is spitting out. Ill just get the chloride and gypsum and test it out. Im adding 5oz. of centennial so from what Denny says the gypsum helps.

Target Water: Light colored and hoppy
(Bells two hearted) scaled down to 3 gal

Description:
Low residual alkalinity and a sulfate to chloride ration balanced towards sulfate make this an excellent choice for light colored (2-5 SRM) and hop forward beers. The mineral level is restraint and should not show through in the taste of the beer.

Ca+2 Mg+2 Na+ Cl- SO4-2 HCO
Actual 74.9 11.1 6.0 48.7 146.4 30.000
&#9650;
Delta -0.1 6.1 -4.0 -1.3 -3.6 30.0

Adding
Gypsum = 3.5g
epsom salt = 2g
calcium chloride = 2g

brewers friend says these are all in normal range.

juggabrew said:

Description:
Low residual alkalinity and a sulfate to chloride ration balanced towards sulfate make this an excellent choice for light colored (2-5 SRM) and hop forward beers. The mineral level is restraint and should not show through in the taste of the beer.

Ca+2 Mg+2 Na+ Cl- SO4-2 HCO
Actual 74.9 11.1 6.0 48.7 146.4 30.000
&#9650;

Click to expand...

I'm not much of a believer in relationships between color level and water chemistry nor in chloride to sulfate ratio. Beers of any style can be made with water of almost any chemistry (with some limitations) and chloride and sulfate are really independent variables. Nonetheless I don't think you'll have a problem in a light colored ale with these ion concentrations. 48 is enough chloride and you'll find out whether 146 mg/L sulfate works with your hops or not when you taste the beer.

I live in Arvada, CO with similar water. I add equal parts (by weight) calcium chloride and gypsum to achieve ~100 ppm calcium. I've played around with different ratios and find 50:50 works best for all styles (for my tastes). This usually gets me in the 5.4 - 5.5 pH range. If needed, I adjust pH down with acid malt. I do not adjust the sparge water. To rid any chlorine I fill my pots using a sprayer and allow to sit over night (this way the cold water warms to room temp for shorter heating times.

zendog said:

I live in Arvada, CO with similar water. I add equal parts (by weight) calcium chloride and gypsum to achieve ~100 ppm calcium. I've played around with different ratios and find 50:50 works best for all styles (for my tastes). This usually gets me in the 5.4 - 5.5 pH range. If needed, I adjust pH down with acid malt. I do not adjust the sparge water. To rid any chlorine I fill my pots using a sprayer and allow to sit over night (this way the cold water warms to room temp for shorter heating times.

Click to expand...

Right on. I'll let my water sit over night and from what beer smith and brewers friend suggest I'm going add 2g gypsum and .5 gram calcium chloride. We will see what happens...to be honest this whole water thing seems to be overrated and not worth the hassle. On the other hand I'm a perfectionist...

When your water is really bad, then it's not overrated. Yesterday I brewed my first post Water book reading batch. I added calcium as gypsum and pre-boiled all my water the day before. It was a bit unnerving seeing how thick the layer of precipitates were. Theoretically I lowered my bicarbonate from 545 to 80 ppm. I decanted off the top leaving the precipitates behind. I have 4ppm iron which clearly dropped out some as well based on the vibrant orange of the waste water.

My mash pH was roughly 5.2 as targeted using beer test strip. 1.2% of the grain bill was acid malt. I dosed my sparge water with phosphoric acid to hit 6. My efficiency increased 3-4% from prior batches, actually probably higher. I ran out of sparge water and my runnings were still at 6 Brix on the refractometer. So I left plenty behind, but topped off with 4L of softened water to hit 45L preboil. My wort was extremely clear going to the BK and I got back the cold break I had become accustomed to seeing in Belgian pils malt while brewing in China with RO plus salts.

I'm sold on the science even before getting to taste the beer. But I did have a poor starting point. Seeing how much yuck came out of the water makes the prep worth the effort.

Quaker said:

I'm sold on the science even before getting to taste the beer. But I did have a poor starting point. Seeing how much yuck came out of the water makes the prep worth the effort.

Click to expand...

It's good to hear that our efforts are worthwhile!

juggabrew said:

Right on. I'll let my water sit over night and from what beer smith and brewers friend suggest I'm going add 2g gypsum and .5 gram calcium chloride. We will see what happens...to be honest this whole water thing seems to be overrated and not worth the hassle. On the other hand I'm a perfectionist...

Click to expand...

I just started making water adjustments this last year, after brewing for nearly 20 years. I notice my beers overall are more balanced and 'flavorful'. I was particularly impressed with the way a recent stout came out. I also notice more consistent, stronger fermentations probably from the added Ca. Not really a hassle anymore; I have tracked the pH with enough different batches that I don't even measure it any more. I use the same amounts/ratio of CaCl and gypsum every time and just confirm the pH prediction with EZ Water to see if I need acid malt.

zendog said:

I notice my beers overall are more balanced and 'flavorful'.

Click to expand...

This is typical. Someone here or in another forum (I don't remember) said 'All the flavors are brighter'. I think that is a very good way of putting it.

zendog said:

Not really a hassle anymore; I have tracked the pH with enough different batches that I don't even measure it any more.

Click to expand...

This is perhaps the most important point of all. Once you get the hang of it you know what to do instinctively. But, IMO, it is still a good idea to check pH in the mash as there are variations between malts that can throw mash pH one way or another. I do see variability but I don't believe I have seen a case where I thought action was necessary in a long time.

Many of us are engineers and as that breed of animal is wont to do often 'overengineer' the problem with elaborate calculations, precise measurements, involved treatments (lime)... I readily admit that I am definitely one of those - probably worse than most. Eventually it is like any other art. One evolves the knack. I do firmly believe, however, that a sound grounding in the principles is necessary for that to take place.

ajdelange said:

Many of us are engineers and as that breed of animal is wont to do often 'overengineer' the problem with elaborate calculations, precise measurements, involved treatments (lime)...

Click to expand...

Eventually you have to shoot the engineer and get something done.

Quaker said:

When your water is really bad, then it's not overrated. Yesterday I brewed my first post Water book reading batch. I added calcium as gypsum and pre-boiled all my water the day before. It was a bit unnerving seeing how thick the layer of precipitates were. Theoretically I lowered my bicarbonate from 545 to 80 ppm. I decanted off the top leaving the precipitates behind. I have 4ppm iron which clearly dropped out some as well based on the vibrant orange of the waste water.

My mash pH was roughly 5.2 as targeted using beer test strip. 1.2% of the grain bill was acid malt. I dosed my sparge water with phosphoric acid to hit 6. My efficiency increased 3-4% from prior batches, actually probably higher. I ran out of sparge water and my runnings were still at 6 Brix on the refractometer. So I left plenty behind, but topped off with 4L of softened water to hit 45L preboil. My wort was extremely clear going to the BK and I got back the cold break I had become accustomed to seeing in Belgian pils malt while brewing in China with RO plus salts.

I'm sold on the science even before getting to taste the beer. But I did have a poor starting point. Seeing how much yuck came out of the water makes the prep worth the effort.

Click to expand...

I just came home from the bar and wrote that so I really don't believe its over-rated.. its just overwhelming at first.

for what its worth, the 80206 area of Denver gets most of its water from Moffat and some from the Foothills. Just got off the phone with Denverwater.org.