Quick Water Chemistry question

[user 108580]

When adjusting water chemistry for various brews do I only include the water in the mash, or is it mash + sparge water?

 

[hulkavitch]

I do both but i start with reverse osmosis water and then build it up to what i need.

 

[thatjonguy]

In Designing Great Beers, Ray Daniels talks about calculating your total water volume and adjusting water chemistry for the total water needed (strike/mash/sparge) before brewing instead of scrambling to make more or wasting water and salts.

I highly suggest everyone read that book. I am pretty excited to read Water by Palmer and another author when it is released next year.

 

[user 108580]

In Designing Great Beers, Ray Daniels talks about calculating your total water volume and adjusting water chemistry for the total water needed (strike/mash/sparge) before brewing instead of scrambling to make more or wasting water and salts.

I highly suggest everyone read that book. I am pretty excited to read Water by Daniels and another author when it is released next year.

I actually have that book but thought this thread might get a quicker answer... guess I should just re read that part.

 

[thatjonguy]

I would just calculate your total water volume and adjust it all.

Traditionally speaking, the brewers in Burton-on-Trent (as well as every other brewer around the world) used the same water for everything until ways to adjust water chemistry and it's effects were developed or understood.

 

[ajdelange]

When adjusting water chemistry for various brews do I only include the water in the mash, or is it mash + sparge water?

As is the case with so many other things in brewing the answer is 'it depends' on things like whether the water you prepare is low enough in alkalinity that it won't pull sparge pH too low during that phase and what is convenient for the individual brewer given his equipment and methods. I personally find it easiest to prepare the whole volume where possible but as I need to prepare more than the volume of my HLT I do it by preparing a concentrated salt solution of such strength that 1 cc of it is enough to treat 1" of water in the HLT. If I top off 6" I add 6 cc of the solution etc.

The upcoming water book is by John Palmer and Colin Kaminsky. They are hopeful it will be out this year.

 

[user 108580]

The upcoming water book is by John Palmer and Colin Kaminsky. They are hopeful it will be out this year.

I just checked amazon. Pre order release tentatively scheduled for April of 2013. Dang! Sounds like a good read.