Central VA water report

[dotsoncs]

Got my report back from Ward. Water is from a small community well.

pH 7.1
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm 157
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.26
Cations / Anions, me/L 2.6 / 2.4

Sodium, Na 10
Potassium, K 4
Calcium, Ca 36
Magnesium, Mg 3
Total Hardness, CaCO3 103
Nitrate, NO3-N 0.1 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 5
Chloride, Cl 6
Carbonate, CO3 < 1
Bicarbonate, HCO3 116
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 95
Fluoride, F 0.79
Total Phosphorus, P 1.63
Total Iron, Fe < 0.01

Doing my first all-grain in the next week or so - a Hefeweizen. I'm guessing I need to bring the pH down and calcium up a bit. Any suggestions on what to use?

 

[mabrungard]

pH is not the concern, alkalinity is. Fine looking water that might use a touch more calcium. This is a great starting point for any style.

With regard to the alkalinity, minor acid addition will reduce the alkaliity to proper levels for brewing lighter grists. AJ will recommend acid malt for that need.

For darker and more acidic grists, you might need a little more alkalinity in that water. That need becomes more pronounced if the calcium content is bumped up significantly.

 

[dotsoncs]

Thanks for the reply - that goes a long way in helping me understand. Could you clarify on what you mean by AJ?

Thanks!

 

[mabrungard]

AJ is a mythical beast that lives in the forests and meadows of the northeastern North America, apparently ranging from Virginia to Quebec. ;-)

More or less!

 

[ajdelange]

Just in from the forests and meadows of Fairfax county. Yes, for a weizen I would recommend some sauermalz (or lactic acid). OP is dealing with quite a bit of alkalinity and wheat and pilsner malt don't supply much to offset it.

 

[dotsoncs]

Didn't realize 'AJ' was the guy who wrote the stickied water guide.

Most spreadsheets I've worked with put my Mash pH (without treatment) around 5.96; higher than it should be. In order to bring it down to an acceptable range I'd have to cross the 3% barrier (7 oz, 3.8% to be exact) for sauermalz. Which leaves me with lactic acid. Any downsides with going that route?

The other additions I'm considering are Calc Chloride (to bring Calcium up) and possibly Epsom Salt (to increase Sulfate and Magnesium) though the latter is primarily to meet Palmer's recommendations.

Quick question on a topic that I've seen varying opinions on: Do you use additions in Sparge?

 

[mabrungard]

Lactic acid will be fine since your alkalinity is not that high. There is little chance that you would taste the lactic addition. I don't know that adding extra acid malt is really a problem. You're adding lactic acid either way. Acid malt is a little more nuanced and potentially more interesting with the flavor it provides whereas lactic acid from the bottle is cleaner. If you would like to add a little 'something' to the beer, then acid malt would be OK. I prefer lactic acid addition since I can measure it more precisely. Bru'n Water has an effective acid addition calculator that is based on work that AJ created. It works well.

You don't have to add minerals to the sparge water, but if you have a flavor goal and minimum calcium content in your finished wort, you should add a quantity of minerals to account for that sparge water volume. I add my minerals to the sparge water, but you can also add that amount of minerals directly to the kettle. The major thing you should do to the sparge water is to reduce the alkalinity and pH to more modest levels. Again, Bru'n Water has a sparge water acidification calculator that helps you there.

I've come to the conclusion recently that additional magnesium may not be necessary unless you want to add magnesium's flavor impact to your beer. It adds a sour bitterness that is pleasant and possibly desirable in hoppier styles. That would probably not be desirable in a malty style. It still appears that a modest level in brewing water (say 5 ppm) can be helpful to fermentation success.

Enjoy!