3 different Water Spread Sheets and still confused

[Toy4Rick]

Hey gang,

I got my water report today from Ward labs. It seems that my numbers are down the middle so what I struggling with is the additions so I started with a Honey Red Ale and looking to dial it in to better understand it.

pH 7.9
Sodium, Na 76
Potassium, K 4
Calcium, Ca 60
Magnesium, Mg 21
Total Hardness, CaCO3 238
Nitrate, NO3-N 0.5 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 60
Chloride, Cl 85
Carbonate, CO3 < 1
Bicarbonate, HCO3 149
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 122
Total Phosphorus, P 0.02

Honey Red Ale
11 lbs 2 Row
1 lb Honey Malt
12oz Crystal 60L
8oz Crystal 80L
1oz Roasted Barley

EZ Water Calc seems to indicate Lactic Acid is needed to drop pH, does this seem right?

Thanks in advance
Rick

View attachment EZ_water_calculator_3.0.2.pdf

 

[ColoHox]

Seems right to me. There aren't enough roasted grains in your bill to lower the pH sufficiently without help.

Alternatively, you could add acidulated malt to the bill if you don't have an acid on hand.

 

[g-star]

I would say your numbers are on the higher side of "down the middle". Hardness is at a good level for brewing, but you will want to get your alkalinity down below 100ppm at a minimum. Your grain bill won't do it alone, and diluting with RO or distilled water will bring your calcium levels out of range low as well.

The best course of action here is to acidify your strike water with lactic or phosphoric acid. The calculator you referenced is a good starting point, but I have found it to be not entirely accurate at predicting pH after taking my own measurements and comparing. A bit of trial and error is in order for your first few treatments.