can anyone help me with my ph levels

[agezzi]

here is my water table. what do I need to add to adjust my ph to around 5.2 to 5.6. be easy with me,this water thing I just don't get.

LAFAYETTE WATER QUALITY ANALYSIS

pH 7.3

Alkalinity 225 mg/L as CaCO3

Temperature 13.3 oC

Fluoride 0.9 mg/l

Orthophosphate 0.3 mg/l

Total phosphate 0.8 mg/l

Chloramines (Combine) 1.0 mg/l

Calcium Carbonate 220 mg/l

Calcium Hardness 12.8 grains per gal.

Lead below detectable levels

Copper below detectable levels

Iron 0.072 mg/L

Manganese ( Pan Method ) 0.159 mg/l

Chlorides 38 mg/l

Sulfates 61 mg/l

Conductivity 690 μm HOS/cm

Total bacteria 0

Total hardness 350 mg/l as CaCO3

Grains of hardness 20 grains per gallon

Really any help would be great thanks

 

[Yooper]

The easiest way to do it is to fill out Palmer's nomograph or do an online spreadsheet. The reason is that darker grains will reduce the pH more than lighter grains, so the mash pH will change based on the grains you're using. Also, even more important (possibly) is the residual alkalinity. The pH is important for conversion, but the RA is important for flavor.

When you look at the nomograph or spreadsheet, it'll give you a guideline, like "This residual alkalinity is good for beers with an SRM of 5-7" for example, and tell you if your sulfate/chloride ratio is balanced, leaning towards malty, or leaning towards bitter.

Here's a link to a good one: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/ez-water-adjustment-spreadsheet-135095/

It's easy- just plug your numbers into the spreadsheet, and see what you get.

One note- since your water has chloramines (which don't boil off), you'll want to treat your water in advance, or use different water. You can treat your water by taking all of your brewing water a day in advance and adding a crushed campden (potassium metabisulfite, not the sodium metabisulfite) to it, stir it well and let it sit so that the chloramine is gone.

 

[agezzi]

wow thanks...now i know that pet stores carrie stuff to remove chloramines and chlorine in fish water. will that work. I have no lhbs here in good old lafayette,IN. and wont need to order anything for a while.

 

[BigEd]

here is my water table. what do I need to add to adjust my ph to around 5.2 to 5.6. be easy with me,this water thing I just don't get.

LAFAYETTE WATER QUALITY ANALYSIS

pH 7.3

Alkalinity 225 mg/L as CaCO3

Temperature 13.3 oC

Fluoride 0.9 mg/l

Orthophosphate 0.3 mg/l

Total phosphate 0.8 mg/l

Chloramines (Combine) 1.0 mg/l

Calcium Carbonate 220 mg/l

Calcium Hardness 12.8 grains per gal.

Lead below detectable levels

Copper below detectable levels

Iron 0.072 mg/L

Manganese ( Pan Method ) 0.159 mg/l

Chlorides 38 mg/l

Sulfates 61 mg/l

Conductivity 690 μm HOS/cm

Total bacteria 0

Total hardness 350 mg/l as CaCO3

Grains of hardness 20 grains per gallon

Really any help would be great thanks

Two things:

One, that water report is more of a health/contamination report than the kind you want to use for brewing. You can infer and interpolate what's there to find things like the Ca+ number, however, it would be simpler and more accurate to obtain a concise water report listing the ions important for brewing purposes. If you can't get one from your water supplier for under $20 you can get one from Ward Labs. As was suggested earlier you can try plugging in the numbers that fit into the appropriate brewing software and monkey around with it.

Two, the adjustments depend on the beer type being brewing in relation to your water. Your water is fairly alkaline and would generally be good for dark beers such as porters & stouts. You are not adjusting the pH of your water you are adjusting the pH of the mash. For use with lighter colored beers your water would almost certainly have to be diluted with very low ion content water (RO or distilled) to begin to make it compatible with light colored brews. Also be sure to take heed of the earlier advice on chloramines.