Ward Labs Water Report

[ABQScott]

Hi,

I've been having problems with my lighter-colored all-grain beers (specifically, a DFH 60 Minute clone and a Deschutes Twilight Summer Ale clone) since I started using 100% well water for brewing. They have a somewhat tannic and excessively bitter flavor that wouldn't age out.

After reading about possible causes, I decided to get a Ward Labs water report.

Here are the results:

pH 7.8
TDS Est, ppm 393
Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.65
Cations / Anions, me/L 6.3 / 6.4

In PPM
Sodium, Na 26
Potassium, K 6
Calcium, Ca 80
Magnesium, Mg 12
Total Hardness, CaCO3 250
Nitrate, NO3-N 2.6
Sulfate, SO4-S 33
Chloride, Cl 25
Carbonate, CO3 < 1.0
Bicarbonate, HCO3 212
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 175
Total Phosphorus, P 0.02
Total Iron, Fe < 0.01
"<" - Not Detected / Below Detection Limit

I've entered the water profile and grain bills in Bru'n water and it looks like the pH is outside the optimal range for these beers. I'm pretty certain that I need to tweak the alkalinity b/c it is not allowing the pH to come down to an acceptable number. Is that correct? Question is, can I tweak the well water without producing off flavors from the necessary acid additions or should I use a different water source?

My apologies for the noob questions.

Thanks,
Scott

 

[mabrungard]

Your results are typical when brewing paler beers. The starting alkalinity is too high to enable the mash pH to drop into a desirable range. In addition, without acidification of the sparging water, there is a higher potential of extracting tannins and silicates from the grist. While your water's sulfate level (100 ppm) is fairly high for some styles, the main concern is managing the alkalinity via acid addition. That sulfate level could be fine for many balanced or hoppy styles, its likely to require dilution with RO or distilled water when brewing lighter-flavored, delicate styles where you don't want them to dry out their finish as much.

 

[ajdelange]

Since you have 4 mEq/L calcium hardness and only 3 - 3/4 of alkalinity you can drop that alkalinity down to about 1 mEq/L (50 ppm) pretty easily by boiling. Replacing with, or diluting extensively with, RO water is, of course, even easier if you have the stuff.

 

[ABQScott]

Thank you both for your feedback. It's good to know that boiling will reduce the alkalinity.

One more question - Does mixing Star San with this water reduce its sanitizing ability?

Thanks again!

 

[ajdelange]

StarSan is, I believe, simply water, dodecyl bezene sulfonate and enough phosphoric acid to hold the pH in the optimum range for the detergent to disrupt cell membranes. Sufficiently alkaline water will neutralize some of the phosphoric acid thus raising the pH thus rendering the DDBSA less effective. I don't have a feel for how alkaline things would have to be for that to happen.

 

[mabrungard]

Star San is very affected by both high calcium content (hardness) and high alkalinity. The high alkalinity just means that you would have to add more of the Star San to the water to produce the required low pH. However, the high calcium content is the main problem. Star San complexes with calcium and causes a haze in the solution. The sediment coats all the equipment and creates a slimeyness that may affect its ability to sanitize.

You would not like the results of using your water with Star San. However if you have softened water, it is OK for Star San use. Just recognize that you may have to increase the dosage if your softened water has high alkalinity (yes, yours does!). The best water for Star San is RO or distilled water.

 

[ajdelange]

The water is going to have to be pretty hard for this to happen as the low pH keeps all but the tiniest bit of the phosphate in the mono and di basic forms (it is the tri basic form that is problematical with calcium). There are some charts in the back of the water book that will give you an idea of how hard. Now if the water is hard and alkaline (and in most cases i.e. those of appreciable temporary hardness they go together) the neutralization of some of the phosphoric acid by the alkalinity promotes more formation of tri basic phosphate and apatite formation is promoted.

 

[mabrungard]

The water is going to have to be pretty hard for this to happen as the low pH keeps all but the tiniest bit of the phosphate in the mono and di basic forms (it is the tri basic form that is problematical with calcium).

Um, AJ? I am pretty sure this phenomena occurs since I've seen it personally and there are thousands of accounts of it occurring. If this were a case of just calcium and phosphate in solution, I would be quick to agree with you. Those components should stay in solution and not precipitate. However, there is a bit more than that at work in that product.

 

[ajdelange]

As I said in an earlier post AFAIK its just phosphoric acid and DBSA. But according to the MSDS:

HAZARDOUS INGREDIENTS: %
PhosphoricAcid(75%)(CAS#7664-38-2) 50.0
Dodecylbenzene Sulfonic Acid (CAS# 27176-87-0) 15.0
Isopropyl Alcohol 10.0
(Other compositional information is considered a trade secret).

So there is the alcohol (which I didn't remember) and 25% 'trade secret' stuff. So it must be the trade secret stuff that is forming the precipitate which is very probably not apatite for the reasons mentioned earlier. As I have no idea what the secret ingredients are I have no idea what levels of hardness would be required to bring on the problem.

 

[mabrungard]

They say it contains an anionic surfactant, so I'm assuming that is what reacts with the calcium content and precipitates.

 

[ajdelange]

Well DDBSA is a surfactant and at the proper pH is anionic. If the calcium salt of DDBSA is insoluble that could be it I suppose. But who knows what's in that unspecified 25%?