Water treatment

[ABI Brewery]

I had a ward labs test done but not exactly sure what to make of it, it doesnt list chlorine or chloramines, I am trying to get a recipe dialed in that is pretty light and l am trying to get some feed back on what you guys think about these numbers, it is Fergus Falls MN tap water with a 4"x20" whole house charcoal filter

pH ------------------------------------------8.8
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm ----145
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm ---------0.24
Cations / Anions, me/L -------------------2.8 / 2.5
PPM
Sodium, Na ------------------------8
Potassium, K ----------------------4
Calcium, Ca ----------------------18
Magnesium, Mg ------------------18
Total Hardness, CaCO3 ----------120
Nitrate, NO3-N -------------------0.1 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S ---------------------7
Chloride, Cl -----------------------12
Carbonate, CO3 ------------------3.3
Bicarbonate, HCO3 ---------------98
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 -----------85
Total Phosphorus, P------------ 0.23
Total Iron, Fe -------------------0.03

 

[thehaze]

Was chlorine supposed to be included in the test you paid for? Did you talk with Ward Labs about it?

But that water report looks alright. You could just Campden your water pre-brew day.

 

[mabrungard]

Chlorine compounds are volatile and are not typically measured in the lab testing that we brewers are interested in. If this water is from a municipal supply, you can almost guarantee that it has some form of chlorine compound in it (its the law in the US). Campden tablet is an easy way to assure that these compounds aren't screwing up your beer.

That is pretty good water. The Mg is modest and you won't want to add more in most cases. The other thing to attend to is the alkalinity. You will need to acidify for most brewing.

 

[ABI Brewery]

thanks guys, how would I acidify this, and attend to the alakinity, I am doing a 10 gallon two vessel recirculation mash

 

[mabrungard]

thanks guys, how would I acidify this, and attend to the alakinity, I am doing a 10 gallon two vessel recirculation mash

You use proper software to assist you in calculating the amount of the acid that you have on hand. The strength and type of acid and the character of your grist are factors in determining the amount of acid. There isn't a single answer.

 

[DownstairsBrewing]

I would guess that the chloride number includes the chloride/chloramine, which appears to be what your municipality does in their own water reporting.

http://www.ci.fergus-falls.mn.us/ve...36D}/uploads/2016_Water_Quality_Report(3).pdf

That of course is upstream of your charcoal filtration.

 

[Kerrbrewer]

I use acid malt in my mash and 88% lactic acid in my sparge water. Every system is different. Get a brewing water calculator and that will get you started

 

[Buckeye_Hydro]

To know if your 4"x20" whole house charcoal filter is adequate for your application, you'll want to know:
1. Are you using a GAC filter (hope not), or are you using a carbon block?
2. Are you treating chlorine, or are you treating chloramine?
3. What flow (gallons per minute) are you pushing through that filter?

Also - are you running all the water that feeds your house through that filter? Or just your brewing water?

Russ

 

[ABI Brewery]

1. Are you using a GAC filter (hope not), or are you using a carbon block?
2. Are you treating chlorine, or are you treating chloramine?
3. What flow (gallons per minute) are you pushing through that filter?

Also - are you running all the water that feeds your house through that filter? Or just your brewing water?

The filter is a Pentek RFC20-BB Carbon Filter Cartridge, 20" x 4-1/2", I got it off Amazon

1. GAC
2. chlorine
3 maybe 3

Also-whole house

Should I be using a carbon block filter for the brewing water?.....................cheers

 

[Buckeye_Hydro]

Might want to give us a call. You have options for better products at a lower cost.

If you're using it for whole house flow, surely you're exceeding 3 gpm.

In general, carbon block are much more modern, and offer much better performance that GAC cartridges.

Russ

 

[ABI Brewery]

Was chlorine supposed to be included in the test you paid for? Did you talk with Ward Labs about it?

But that water report looks alright. You could just Campden your water pre-brew day.

How much campden should I use in a 10 gallon batch, also does anyone have a preference to what water chemistry app to use so that I can dial in my future brews, correct me if im wrong but will the water profile calculator tell me what and how much of a chemical to add....................cheers

 

[ABI Brewery]

I have finally gotten onto brewers friend and am trying to set up my water profile for a session beer with 21 lbs rahr 2 row and 1 lb crystal 40 and .75 lb crystal 60, I choose the light colored and hoppy and get what I guess I should target for my profile, I am fairly new to this water profiling so any help would be good, I have brewed for a while so questions are welcome and can be answered with some brewing knowledge behind it.
I was also wondering if this seems like a lot of additions to add, there is also a 6g tartaric acid in there to bring ph to 5.4, any thoughts are welcome