Another Water Report Request

Hi Everyone,

Total noob here, first time brewing. My first batch is in the bucket and I have nothing but time on my hands to worry about all the factors in brewing.

I have included my water report below. I am at sea level, and am unsure what this means. I am brewing a Stout, and would like to know what I can expect, or what I should change for next time.

Any explanation of the science behind it would be great! Thanks!

ALKALINITY 24
ALUMINUM Not Detected
HETEROTROPHIC BACTERIA 11
CALCIUM 3.6
CHLORIDE 2.5
COLOR Not Detected
CONDUCTIVITY 65
CORROSIVITY -3.2
HARDNESS 13
IRON Not Detected
MANGANESE Not Detected
MBAS Not Detected
ODOR 2.8
pH 7.9
SILICA 17.9
SILVER Not Detected
SODIUM 6.0
SULFATE 4.3
TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS 36
TOTAL SOLIDS 44
TOTAL ORGANIC CARBON 0.51
ZINC Not Detected

Click to expand...

Its a relatively pure water with low mineralization. Not quite distilled or RO quality, but close enough. This water is a good place to start for many beers, but probably doesn't have enough alkalinity to keep the mash pH from dropping too low. If this was a first batch, I'm hoping that it was an Extract batch. In this case, the low alkalinity won't really matter and the low mineralization of the water shouldn't matter much either. This water would be well suited to any extract brewing.

The low calcium content and low sulfate or chloride may make the beer character a little low, but that might not be a problem with an extract batch. Some more mineralization will be a good thing to consider for future brews, especially if producing all-grain beers. Learn more about mineral additions at the Bru'n Water site.

Thanks so much! This was extremely helpful. I think this brew can be considered extract. It was a starter kit I bought but was guided by a friend who does all-grain.

The kit contained all the grain I needed, and I had to steep that at 150 degrees prior to pouring in the Light Malt extract (which is why I think this is extract).

Anyway, until I can get a smoother grasp on the science, I think I will keep brewing this way while piecing together equipment for All-Grain. I really appreciate the explanation!

The science can occupy you for a lifetime and gets pretty dense in places. I naturally encourage anyone interested in the science to pursue it to the fullest. It has occupied me for over 20 years and I still have plenty to learn.

In the interim (i.e. while you are learning) you want to be sure not to stumble i.e. not to repeat the mistakes that so many who went before you have. Fortunately you have water with low enough mineral content that you can almost but not quite consider it mineral free. The Primer here is for people with water like yours (or who can get to water like yours by diluting theirs with RO). It will advise you to add some calcium chloride and possibly calcium sulfate to taste and to add some acid in the form of sauermalz for most beers (with the exception being dark beers where you might actually need some alkali depending on how much dark stuff you use). Have a look.

Suggestion for later on - if you do All Grain, and you are concerned your mash Ph is falling too low, try mashing without your steeping grains. Steep them in a different pot, and pour in after the mash is complete. The darker grains (especially roast) don't need to be mashed, and they are more acidic than the base malt.