Trying to understand my water report? Help!

[Zrab11]

Ok so I got my water report back from Ward Labs and here it is

pH 7.0
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm 432
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.72
Cations / Anions, me/L 7.7 / 8.1
ppm
Sodium, Na 14
Potassium, K 3
Calcium, Ca 90
Magnesium, Mg 30
Total Hardness, CaCO3 350
Nitrate, NO3-N 2.7 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 17
Chloride, Cl 51
Carbonate, CO3 < 1
Bicarbonate, HCO3 327
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 268



So right off the bat I know my water is way too alkaline for any beer, but especially an IPA.*

I've heard I can dilute it with about 50-75% distilled water or reverse osmosis water, and add some calcium sulfate (gypsum) to put some calcium and sulfate back into the water for a good ipa.

But don't understand how much to add or what exactly I am achieving with it.

Also I will be doing an all grain batch so I will be heating up water 3 different times and need to understand how much distilled water or calcium to add to each volume of water.

Also where do I buy calcium Sulfate?

If anyone could answer these questions and help me better understand my water I would be very thankful.

BTW here is the recipe I am doing.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f69/three-floyds-zombie-dust-clone-303478/

 

[mchrispen]

So right off the bat I know my water is way too alkaline for any beer, but especially an IPA.*

You are correct. Look at the sulfate, chloride, calcium and bicarb values. If you dilute by 50% those values will be halved. That said, you could potentially manage that alkalinity with acid additions after dillution. An IPA will require some level of sulfate and calcium, but your question is fairly vague. Are you looking for Burton levels of sulfates? Are you sure you like that level of sulfate in a beer? I would not recommend hardening your water to such a level unless you know for sure that you will like it.

But don't understand how much to add or what exactly I am achieving with it.

This would suggest reading and following the Primer sticky here, and reading more about water management before jumping in with both feet. However, you may be already prepared for more advanced management - and I highly recommend looking at the Bru'n Water spreadsheet and reading through the knowledge section of Martin's website which gives a strong introduction. Bru'n has a bit of learning curve, but I have loved the results. Bru'n Water will predict your strike/mash and sparge additions, predict your mash pH, as well as provide recommendations to use liquid acid or alkaline additions if required. The book on Water by Palmer and Kandisky is a good read as well.

Also where do I buy calcium Sulfate?

Also known as gypsum and readily available at any LHBS. Also purchase calcium chloride at the LHBS, and look for pickling lime at your grocery. That should get you headed in the right direction.

You don't mention if you have a pH meter. That is a requirement to manage mash pH in the brew house as strips are usually unreliable.

Looking more specifically at your water, you will likely need to dilute at least 50% to make pale beers and possibly use some acid to offset the remaining alkalinity in your water.

Your magnesium is at the high end of the spectrum, so dilution is necessary (50/50 dilution with DI or RO water yields 15 magnesium), and I would avoid using Epsom salts at all costs because of that level - much higher than 15 and things will taste minerally and a bit sour. You would only need to add back minimal amounts of sulfate and chloride then for hardness.

Your alternative is to brew with RO water and build each recipe to a specific water profile, which maybe daunting or unfeasible. OR reduce your alkalinity by boiling and/or slaked lime, but that will not reduce your magnesium.

 

[mabrungard]

If you are aiming for creating a pale ale or IPA, that magnesium level is actually an asset to flavor. Then the bitter edge that magnesium adds helps with the overall beer taste. 30 ppm is not excessive in my experience, but understand that it is near the upper limit. Don't add more.

With that said, the calcium and bicarb are both fairly high. For a pale ale, you MAY want to boost the sulfate content. I like 300 ppm, but 200 ppm is a nice median. I've already found that 100 ppm sulfate doesn't dry a pale ale out enough and they tend to be too full. Gypsum is the only option you have for adding sulfate. But to create a desirable sulfate content, the calcium content may be fairly high.

When you boost the calcium content, the mash may need some alkalinity to help keep the mash pH from falling too low. The bicarbonate content of this water might still be too high. Some acid might be needed. Since sparging water should have low alkalinity, you will need to acidify the sparging water too. Given the level of bicarbonate, I recommend using phosphoric acid since it's going to impart the least flavor effect on the beer.