Belgian Water Profile?

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Lodovico

Lodovico

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I'll be brewing my first Belgian Triple this weekend and I'm looking for tips on how to adjust my water as far as diluting with distilled and adding salts.

Here is my tap water profile:

Calcium Ca (ppm)- 81 ppm
Sodium NA (ppm)- 20 ppm
Sulfate SO4 (ppm)- 50 ppm
Chloride Cl (ppm)- 30 ppm
PH level- 7.1 to 7.3
Hardness as (CaCO3) 238 ppm
Alkalinity as (CaCO3) 190 ppm


Suggestions for turning this into a Belgian Profile? Thanks.
 
Your water profile is not too far off from Rochefort's water. I see your missing your Magnesium content in your post.

Rochefort Profile CA 82 Yours 81 -1
MG 10 ? ?
NA 6 20 +14
SO4 32 50 +18
CL 17 30 +13
HOC3 240 238 -2

I read somewhere they don't treat their water. So you could make a Belgium Dubble like the Rochefort 8 or the Rochefort 10

If you need a water software tool I remember a free program called BreWater 3.0 you could search on the web and download it to help make adjustments.

Good Brewing to you.
 
The magnesium is one number that my local water authority couldn't provide. I just listened to a podcast and Jamil said you want soft water for a belgian.

I know how to use the water software a little bit, but what would a "soft" water profile look like? Can I just cut my tap water with distilled for this brew you think?
 
I rarely, if ever, up the dosage of either Na or Mg on purpose (my Mg is 17). I would be making a guess and say your MG is likely under 25ppm, probably under 20ppm; I have yet to see a municipal water source with excessively high Mg; dosnt mean its not out there, but they seem to be rare. My understanding is that Mg doesnt do much but provide hardness, and too much (50ppm+) gives the Milk of Magnesia effects.
 
Lodovico, What type of Belgium beer are you trying to create? Softer waters are used for pale ales , darker beers dubbles and dark strong ales are more suited to higher bicarbonates. Are you a Extract or all grain brewer ? knowing this will help members give better solutions.
 
ross3648 said:
Lodovico, What type of Belgium beer are you trying to create? Softer waters are used for pale ales , darker beers dubbles and dark strong ales are more suited to higher bicarbonates. Are you a Extract or all grain brewer ? knowing this will help members give better solutions.
Click to expand...

I'm an all-grainer. I'm brewing a Triple. I realize that soft water are for pale ales but in the Jamil show I was just listening to he was talking about being on the softer side of a water profile for brewing a Triple.
 
This is a Chimay water table I got out of a book called Brew Like A Monk. Great Book!
Chimay water is known to be softer for Belgium Beers
Ca 70 Mg 7 Na 7 SO4 21 CL 21 HCO3 216

If your making a 5.5 Gallon batch you will need roughly 8.5 gallons of water to start.
take 4.5 gallons of your water and add 4 gallons of distilled water. I plugged your water numbers in beersmith and gave your water a MG value of 10. This is what beersmith gave me for the new water values

Ca 42.9 Mg 5.3 NA 10.6 SO4 26.5 CL 15.9 HCO3 126
Much softer water. I hope this will help.
 
ross3648 said:
This is a Chimay water table I got out of a book called Brew Like A Monk. Great Book!
Chimay water is known to be softer for Belgium Beers
Ca 70 Mg 7 Na 7 SO4 21 CL 21 HCO3 216

If your making a 5.5 Gallon batch you will need roughly 8.5 gallons of water to start.
take 4.5 gallons of your water and add 4 gallons of distilled water. I plugged your water numbers in beersmith and gave your water a MG value of 10. This is what beersmith gave me for the new water values

Ca 42.9 Mg 5.3 NA 10.6 SO4 26.5 CL 15.9 HCO3 126
Much softer water. I hope this will help.
Click to expand...

Awesome. Thank you.:mug:
 

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