so i got a water report today....

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bracconiere

Jolly Alcoholic - In Remembrance 2023
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would a lead level of 19ppb/m, whatever, effect mash ph?

am i going to have a problem with the beer being too sweet?
 
I'm not sure what effect lead has on the quality or flavor of beer, but it's not something normally tracked to my knowledge. In both of the places I've lived since I started brewing the water reports sent by my municipalities have been useless for homebrew analysis. You can try emailing them to get the chemicals listed in a typical homebrew mash chemistry calculator like this one. Typically you look at Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate. Keep in mind that if they test for those chemicals they might be different over time or at your particular spigot.

If all you want to worry about is pH, get a pH meter. The pH will be different depending on what kind of grains you're using so you should always measure it. Test strips are inexpensive but not great. There's digital pH meters on Amazon now for under $50.

If you want to get further into water chemistry so you can more closely match flavor profiles with beer style, use Reverse Osmosis or Distilled water and add salts using a calculator.
 
I'm not sure what effect lead has on the quality or flavor of beer, but it's not something normally tracked to my knowledge. In both of the places I've lived since I started brewing the water reports sent by my municipalities have been useless for homebrew analysis. You can try emailing them to get the chemicals listed in a typical homebrew mash chemistry calculator like this one. Typically you look at Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate. Keep in mind that if they test for those chemicals they might be different over time or at your particular spigot.

If all you want to worry about is pH, get a pH meter. The pH will be different depending on what kind of grains you're using so you should always measure it. Test strips are inexpensive but not great. There's digital pH meters on Amazon now for under $50.

If you want to get further into water chemistry so you can more closely match flavor profiles with beer style, use Reverse Osmosis or Distilled water and add salts using a calculator.


man i read your post and, i like the fact that you put inteligent thought into helping a kid not get taken advantage of by drug dealers. and i feel really bad about it.


but man, my post i thought would be the obvious joke it was intended as...i mean i could have asked if i needed to add MORE lead to it or something i guess....

it meant as a satirical comment because my water report said they failed twice to be safely under the allowed 15ppb of lead which to me still seems high....

edit: and i drink a gallon of this stuff a day!
 
man i read your post and, i like the fact that you put inteligent thought into helping a kid not get taken advantage of by drug dealers. and i feel really bad about it.


but man, my post i thought would be the obvious joke it was intended as...i mean i could have asked if i needed to add MORE lead to it or something i guess....

it meant as a satirical comment because my water report said they failed twice to be safely under the allowed 15ppb of lead which to me still seems high....

edit: and i drink a gallon of this stuff a day!
derp that's what I get for not looking at which forum it was posted in 😅

As an aside...there has been some analysis done regarding trace metals in beer, though that one doesn't talk much specifically about lead.
 
though that one doesn't talk much specifically about lead


i'd have to read some roman texts on that wouldn't i! ;) :mug:

edit: and it happens to me with brew science! i'll be reading a thread half down thinking about saying something and have to stop myself, "wait these people sound smart"
 
Article with way too much on lead and PH most of which I can't understand.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/lead-solubility
That said, from what I read, I think high lead in drinking water is due to low PH (water with low alkalinity), which causes the lead to be more soluble and go into solution. This is what happened in Flint Michigan when they changed the source of their water. So, I think you have nothing to worry about because high lead is more an effect rather than a cause changing PH.
 
OP lives in Arizona. He should be happy his tap still flows. Eh, @bracconiere?
damn right!
For a planet covered mostly in water, we do manage to try and live quite a few places where it is becoming scarcer and scarcer.
i think he's refering to the fact my water is so hard with so much alkalinity i have to chisel lime buildup to get anything out of the faucet!
 
@bracconiere you're a funny guy, and yes I got the joke.

On a serious note, lead in "drinking water" (aka "beer") is not funny. "EPA has set the maximum contaminant level goal for lead in drinking water at zero because lead is a toxic metal that can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels. Lead is persistent, and it can bioaccumulate in the body over time."

'course you knew all that.
 
@bracconiere you're a funny guy, and yes I got the joke.

On a serious note, lead in "drinking water" (aka "beer") is not funny. "EPA has set the maximum contaminant level goal for lead in drinking water at zero because lead is a toxic metal that can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels. Lead is persistent, and it can bioaccumulate in the body over time."

'course you knew all that.
yeah, what do you think about one of these for it?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3941613630...YE7bQFTYcElQXZQJsZsh9y6VjlMk|tkp:BFBMvPrHpshg
It wasn't the Home Depot water test, was it? That's about like letting Wells fargo and Bernie Madoff counsel you on financial choices. :eek:


nope, muncipal water report...with a 'Y' in the check box do we suck....
 
that sounds like something that would give a person super powers?
Cave Creek Man

Super power: ability to light up dark caves with a blast of bright white Beryllium laser beamed out from his eye s.

 Caution: the sun contains 0.1 ppb Beryllium, Cave Creek Man's brain contains 10 ppm. Don't look him in the eye, especially after entering a dark cave 🫣
 
I believe the Home Depot free water report is an invitation for them to sell you an overpriced water softener.
 
I sure hope it does ! Actually I was turning the element symbol for lead "Pb" into a Pub (tavern). Notice the "u" is lower case
Not to worry, I made the appropriate correction and changed it to upper case in my post 😉 So are you now saying there's a potentially radioactive tavern with dodgy plumbing out there? Sounds like a typical traditional British pub, to me.
 
Not to worry, I made the appropriate correction and changed it to upper case in my post 😉 So are you now saying there's a potentially radioactive tavern with dodgy plumbing out there? Sounds like a typical traditional British pub, to me.
I'm not saying that there is such a place, but if there is I would not go there. I want to keep my teeth 😁
 
I'm not saying that there is such a place, but if there is I would not go there. I want to keep my teeth 😁
Well, if it's The Slaughtered Lamb just don't stare at the locals. It's not so much the uranium content of the old stone floor that's worrying it's the locals' DNA. It glows in the dark. If the lights go out you'll get clocked staring at them 🫣 Then you'll have to run like the clappers, with your pint, of course.
 
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