My Water Profile: Help?

Here is what I got from Ward.

Can anyone gimme some input?

Thank you so much.

PH: 7
Dissolcved Solids: 50
cations/anions: .7/.8
sodium: 8
potassium: <1
Magnesium: <1
Hardness: 19
Nitrate: <.1
sulfate: 3
chloride: 13
carbondate: <1
bicarbondale: 12
alkalinity: 10

Um, your Ca value is missing. Very important.

I went to my LHBS and they said that I shouldn't even worry about my water. If I got a water filter, and the 5.2 stabilizer, I'd be fine...

Reelale said:

Um, your Ca value is missing. Very important.

Click to expand...

Right. I'm sure you have that, it's on the Wards Labs report.

Your water seems to be very soft. You can easily make all styles of beer with adding some salts. Check out some of the EZ spreadsheets (-th has a great one and John Palmer's is good, too) to see the recommendations for your additions. Once you get the Ca value, that is!

Hey ... sorry dont know how I missed that...

My CA is 6

Thanks for the responses so far. I know that with certain styles I may need to make some changes... Im looking for now just for what basic changes should I make to have a good general brewing water.

Thanks for any tips etc.

Jason

It really depends on whether you are brewing all grain, or extract. Mash seems to be the process that is highly dependent on water chemistry, extract, not so much. Right now, it looks like you're deficient in Ca, Mg, and SO4. SO4 is necessary for good hop flavor. And yeast really like Mg. Do like Yoop suggested, here is the link to TH's spreadsheet. It's pretty self-explanatory and a great tool if you decide to modify your water.

I am extract brewing for the time being.
So it looks like I will need to add CA, Mg, S04?
How do I do that or will the spreadsheet explain that?

This thread, https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/ez-water-adjustment-spreadsheet-135095/, and the spreadsheet(s) should get you going.

I just tried that calculator and I am baffled. It looks like it is geared towards a AG brewer.

I typed in my numbers and really am not sure what I need to change.

As an extract brewer... what should I add to my water?

As of now, I am not looking to make any kind of special water for a special beer... Just have a solid water that is good for most beer types.

That's the thing- I don't really think there is a single profile that is perfect for all beers. Since you're extract brewing, though, I think just adding some salts to get you into a good range would be fine.

You're deficient on most things! If you look at the spreadsheet, at the bottom it has the ranges for the important things. I think the Ca is listed at 50-150 ppm, for example. There's another spreadsheet I've seen (but forget where I saw it at the moment) that has a gold star for everything that is "in range" for most beers. I'll see if I can rustle it up, but I"m at my cottage tonight on dial up and it would take me forever here. If someone else knows what I'm talking about, posting it in this thread would be appreciated! Otherwise, I'll find it at home tomorrow night.

sweet, yoop. enjoy the cottage.

I am just thinking that it seems that whenever I read about people and their water... they just use what they have if its within a good range of all the numbers.

Do you guys all change your water for every beer you make?

By "add some salts" are you just talking table salt?

yep, what she said. Just try to get everything within the "recommended Range" in the spreadsheet. I

Off-topic: Yoop, are the crappie biting where you are yet?

jalgayer said:

sweet, yoop. enjoy the cottage.

I am just thinking that it seems that whenever I read about people and their water... they just use what they have if its within a good range of all the numbers.

Do you guys all change your water for every beer you make?

Click to expand...

I do. But I adjust for my mash. You can just get to the proper range and you'll be fine with extract. The mashing is already done for you.

jalgayer said:

By "add some salts" are you just talking table salt?

Click to expand...

No. Salts meaning the minerals, which are usually formulated as salts.

Ok....Now I am on to something.

Try to get everything within the listed ranges for now.
Is there somewhere that I can learn now to do that? Like what to add to increase each area etc?

Thanks to you all

Reelale said:

yep, what she said. Just try to get everything within the "recommended Range" in the spreadsheet. I

Off-topic: Yoop, are the crappie biting where you are yet?

Click to expand...

Not yet! Ice just went off on Wednesday. But it's been in the 70s for the last two days, and we put our dock in today!

As Reelale said, the "salts" really aren't table salt, although NaCl2 can be used, and is used to increase chloride!

You'll need a small collection of salts- gypsum (CaSO4), Calcium chloride, and probably epsom salts (MgSo4). They are cheap, and you can easily hit the desirable brewing profile quick and easy. In fact, I'm so jealous of your water! You can brew any beer with some additions. I have to buy reverse osmosis water, or distilled, and then adjust with salts and some of my tap water since my water is so high in bicarbonates that I can only make stout without any adjustments!

Just start plugging numbers into the cells and see how that changes the values in your results. You'll have to add them to the "mash additions" though.

YooperBrew said:

Not yet! Ice just went off on Wednesday. But it's been in the 70s for the last two days, and we put our dock in today!

Click to expand...

Off-topic again, sorry for the intrusion jalgayer:

I forgot you're way up there. Well, the water is around 60 degrees here, the crappie are shallow, and they are biting like they haven't eaten all winter! With 70s during the days, it won't be long until ur jerkin' some lips

Ok -
So I am an extract brewer and if my next beer is a Dunkel...

[1] How do I determine what numbers I need?
[2] How do I determine WHAT and HOW MUCH to add to change the values?

Again, I am an extract brewer.

Thank you all

Your water is actually perfect for a Dunkel as it is. I was listening to the water episode of Brew Strong last night and Palmer was saying that extract brewers don't need or even want to mess with their water too much. Basically you are re-hydrating a wort that already has the necessary balance of minerals. The one exception is if you have highly alkaline water which you don't.

You can play with your sulfate/chloride ratio to give the beer more of a clean bitter, balanced or malty profile but your ratio is already set up for a nice smooth malty beer. I wouldn't change a thing.

Thanks ry, thats a big help

I use water from a natural well thats just outside of town when i brew, its on linda ln. Ive tried both tap water and the well water and my beers turn out better when i take the time to go to the well. One thing is invest in a piece of tubing with an inside diamert as big as the plastic lip on a 2L soda bottle where the cap is.

I normaly dont worry about my water, either what i was doing extract and now with ag. If the water taste fine thats out of your tap its fine for brewing is a rule of thumb i heard on one of the brew strong shows(i think).