Hi,
I've been brewing for several years and have never treated my water - never even really thought about it until fairly recently as I see more and more articles about it. I fill my kettle the night before, add a 1/4 Campden tablet and call it good. I brew extract and partial-mash; all ales so far. I've never had a beer that seemed "off" in any way and I've always been happy with the outcome. Which of course doesn't mean they can't be better!
I'm not sure how close our local water (Lincoln, NE) is to what would be considered "ideal" for brewing. If I understand water chemistry correctly, some issues like PH are probably not as important to me since I don't brew all-grain. Pretty much everything I've brewed so far has a pretty robust flavor (strong ales, browns, porters, stouts, IPAs, etc), which I assume are more forgiving on the water.
Anyway, I have two kegs nearing empty. I'm brewing a nut brown ale next week for one, and I'm thinking of trying a Kölsch for the other. I am guessing a Kölsch will be a little less tolerant of poor water chemistry, so I thought I'd attach our local water profile (I've just attached relevant pages) to see what your thoughts are. I brew five-gallon batches, so any recommended adjustments for a starting volume in the 6.5 gallon range would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your help!
I've been brewing for several years and have never treated my water - never even really thought about it until fairly recently as I see more and more articles about it. I fill my kettle the night before, add a 1/4 Campden tablet and call it good. I brew extract and partial-mash; all ales so far. I've never had a beer that seemed "off" in any way and I've always been happy with the outcome. Which of course doesn't mean they can't be better!
I'm not sure how close our local water (Lincoln, NE) is to what would be considered "ideal" for brewing. If I understand water chemistry correctly, some issues like PH are probably not as important to me since I don't brew all-grain. Pretty much everything I've brewed so far has a pretty robust flavor (strong ales, browns, porters, stouts, IPAs, etc), which I assume are more forgiving on the water.
Anyway, I have two kegs nearing empty. I'm brewing a nut brown ale next week for one, and I'm thinking of trying a Kölsch for the other. I am guessing a Kölsch will be a little less tolerant of poor water chemistry, so I thought I'd attach our local water profile (I've just attached relevant pages) to see what your thoughts are. I brew five-gallon batches, so any recommended adjustments for a starting volume in the 6.5 gallon range would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your help!