What things to test in a water report?

[Sadu]

Hi everyone, I made enquiries with our local water lab and they don't have a "standard" report that is suitable for brewing (I live in New Zealand so I can't just use Ward Labs like y'all do). They want to know what things I need in the report and each thing they need to test adds to the price.

So I'd like to give them a list of tests/reports that are necessary for preparing brewing water but nothing that isn't necessay as that will inflate the price.

Is anyone able to suggest what things need to be tested for, ie what list I should give them?

In case it's relevant, I do BIAB brewing with a batch sparge, our tap water tastes excellent and I have been pretty happy with the AG beer I'm producing. I would consider it soft water in my non-expert opinion.

Another question. If I try the suggestions in the excellent water primer thread - follow the instructions but assuming my water is soft / doesn't need RO water added - is that preferable to doing nothing? I'm not talking hardcore water chemistry, just adding 2% sour malt + a small amount fo calcium sulphate / calcium chloride to see if things improve.

Appreciate any advice. I think my brewing is at the stage where this is the next thing I need to be working on, though I don't have a budget for $200 ph meters and are just looking for any incremental improvements - not looking to replicate the exact mineral profile of the Rhein as it was during the rule of Caesar. That primer thread looks real good.

 

[TheMadKing]

A good start will be:

Sulfate
Chlorine
Calcium
Magnesium
Alkalinity
Sodium
Bicarbonates

but I've probably forgotten something.

I would recommend downloading the Bru'nwater spreadsheet and look at the inputs sheet. You will need everything it asks for on that sheet.

I would recommend waiting to add anything to your water until you know it's soft. Chances are that if you're consistently making good beer, it's not bad, but it's better to know where you're starting from before you start adding things.

 

[mabrungard]

Not chlorine...it is chloride that you need to know about. Chlorine is a water disinfectant, but its form is not what we want in our brewing liquor since it reacts with compounds in wort to form chlorophenols.

 

[Sadu]

Thank for the replies, I have sent off the list for a quote. Get the feeling it could be a bit pricey can though.

 

[ajdelange]

The most important to a brewer is the alkalinity. Order that first. It is a simple (and thus inexpensive) test. It is so simple that you can do it yourself.

The next most important is total hardness. Also simple enough that you can do it yourself.

In third place is magnesium hardness. A wee bit more complex but still pretty simple.

Do not order calcium and magnesium tests unless you can get them at Ward Lab prices. The machines for these tests are very expensive and tests can be offered at reasonable prices only if the lab does a huge volume. You will, instead, deduce calcium and magnesium content from the hardnesses. Subtract magnesium hardness from total hardness to calcium hardness. Divide by 50 and multiply by 20. That is an estimate of the calcium concentration. Divide the magnesium hardness by 50 and multiply by 12.15. That is the magnesium content in mg/L. Example: Total hardness 100, magnesium hardness 25. 20*(100 - 25)/50 = 30 mg/L Ca++. 12.15*25/50 = 6 mg/L Mg++.

Sulfate and chloride are both very important but chloride is much easier to measure than sulfate and many of the sulfate tests are pretty crude (low precision). The sulfate test may be fairly expensive relative to other tests.

Do not order a bicarbonate test. The lab doesn't do bicarbonate tests. They use a simple formula to calculate bicarbonate from alkalinity and some labs calculate it incorrectly. It really doesn't matter what the bicarbonate level is except that, unfortunately, many of the popular spreadsheets use it as a proxy for the alkalinity and demand it as input rather than alkalinity and pH.

Sodium is difficult to test unless you have the machines that do calcium and magnesium so a sodium test may be expensive. It is often calculated by measuring or estimating Ca++, Mg++, SO4--, HCO3-, CO3-- and assuming that any other ion dissolved must be sodium. As you can do that calculation yourself be sure that you sre psying for a real sodium measurement and not a calculation.

pH: while not that informative in itself pH is necessary for a complete picture of the water. As it is usually done as part of the alkalinity test it should be free.