Ward Labs report in Beav. Oregon. Take a look...

I've had a lot of helpful advice from many folks here, thank you. Here is the water I've got to work with in the PNW. Pretty damn soft, huh? My recent IPA has less hop punch than I like and a touch of a "band aid" aftertaste; But just a whisper of it. Wondering if the chloride level, though low, could cause this would explain why it's so slight. I want to eliminate it as well as really grab the hop essence (confessed hop head) and capture that clean, clear malt flavor and have it dance on the tip of my tongue!

So can I treat my water like it's RO or Distilled and build from there to get the profiles I need for any particular style? Any advantage to using 50% RO/ 50%
tap or any other ratio?

Thanks in advance for any input.

pH 8.0
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm 75
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.13
Cations / Anions, me/L 1.1 / 1.0
ppm
Sodium, Na 12
Potassium, K < 1
Calcium, Ca 8
Magnesium, Mg 2
Total Hardness, CaCO3 28
Nitrate, NO3-N 0.1 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 5
Chloride, Cl 5
Carbonate, CO3 3
Bicarbonate, HCO3 28
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 28
"<" - Not Detected / Below Detection Limit

el_loco said:

I've had a lot of helpful advice from many folks here, thank you. Here is the water I've got to work with in the PNW. Pretty damn soft, huh?

Click to expand...

Yes, it is quite soft. Those of you who live in that region are fortunate ideed.

el_loco said:

My recent IPA has less hop punch than I like...

Click to expand...

Since this is a question about water the obvious answer is that you would want to supplement your sulfate and you can try this but it is also quite likely that your hops would gain more punch, depending on what you mean by that, by using more of the same cultivar in a perhaps different charging scheme or using a different cultivar or even extracts or essential oils.

el_loco said:

...and a touch of a "band aid" aftertaste; But just a whisper of it.

Click to expand...

That is caused by chloramine. Your water authority is apparently using ammonia in addition to chlorine which forms the less (than chlorine) volatile chloramine. Many (most) large water districts do this. The treatment is simple. Add one campden tablet per 20 gallons of water treated.

el_loco said:

Wondering if the chloride level, though low, could cause this would explain why it's so slight. I want to eliminate it as well as really grab the hop essence (confessed hop head) and capture that clean, clear malt flavor and have it dance on the tip of my tongue!

Click to expand...

Phrasing that suggests that these are missing suggests that mash pH is too high. For the bright flavors you seek it must be brought into the proper range. Having the low alkalinity you do is half the battle but acid is, nevertheless, going to be required for most beers - less so or not at all for dark ones but essential for lighter ones.

el_loco said:

So can I treat my water like it's RO or Distilled and build from there to get the profiles I need for any particular style? Any advantage to using 50% RO/ 50%
tap or any other ratio?

Click to expand...

Not really necessary. There are some broad guidelines in the Primer in the Stickies which may be of help. Follow them to get started. Use one of the spreadsheets to help you understand what the guidelines are setting you up to do.

Man, thanks for such an awesome starting place! I'll be using this thread as I build my water profile and decide how to treat my mash.

When you mention the spreadsheets, I have downloaded Bru'n Water and hope to use it. Is that an approved spreadsheet for my applications?

Many thanks, I owe you a homebrew!

el_loco said:

When you mention the spreadsheets, I have downloaded Bru'n Water and hope to use it. Is that an approved spreadsheet for my applications?

Click to expand...

Yes.

el_loco said:

Many thanks, I owe you a homebrew!

Click to expand...

I'll take it!

If you know are you getting Portland H20 or the other sources? Beaverton could be one of several.

I checked the Beaverton City website and it looks like we get ours from a couple of sources around the Tigard/Beaverton region. Not Portland.