Do you treat water and check pH?

[Rodent]

You are inserting the notion of making the beer better. That was not in the hypothesis. It was about whether you have to make adjustments.

It is your second poll option that introduces 'better', not me as I didn't author or modify the poll

There is a gap between the options "Yes, you have to" and "Sometimes, it may make my beer better" (my emphasis in both cases) In your hunt for confirmation of your opinion that "the majority of brewers make no adjustments", you've left off a significant option

I don't HAVE TO adjust my water, but I ALWAYS do because it has been proven to make my beer better. No fence walking that it MAY HAVE made my beer better - it's been proven that it DOES make my beer better all else being equal

 

[Jayjay1976]

You are inserting the notion of making the beer better. That was not in the hypothesis. It was about whether you have to make adjustments.

Well, since we're splittin' hairs, you don't have to use malt, hops, or yeast it just depends on your definition of "drinkable" and "beer".

 

[Still Brewn]

View attachment 620573

http://brulosophy.com/2018/11/22/2018-general-homebrewer-survey-results/

Hope this helps.

Survey results are obviously biased toward the practices of people who the survey reaches and who takes the time to respond.

In the last chart is "big beer" referring to BMC big beer or high ABV beer?

 

[Yooper]

You absolutely never HAVE to make adjustments.

I brewed with tap water (only) for a long, long time, probably 8 or 10 years, and still use it for all of my winemaking.

However, I made fabulous dark beers like stouts, while my helles was a bit harsh. That's when I started making adjustments, and got my water report. My water tastes great, but it is very high in alkalinity. I still make stouts with 100% tap water, but without beer styles I may dilute with RO, or for light lagers use 100% RO water with a few additions.

 

[bleme]

I've added gypsum or acidulated malt when a recipe calls for it, but I don't treat my water in general.

 

[fendersrule]

Depends on your tap water. If it tastes good, you don't have to make adjustments to make good beer.

If it tastes like ass, then you probably have to.

Can you make award-winner beers on good tasting tap water without any treatments? That's the crux of the question.

 

[kh54s10]

It is your second poll option that introduces 'better', not me as I didn't author or modify the poll

There is a gap between the options "Yes, you have to" and "Sometimes, it may make my beer better" (my emphasis in both cases) In your hunt for confirmation of your opinion that "the majority of brewers make no adjustments", you've left off a significant option. Leaving that out was intentional - see below.

I don't HAVE TO adjust my water, but I ALWAYS do because it has been proven to make my beer better. No fence walking that it MAY HAVE made my beer better - it's been proven that it DOES make my beer better all else being equal

As I noted very quickly, after only a couple of replies. The poll is flawed. It was worded very badly and is giving results unintended. Kind of like a political poll, but those are worded to GET the intended results. I was not trying exclude those that use adjustments to make the beers better and to find those that don't adjust as opposed to those who think you must adjust.

Again, the poll doesn't work, the reply with the graph told me what I wanted to know. I would not have even attempted the poll if I had seen that article first.

 

[Jayjay1976]

...If it tastes like ass, then you probably have to.

Unless ass-beer is your goal.

 

[Rodent]

Unless ass-beer is your goal.

somebody's brewing a 'brown ale'?

 

[Jayjay1976]

somebody's brewing a 'brown ale'?

Where's ol' smelly mell when we need him?!

 

[RPh_Guy]

In the last chart is "big beer" referring to BMC big beer or high ABV beer?

BMC

 

[fendersrule]

Here's my Boo Koo Clone IPA with untreated tap water that tastes good.

No whirlflock.

 

[RPh_Guy]

No one is saying that unadjusted water automatically makes bad beer.

 

[day_trippr]

That was not actually baked into the poll question...

Cheers!

 

[fendersrule]

I wonder if people that live in Flint Michigan are the only ones saying “must”.

 

[rmyurick]

If I'm making a Porter or pale ale, 1 tsp. for 5 gal. works well. I made a Stout which had issues (finished high)--should have at least added the gypsum for the calcium, but probably would have benefited from a touch of bicarbonate or lime.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Home Brew mobile app

 

[jcom87]

I am just starting to dabble in water chemistry. I think John Palmer says it best. Think of your beer as tomato sauce. You can get plain, off the shelf tomato sauce from the store and it will be just fine. On the opposite end, you could go to a fancy restaurant and get an incredibly acidic sauce, which is fine as well. But to really dial in that sauce you need to make some additions.

So yes, your beer will be just fine without water additions, but a few adjustments here and there can make it truly exceptional.

 

[Oude Brouwer]

Yes. Always, since I began home brewing a couple of years ago. For beers requiring more minerals in the water profile, I add salts to reach desirable levels. For those light beers and Neipas I use RO water and adjust the profile as needed.

 

[bleme]

I wonder if people that live in Flint Michigan are the only ones saying “must”.

I've seen a lot of water reports posted on here that look more solid than liquid. The next town over from me has so much sulphur in their water, it smells like rotten eggs every time you run the tap. You can't even order a soda in a restaurant there because the ice fouls the whole drink! The town I grew up in had such crumby water that after you flushed the toilet, you still couldn't see the bottom of the bowl! If you have good water, count yourself lucky!

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

While I don't have to I do adjust my brewing water and check each recipe's mash pH. To me, it's part of the fun of brewing beer.

 

[fendersrule]

Is there a place that you guys recommend on sending a water sample to for a water report?

 

[Rodent]

Ward Labs

The easiest method is to order a test kit

https://www.wardlab.com/BrewersKitOrder.php

There are other means to get the same test done by Ward for less $, but you'll need to supply containers + shipping + lab fee and get them a water sample. Deets on how to do this optional method can be found on their website.

 

[fendersrule]

Cool. I'll order the W-5A test kit from them.

$42 is actually way cheaper than some of the sites I've stumbled on that wanted what seemed $200 and beyond. Thanks for this!

 

[day_trippr]

The particular Ward's test suite focuses on things important to brewing and leaves a metric crapton of other tests out. I'm sure Ward's has a $200 test that covers things that could make you sick or even kill you, but this test covers none of those...

Cheers!

 

[couchsending]

Built water from RO from my very first batch. Water is what 95% of the beer?

It’s the most important ingredient in my mind. I ask every pro brewer I can about water and it’s shocking the number that have no clue . And often it’s blatantly obvious in their beer.

I’ve recently started using my tap water which is about as horrible as it gets. 240 Alkalinity, 210 hardness, 650 TDS, etc. But I know how to manipulate it so I can hit my pH windows without having to add a ton of acid.

Water is so easy to work with and knowing how to manipulate it will make your beers so much better. The best breweries in the world are meticulous with their water for a reason. Heard a great quote from Chad Yakobsen that his brewers will check pH 8 times between mash in and KO. 8 times!!!

How many of you check it more than once or twice?

 

[fendersrule]

I don’t mind treating my water with little effort, but I’m not about to become a water nazi. I like to enjoy my brew days. 8 times sounds like someone doesn’t know what they’re doing.

Wards sample sent off. I’ll post my results next week.

 

[couchsending]

I don’t mind treating my water with little effort, but I’m not about to become a water nazi. I like to enjoy my brew days. 8 times sounds like someone doesn’t know what they’re doing.

Wards sample sent off. I’ll post my results next week.

So you’re saying the guy with a masters in brewing science doesn’t know what he’s doing?

 

[fendersrule]

It sounds like a lack of process if someone is taking a PH sample 8 times during a Brew batch. It just doesn’t match any of the research that I’ve read.

And yes, I too, have a masters science degree.

It’s like an auto body technician block sanding a car 8 times. Mirror flatness can be done in 2 block sessions if the process is sound.

Always willing to learn more. But please explain why it’s necceary to take PH samples 8 times.

 

[couchsending]

Source water pH before and after salt/acid additions= 2

Sparge water pH

Mash pH @ 20-30 min (maybe one final reading before Lauter?)

Final runnings pH to make sure you don’t over sparge

Kettle full pH

pH @ 10 or 0

pH @ KO after acid addition

That’s 8ish

All have impact on final product and provide pertinent info for future brews. If you’re relying on local water and don’t have a RO system in the brewery it’s very important.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Source water pH before and after salt/acid additions= 2

Sparge water pH

Mash pH @ 20-30 min (maybe one final reading before Lauter?)

Final runnings pH to make sure you don’t over sparge

Kettle full pH

pH @ 10 or 0

pH @ KO after acid addition

That’s 8ish

All have impact on final product and provide pertinent info for future brews. If you’re relying on local water and don’t have a RO system in the brewery it’s very important.

I measure pH every time I check gravity, and first runnings pH serves quite well as "final reading before lauter".

Everything else here is on point as well.

 

[Soulshine2]

I started a thread a while back asking how important people thought adjusting for pH was. The poll gave a pretty even split from important to not so much.

Given that there are some very advanced brewers, middle experienced and beginners, I would assume that the majority of brewers make no adjustments.

I for one have not adjusted. Could my beers be better? Probably, but I am satisfied for the moment in my beers without adjustment.

Wondering how many make adjustments.

Added: If you are using RO or distilled water your vote doesn't really apply since you have to make adjustments with those.

The first two don't apply. We'll see how this goes. But if there are votes by those using RO or distilled the poll is useless....

I'm on the thought that if my (city) tap water tastes good as is ,it's good enough for brewing. So far ,so good, no weird tastes or aromas .
Now, having said that , the one finishing up in the fermenter now while the water was heating , I did add a tiny pinch of "water crystals" to harden it a bit. Its an Oktoberfest.
I'm waiting on the county to put out their latest water chemistry report .But generally I dont do anything to it.

 

[couchsending]

Your water could taste amazing and still be horrible for brewing, at least certain styles.

 

[balrog]

8 times is nuthin!
Dataphiles like all the data they can get, define the process all along the way. That's the way to know whether something has changed in the process, which is really crucial to someone wanting to make the same thing repeatedly (overuse of redundant repetitiveness was unintentional).

 

[ajdelange]

Every time this poll is posted here I point out that the Brewing Science Forum is obviously going to return a result biased towards testing and manipulation and then go on to suggest that it would be interesting to ask the same question in say, the beginners or all grain brewing fora.

 

[kh54s10]

Every time this poll is posted here I point out that the Brewing Science Forum is obviously going to return a result biased towards testing and manipulation and then go on to suggest that it would be interesting to ask the same question in say, the beginners or all grain brewing fora.

YES... My previous replies to this suggestion:

Yes, I didn't get my question/poll set up to answer what I was trying to find out.

Hwk-I-St8, yes it is.
I have conceded that my poll was poorly worded. I guess I put it in the wrong forum also.

And I only posted this poll once...