Brew water in Jerusalem - head retention problems?

[Locham]

Hi All-

I posted this in All Grain Brewing earlier, but it's probably better here. My original post:

I've had an issue with head retention lately, and I wonder if my water profile has something to do with it. I've started cleaning my glassware with just hot water and then drying by hand, in order to eliminate the detergent effect on head retention - I haven't noticed anything different from before, so I don't think my glassware is the problem.

I live overseas, so I haven't the foggiest idea of where to get a professional independent water report, but here's what my water company put out as its average rates for the last 6 months:

Turbidity: 0.24
Chloride: 51-134 ppm (mean: 95 ppm)
hardness: 175-277 ppm (mean: 238 ppm)
pH: 7.1-8.0 (mean: 7.5)
Chlorine: 0.44 ppm
Flouride: 0.57-0.80 ppm (mean: 0.71 ppm)
Calcium: 65 ppm
Magnesium: 27 ppm
Sulfate: 42 ppm
Sodium: Best answer I can find is 131 ppm

For the two beers in question (new-ish brewer), I've used a Culligan RV-500A water filter to clean up the chlorine...but perhaps it also removes other things I might need to be worried about?

Here's the two beers, below. Both had been carbed/conditioned in the bottle for at least 3 weeks at over 70* F, and then refrigerated for at least two weeks.

Any advice? Thanks!

The first beer: Partial Mash of Edwort's Haus Pale Ale:
Style: American Pale Ale
TYPE: Partial Mash

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.26 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.76 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 6.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 6.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.044 SG
Estimated Color: 4.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 34.0 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 70.0 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
2 lbs Vienna Malt (Briess) (3.5 SRM) Grain 1 26.7 %
8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 2 6.7 %
5 lbs DME Golden Light (Briess) (4.0 SRM) Dry Extract 3 66.7 %
1.00 oz Cascade [6.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 4 21.8 IBUs
0.50 oz Cascade [6.80 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 5 8.4 IBUs
0.25 oz Cascade [6.80 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 6 2.7 IBUs
0.25 oz Cascade [6.80 %] - Boil 5.0 min Hop 7 1.1 IBUs
1.0 pkg Nottingham (Danstar #-) [23.66 ml] Yeast 8 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 7 lbs 8.0 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 3.50 qt of water and heat to 169.0 169.0 F 60 min
Mash Step Add 4.00 qt of water at 171.0 F 170.0 F 10 min

Sparge: Fly sparge with 5.68 gal water at 168.0 F
Notes:
------
Bottled 14 MAY 2012. Undershot the carbonation by about half an ounce. Still within style, but on the low end. Not on purpose - underestimated the amount of finished beer that there would be.


Beer 2: AG 'Cervesa de Malto Seca'
Style: Dry Stout
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.22 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.82 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.05 gal
Estimated OG: 1.042 SG
Estimated Color: 33.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 41.1 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 73.3 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
6 lbs 4.0 oz Pale Ale (Crisp) (4.0 SRM) Grain 1 69.4 %
1 lbs 12.0 oz Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain 2 19.4 %
1 lbs Black Barley (Stout) (500.0 SRM) Grain 3 11.1 %
1.79 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.80 %] - Boil 60.0 Hop 4 41.1 IBUs
0.25 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins) Fining 5 -
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) Yeast 6 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 9 lbs
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash Step Add 13.70 qt of water at 158.4 F 150.0 F 60 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun, , 5.38gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
------
A few notes:

1) Strike water was right temperature, but hit only 147 degrees after initial infusion. Added additional water from pot, and then added boiling water from kettle to bring it up to 151. Did not conduct protein rest that the recipe called for - not sure what the result will be for not doing that.

2) Temperature at 15 min: 149.2, 30 min: 148.6, 45 min: 147.7. Temperature mostly dropped due to opening/closing MLT in order to stir the mash.

3) Boiloff was just about right.

4) Hydrometer reads +0.003. Whatever the gravity reading is, adjust for temperature, then subtract 0.003.

5) Added irish moss at 15 minutes. Took 4 oz of wort and put it in the fridge. Added 1/4 tsp of irish moss once it was cooled, shook it vigorously, and added to boiling wort with 10 minutes remaining.

Fermentation notes:

1) Krausen formed within 8 hours.

2) Swamp cooler style fermemtation - rotated water bottles 1-2 times a day to keep temperatures around 65-68.

3) last week of fermentation increased temperature gradually to 71. Last day forgot to add ice water and temperature went up to 73. Interested in the effect this might have on

Bottling notes:

Bottling date: 15 Jun 12

Afr0byte responded:

I doubt your water is the cause of your head retention issue. However, that water is rather horrible for brewing. Your alkalinity is most likely quite high, so you'll have trouble getting your mash pH in line (5.3-5.5 at room temp). Also your sodium is quite high.

As did Martin Brungard:

If the sodium is actually that high, then the alkalinity is also quite high. More than likely, the alkalinity is the main culprit in creating the poor head. The mash pH is probably far too high and the wort is not properly converted or composed. Diluting the water with RO would help reduce the sodium and alkalinity to more reasonable concentrations. Using acid will also be an important skill to master for both the mash and sparging water. May I suggest Bru'n Water to help you with your water issues.

Thanks!

I'll try calling the water company tomorrow and see if I can get a real answer about sodium - I couldn't find it in the reports and went off some random website, but then again I'm trying to translate them from Hebrew, so it's slow going. I might stop by their office and try and find a sympathetic english-speaker.

I've thought about RO, but since I'm only here for another two years before I return to the US, and I brew about once a month, it didn't seem like a good way to go. Bottled water might make sense, as 8 gallons of water would run me about $12. From the label (all ppm):

Bicarbonate: 198
Sodium: 32
Calcium: 26
Chlorides: 24
Magnesium: 18
Nitrates: 15
Sulfates: 6
Potassium: 3.5
pH: 7.8

When I plug this into Bru'n Water, I end up with:

cation/anion ratio: 0.99
Total Hardness: 139
Perm. Hardness: 0
Temp. Hardness: 139
Alkalinity: 164
RA Effective Hardness: 102
RA: 134

It looks like I'd still need to make an acid addition, but perhaps with less mixed results than with even filtered tap water.

At the end of the day, it's probably more that there is such a variance in the water quality from my tap water than any one specific component that is either causing poor head retention and/or reducing my chances for a great brew, right?

Cheers!