Style suggestions for water profile

[redblacktree]

My wife's parents' house has, by far, the best water I've ever tasted. They live in the UP, and source their water from a well. I intend to bring some home next time we visit so that I can brew beer with it. With this in mind, I asked them to send a sample to Ward Labs. The results of that test are below.

Would any of your water chemists suggest a particular style that would be well-suited to this water?

pH 8.0
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est 116
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.19
Cations / Anions, me/L 1.7 / 1.8
ppm
Sodium, Na 2
Potassium, K < 1
Calcium, Ca 17
Magnesium, Mg 9
Total Hardness, CaCO3 80
Nitrate, NO3-N 0.5 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 2
Chloride, Cl 1
Carbonate, CO3 3
Bicarbonate, HCO3 89
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 78
Fluoride, F 0.07
Total Iron, Fe < 0.01
"<" - Not Detected / Below Detection Limit

Here is the PDF, since it may be easier to read: http://wholegrainbrewing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Northwoods-water-test.pdf

 

[mabrungard]

That is pretty decent water. The alkalinity is a little high for light colored styles, but that is easily corrrected with acidification. The calcium level is a little low, but again its easily corrected. I'd expect that something on the order of a soft amber style would suit this water. Since its fairly low in ions, its a fairly blank slate that can easily be amended for most styles.

 

[redblacktree]

Thanks for the advice. I would like to modify the water as little as possible. I have successfully brewed stouts with Indianapolis water, because it is well-suited to darker styles. I'd like to do the same thing with this water, i.e. tailor the beer to the water, not the other way around.

When you say that the water is "low on calcium," do you mean low from a yeast health perspective?

As for acidification, that has traditionally been done with darker malts, right? Do you think the amber style would have sufficient acidity, or were you suggesting the addition of another acid?

One question I had was about sulfates. The water appears to me mostly sulfate-free, which means that I should avoid particularly hoppy styles, right?

 

[SickTransitMundus]

You won't get the characteristic "punch" from bittering hops unless you bring sulfate up. Your sulfate is barely present. Here in Chicago, the water has a slightly high pH and not enough sulfate for pale ales, so I use gypsum to add calcium (lower pH) and sulfate (better hops). I aim for 150 ppm sulfate and calcium (if memory serves) at 80-ish ppm for pale ales. I don't modify the water for anything dark.

Your unmodified profile would be excellent for brewing dark, malty beers.

 

[mabrungard]

Its not just dark malts that provide acidity, its also crystal malts that are large contributors. Indy water and much of the water from across the Midwest is well suited to brewing brown and black beers due to the high alkalinity that is typical in the region. The U.P. water profile shown above does not have a lot of alkalinity that is needed to help the mash pH from dropping too far when brewing brown and black beers. An amber style may have enough acidity to balance the moderate alkalinity of that water.

Low calcium can affect yeast performance and flocculation. Keeping it above 40 to 50 ppm is a good idea.

Your approach to tailoring the beer to the water is a way that the various beer styles evolved in the past, but its quite constraining to a brewer that might want to brew differing styles. Brewing water chemistry is not that tough a subject to tackle and programs like Bru'n Water make it that much easier. A few minerals, an acid, and a way to measure them and you're opening up your water to a wider variety of styles.

 

[redblacktree]

I only intend to use this water very rarely, as it's an 8-10 hour drive from here. Truly, I just thought that the idea of using their water unchanged was neat. i.e. This is a great beer that suits your water profile. I'll probably call it Northwoods something. That's why I resist adjusting it, but I would adjust it for the sake of the yeast.