First foray into all-grain.. help with water analysis?

[nhindian]

Hi all, I am planning my first all-grain brew day tomorrow after a few months of extract. I bought "Water" from the Brewing Elements Series, but due to a move, wedding planning, and job responsibilities I haven't had as much time as I wanted to really dig into it.

I have used bottled water in the past when extract brewing, but am hoping my tap water can suffice. I already picked up some campden tablets to treat For chlorine and chloramine.

Here's a copy of my water report

Any help in building up my water is greatly appreciated. I will be making an IPA as well.

Thanks!

 

[mchrispen]

First, congrats on moving into all grain. That's a big step. Generally I would not recommend worrying too much about water until you get all of the processes and procedures well understood first. You don't say what your recipe is - that will influence how to treat the water for flavor.

That said - your water has variables that are going need to be managed. You have 100 ppm of Chloride that needs to be diluted to a more manageable level, it is currently at the upper recommended limit. I would use that value to dilute with reverse osmosis (RO) or distilled water (DI) at least 50% with campden treated tap water, yielding 50 ppm Chloride. Perhaps 3:1 if you plan to brew something really hoppy and pale with some added gypsum.

I would recommend using the Primer values as a starting point. And get a few brews under your belt. Focus on your mashing and lautering techniques, as well as fermentation temperatures. Following the Primer recommendations should get you into the ballpark for the right mash pH based on style.

Once you are comfortable with that - then start using a spreadsheet like Bru'n Water or Brewer's Friend to help estimate your flavor profiles and mash pH. They will help calculate the right dilution levels for your water as well as build to a specific flavor profile. I would also purchase a decent pH meter (you can find people's preferences here in the Brew Science forum) and learn to use it properly. Of course, a gram weight scale or jewelers scale is necessary.

Set aside a few bottles of these early beers for when you really dig into the water side. Rebrew a recipe and compare it side by side.

 

[nhindian]

Fantastic, mchrispen!

Tons of great information. Very much appreciated.