Water report opinions

[MarkInBuffalo]

Hello, all. I received my water analysis from Ward labs a few weeks ago and started looking into the numbers and trying to figure out adjustments I should be making for ideal PH/overall taste. This is quite a bit to try and grasp right away so looking for a little help from those with



experience. With a quick glance at my report, any glaring/alarming numbers that you can see? I brew a lot of IPAS so I'm trying to come up with an ideal water profile mainly for that style. Thanks for any help.

Attachment 136551

 

[jeffjm]

Your calcium is a bit low - you will have better yeast health if you bump it up a bit. For IPs, that means gypsum. Don't go overboard, a teaspoon or two in the mash of a 5 gallon batch should be plenty.

For less hoppy but still pale beers, add a bit of calcium chloride to the mash. Half a teaspoon in a 5 gallon batch, maybe a full teaspoon, no more.

Porters and stouts will need some calcium carbonate to raise mash pH and offset the acidity of the dark grains. Try two teaspoons per 5 gallons and see where that gets you. Have you noticed challenges with your dark beers? Your water is relatively low in carbonates, which can be problematic.

All in all, your water isn't that far from what we have here in St. Louis, so I am just telling you what I do. It's actually pretty good for brewing. One thing to keep in mind is that your water can vary dramatically over the course of a year, even if the water department doesn't change sources seasonally. It would be a good idea to call them and see if/when they change sources.

 

[MarkInBuffalo]

Thanks for the response. Would you consider my sulfates to be extremely low also? I'm around 7 ppm and I've been reading that sulfates in the mid 100's are ideal for having hop character shine through. Also to be honest my darker beers are the ones i seem to have the least amount of problems with. Having the most issues with IPAs...just trying to piece this all together...

 

[BrewKnurd]

Thanks for the response. Would you consider my sulfates to be extremely low also? I'm around 7 ppm and I've been reading that sulfates in the mid 100's are ideal for having hop character shine through...Just trying to piece this all together

Yes, that's low, gypsum is calcium sulfate so that will get you your sulfate as well.

I would definitely disagree with the recommendation to add chalk (calcium carbonate) pretty much ever. If you need alkalinity, chalk is not a good way to accomplish it.

 

[MarkInBuffalo]

Thanks. Would the low sulfate level explain why I seem to get a constant, overly bitter taste in my IPAS, regardless of if my IBUS are 50 or 100? Good stuff here