Brewing water question

[jrubins]

Hi all,
I'm getting ready to do my first brew day in my new house (in Mountain House, CA) but I'm getting a bit stuck on my water. I think it's pretty soft, so I was going to include a bit of acid to lower my mash PH. I'm curious what, if any, corrections I'm likely to need.

The water report they gave me when I moved in doesn't give a lot of detail.
http://www.mountainhousecsd.org/general_docs/2012CCR.pdf

Highlights are:
Chemical or Constituent (and reporting units)| Sample Date | Level Detected
Sodium (ppm)| 3/22/2012 | 65
Hardness (ppm) 3/22/2012 127
Chlorine | continuous | 0.87
Total Dissolved Solids (ppm) | 3/22/2012 | 350
Chloride (ppm) | 3/22/2012 |100
Sulfate (ppm)| 3/22/2012 | 65

I usually use a charcoal filter for my brewing liquor to remove chlorine, etc.

Any thoughts on what adjustments to make here?

Thanks,
JR

 

[ASantiago]

Many water reports don't really give brewers what they need.

Would you consider building your water from scratch using distilled water from the supermarket? You can use the Bru'n Water spreadsheet or similar to help you build the water to your needs.

 

[peterj]

It really depends on what kind of beer you're brewing as to what ion levels you want. And the mash pH and acid additions needed will depend on your grist. I would use a water calculator like the one on Brewer's Friend or Bru'n Water or something.

In general though your water looks pretty good if those numbers are still accurate (as it's been over 2 years since the sample date). I'm not really sure about the sodium, it's higher than mine but I think it's still in the ok range. Your chloride and sulfate are at pretty good levels though you may want to add some gypsum to up the sulfate if you're brewing a hop forward beer. It says the hardness is generally magnesium and calcium but it doesn't say how much of each. But at 127 I would think they are probably in a pretty good range.

So the only thing I would add is some gypsum depending on the beer you're brewing. As for mash pH, you'll need to use one of the calculators, but an acid addition is usually needed unless you are brewing a pretty dark beer.

 

[ncbrewer]

Maybe I missed it, but I don't see anything that tells you alkalinity. You could get a water report from Ward Labs. Or your LHBS might have a water report that you could use?

 

[peterj]

Maybe I missed it, but I don't see anything that tells you alkalinity. You could get a water report from Ward Labs. Or your LHBS might have a water report that you could use?

Oh yeah, you'll need to know alkalinity for the water calcs. Good point.

 

[jrubins]

Oh yeah, you'll need to know alkalinity for the water calcs. Good point.

Thanks for the feedback and for the Bru'n water link. I don't know the pH of my water. Is that something I can measure myself with test strips?
Alternatively, could I just use pH5.2 assuming I use some of this stuff:
ph stabilizer
or is it better to avoid that product without knowing first what my pH is.

Thanks,
James

 

[peterj]

Thanks for the feedback and for the Bru'n water link. I don't know the pH of my water. Is that something I can measure myself with test strips?
Alternatively, could I just use pH5.2 assuming I use some of this stuff:
ph stabilizer
or is it better to avoid that product without knowing first what my pH is.

Thanks,
James

I would avoid 5.2 altogether. Water chemistry isn't a one size fits all thing. And I've heard the 5.2 is basically useless in most cases and adds unnecessary salts.

It doesn't really matter what your water pH is all that much. It's probably in the 7-8 range. But the grain is generally going to get it in the right range. Mash pH is what's important. You can test it if you want I guess.

 

[Tutsbrew]

brewersfriend.com eezy peezie

 

[acidrain]

brewersfriend.com eezy peezie

Yeah, if you know your water profile, which the OP does not.
I would brew as-is and see how it turns out.
In the mean time, send a sample to ward labs for an analysis.

 

[ncbrewer]

Thanks for the feedback and for the Bru'n water link. I don't know the pH of my water. Is that something I can measure myself with test strips?
Alternatively, could I just use pH5.2 assuming I use some of this stuff:
ph stabilizer
or is it better to avoid that product without knowing first what my pH is.

Thanks,
James

Don't confuse pH with alkalinity - they're two different things. You can't check alkalinity with a pH meter.

 

[mabrungard]

You can read a summary of the differences between pH and alkalinity in an article posted on the Bru'n Water facebook page. That should help illustrate why they are definitely NOT the same thing.

As mentioned above, there is not a lot of information available for assessing the suitability of that water for brewing. It is definitely not soft water with a hardness of 127 ppm as CaCO3.

There is troubling information available. The sodium is a little high and so is the chloride. That can limit which styles may be best brewed with that water.

More complete information on the water content is needed before a good assessment is made.