Brewing water

[brausawyer]

Looking for information on how to build proper brewing water from distilled. This would allow me to add various salts to perfectly hit my recipe based on both style and grains used.

I recently used the Brewers Friend calculator and from what I see I can add 6 total teaspoons of 5 different minerals (at different amounts each) to 9 gallons of distilled to achieve the right alkalinity, Ca, SO4 and others for my Vienna malt ale.

Do these additions sound like overkill?

Cheers

 

[diS]

What pH did it predicted?
Please post link from BF's water profile.

 

[Yooper]

A teaspoon is a lot- about 5 grams of the powders. That sure seems like a lot- depending on what your additions are.

If you're adding chalk, please don't! Read up in the Brew Science forum a thread called "why chalk doesn't dissolve", and "why not to use chalk"!

 

[brewhaw]

not to hijack thread; but i am doing the same and i plugged into the calculator and i cant begin to read the dam thing! I do have my own thread called "help with county water bill". If someone could give me the same advice i would appreciate it. thanks

 

[brausawyer]

Link of what Brewers Friend's calculator showed me.

 

[diS]

I don't see mash pH, be sure to get in in right range.
As Yooper said, you don't want to add chalk unless you have good reason to do so, I usually add only Calcium Chloride and Gypsum (w/some lactic acid).
If you know tap water profile you can mix distilled and tap water to get desired pH and water profile. My water is hard and I combine it with RO water, except for lighter beers where I mostly build it from RO with salts.

 

[brausawyer]

I don't see mash pH, be sure to get in in right range.
As Yooper said, you don't want to add chalk unless you have good reason to do so, I usually add only Calcium Chloride and Gypsum (w/some lactic acid).
If you know tap water profile you can mix distilled and tap water to get desired pH and water profile. My water is hard and I combine it with RO water, except for lighter beers where I mostly build it from RO with salts.

You can check this link as it is a saved detailed report I just plugged in. I removed chalk, doubled gypsum and checked the option of "Add salts to mash". I put acidulated malt as 2% of my grist as well. I hope this is clearer.

http://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/?id=TX42QXD

 

[Yooper]

The water looks like it's very high in sodium- You definitely don't want that much sodium!

Instead of epsom salts and table salt, use calcium chloride to get 50 ppm of calcium and see what you get then.

I never did see the grainbill, unless it's all Vienna malt. I'd keep the chloride under 100 in all cases.

Overall, the additions are just too much.

I'd try just adding calcium chloride to get to 50 ppm calcium and see where you are. For a malty Vienna lager, you don't want to add gypsum or at least not very much at all.

 

[brausawyer]

The water looks like it's very high in sodium- You definitely don't want that much sodium!

Instead of epsom salts and table salt, use calcium chloride to get 50 ppm of calcium and see what you get then.

I never did see the grainbill, unless it's all Vienna malt. I'd keep the chloride under 100 in all cases.

Overall, the additions are just too much.

I'd try just adding calcium chloride to get to 50 ppm calcium and see where you are. For a malty Vienna lager, you don't want to add gypsum or at least not very much at all.

Check out the link above. I cut my Epsom salt in half because I didn't want that high sulfate. I double checked with John Palmers recommendations for levels in each mineral and I am bang on. I am trying to figure out what I am missing...

 

[Braufessor]

So, if I read this correctly . . . . is the 9 gallons all mash water? Are you doing a 10 gallon batch?

I just plugged your grams of additions into Bru'n water, used an oktoberfest recipe I had in there and just basically doubled my five gallon batch to a 10 gallon batch and input your additions in grams. pH came out to 5.3.

The numbers (in Bru'n water) that concern me though are:
Sodium 67
Sulfate 117
Chloride 155
Bicarbonate 129

Those all seem to be on the high side a bit to me.
I agree that the salt additions seem VERY high. I do not use the software you are talking about though - like I said, I just tried to simulate the same thing in Bru'n water to see what came out.

 

[brausawyer]

So, if I read this correctly . . . . is the 9 gallons all mash water? Are you doing a 10 gallon batch?

I just plugged your grams of additions into Bru'n water, used an oktoberfest recipe I had in there and just basically doubled my five gallon batch to a 10 gallon batch and input your additions in grams. pH came out to 5.3.

The numbers (in Bru'n water) that concern me though are:
Sodium 67
Sulfate 117
Chloride 155
Bicarbonate 129

Those all seem to be on the high side a bit to me.
I agree that the salt additions seem VERY high. I do not use the software you are talking about though - like I said, I just tried to simulate the same thing in Bru'n water to see what came out.

The 9 gallons represents 4.375 gallons Mash water and 5.625 gallons sparge (I always prepare more sparge than necessary). I would treat it all at once before mashing in. I guess the Epsom salt doesn't need to be so high. My sodium seems to be a common theme..

 

[brausawyer]

I just updated again, got my water values from the city of Vancouver. Turns out our water is very low in Ca, Mg and acidic (6.8 ph). I input everything new and might run off city water with minimal additions. Opinions are awesome so far. Thanks everyone!

http://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/?id=TX42QXD