Help with Water Report

Ok
I did the Wards water report now I need help ,trying to see what I need to do as far as adjusting my water for All-grain brewing.

ph 7.9
TDS 846
ELEC COND 1.41
CATIONS/ANIONS 17.5 / 20.1
SODIUM 19
POTASSIUM,K 3
CALCIUM ,CA 221
MAG 67
TOTAL HARDNESS 832
NITRATE < 0.1 SAFE
SULFATE 273
CHLORIDE 6
CARBONATE <1.0
BICARONATE 175
TOT ALKALINTY 145
TOT PHOS 0.01

Are there boulders floating in that water? That is hard stuff. The Mg level is pretty high and likely to affect beer flavor. The sulfate level is also quite high. That water might make a decent pale ale, but its probably too mineralized for other styles. Dilution is your best bet.

Yes I know it's hard I have used 100% R.O. water in the past ,But I want to use my water and adjust it for brewing . I have Brew Smith and going/try to build my water profile and go from there just trying to understand if my water is ok to brew with.or stick to 100% R.O/water and adjust it ,but I do 10 Gal batch whick cost me $ 4.00 a batch,plus the time ,gas to go to store to trying to save some cash..

mabrungard said:

Are there boulders floating in that water? That is hard stuff. The Mg level is pretty high and likely to affect beer flavor. The sulfate level is also quite high. That water might make a decent pale ale, but its probably too mineralized for other styles. Dilution is your best bet.

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LOL... I was going to say, next time draw the sample BEFORE you add the quickrete... good LAWD!

OP my best advice and I'm no pro here, is to not only stick to DI and RO and building up... but to also get yourself a water softener - how do you bath and wash clothes in that water? I can't imagine that your clothes don't come out dingy and stained and your skin must have scale after a shower... .washing dishes, etc.

If Jesus walked on that water it wouldn't be considered a miracle.

And here I thought HBT was a forum for help But I cause making jokes is more important to some of the members then helping you brew better Beer kinda sad IMO ...

Relax man. Part of socializing is being able to role with the punches. They are correct in that you should probably stick to RO water and build up. Very hard to tear it down to what you need. I would still use your water with pale ales probably as is but I would probably still run it through a carbon filter first.

So if you are looking for consistency and quality in you brews I would build up some RO every time.

I am relaxed .and can roll with the jokes if followed by advice just trying to wrap my head around the water for brewing
better Beer This Ward water report was not cheap I thought Belgian water was hard and thinking that I can use
my water for Farmhouse Ales. and being able to use R.O .water and my house water as well for other Beers.

thanks sfgoat

If I had your water and wanted to try using it, I would probably try some kind of British pale ale, a dortmunder export or maybe a heavily hopped American IPA. Wouldn't hurt to try, and you'd learn a lot. The only thing that would give me pause is the magnesium number, it is way too high even for the styles I just mentioned. But that said, I'm not sure what that would even do to the beer, and I'd probably try it just to find out.

When all is said and done, if I had that tap water profile, and assuming it tastes good from the tap, I would probably use it sometimes but only cut 50/50 with distilled water from the store. The additives I would likely end up using the most in that situation, with the final base profile of the 50/50 mix, depending upon style, would probably be sodium chloride (canning salt) and phosphoric acid.

What they are trying to tell you is that this is problem water. Twenty years ago you would be stuck. Today, fortunately, things are different and you have the possibility of good beer by using the simple expedient of throwing this water away and using RO water. There are some things you can try with this water but any beer you brew with it is going to be very minerally tasting. This water can not be practically softened because most of the hardness is permanent. The only way to get rid of it is to dilute it away.

Unfortunately the answer you apparently are seeking, simple treatment protocol for this water in order to make good beer is the one you have been given: toss it. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and I'm afraid you have a sow's ear.

Yes, some Belgian beers are brewed with very hard water and you are certainly encouraged to try some of those to see how they turn out. If they are acceptable then problem solved. In addition you might find that some other styles brewed with this water are acceptable too. In this case the hard water becomes your 'terroir'. In general, though, for most flexibility and to brew any style you choose (the home brewer's goal) replacement is the best option.

$4 hardly seem a valid gripe. That's the cost of a glass of beer at a pub. Brew an extra glass in each batch and you've recovered that expense. Having to go get the RO water is, however, a valid gripe. For a bit over $125 (30 btatches worth) you can install an RO system and save the travel..

ChuckCollins said:

I am relaxed .and can roll with the jokes if followed by advice just trying to wrap my head around the water for brewing
better Beer This Ward water report was not cheap I thought Belgian water was hard and thinking that I can use
my water for Farmhouse Ales. and being able to use R.O .water and my house water as well for other Beers.

thanks sfgoat

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Actually, if you look back you'll notice that nary a joke came without a follow up of not only advice, but good advice. Not to mention, not one thing was said that you should even remotely take offense to. We laughed at the extraordinary hardness of your water. It's funny. The Jesus thing killed me. It was hilarious. If you had a pool and all the water evaporated, you'd find a quarry! This allows us to have fun while providing help. This hobby should be nothing if not fun! I made a joke and then proceeded to tell you not only how I'd approach your water for beer, but also gave you some advice regarding the water in your home. People with water that hard typically find daily chores to be very difficult.

mabrungard essentially nailed the advice thing in the first response. There wasn't a whole lot to follow up on really. The jokes were simply affirmation.