Please - help with water treatment.

[bobtheUKbrewer2]

Hello all, I have looked at several water treatment spreadsheets and either cannot understand them of get them to recommend water treatment. I intend to brew - next - a 4% hoppy beer using 9.75 lb of low colour pale malt and 1.5 lb of low colour crystal malt. Mash will be 90 minutes and is full volume start vol 32 litres final volume 22 litres. Hops will be 100 gm Pacific Jade added 5 minutes before end of boil.

Water analysis
hardness 236 as CaCO3
Ca 80
chloride 65
sulphate 107
pH 7.3
Mg 9
nitrate 17
alkalinity 115

I have gypsum, CaCl2, MgSO4

I will treat water with 20 ml AMS and a campden tablet and expect to increase SO4 to ~250 and chloride to 100

Many thanks in advance.

 

[AlexKay]

1. Forget about the magnesium for now.

2. Do you have lactic or phosphoric acid? I think you’ll need something to get pH down.

 

[cire]

20 ml of AMS will remove all the alkalinity present in 32 liters and boost sulfate to ~150 ppm and Chloride to ~100. with more than 10% of a low color crystal malt and no alkalinity, it is possible mash pH may be lower than optimum after adding gypsum and calcium chloride to achieve your chosen profile. I'd be inclined to reduce the volume of AMS to 18ml.

 

[bobtheUKbrewer2]

Cire - thanks a lot -------Alexkay I only have AMS which is sulphuric and hydrochloric , I was thinking MgSO4 to add sulphate not Mg - bed time in UK

 

[AlexKay]

Not familiar with AMS before this — learn something new every day.

With respect to the MgSO4, there just really isn’t much reason not to use CaSO4 instead, certainly for homebrewing-level water adjustments. And too much magnesium can be … bad.

 

[hotbeer]

I wouldn't treat it at all until I had either found I couldn't brew good beer with it. Or perhaps I am trying to enhance some quality of a particular beer I was brewing.

Why make brew day more complicated until you know that you need to.

 

[marc1]

Have you tried a water spreadsheet?
They might look a little intimidating at first, but once you play with them a bit it becomes routine.
I've used Bru'nWater (@mabrungard) and Mash Made Easy (@Silver_Is_Money); both are made by members of the site.
I think @VikeMan might also have one, but I haven't tried it.
They may be able to provide advice as well.
Brewer's Friend website also does water calcs.
I know Mash Made Easy can account for AMS, I'm not sure of the others.

 

[day_trippr]

I have to say the nitrate level would make that water a "No Go" for me.
That's well above the 10ppm level considered "acceptable" nationally and in many states.
If an RO system can remove nitrates I would investigate investing in same...

Cheers!

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Not familiar with AMS before this — learn something new every day.

It is only available in the UK.