Water addition recommendations please

[DarrellQ]

I've read a lot about water chemistry from Palmer and others. I've subscribed to Bru N'Water, etc. and I still can't quite figure it out as far as telling me exactly what to add. I'm set on using my well water because (1) it's readily available; and (2) it's the best water I've ever tasted. I would think it should brew great beer.
My water report shows (all mg/L):
Alkalinity (total hardness as CaCO3) 170
Hardness: 210
Calcium: 55
Magnesium: 17
Sodium: 5
pH: 6.9
Sulfate: 14
What salts, gypsum etc. would you add per gallon to brew a Pale Ale? Thank you.

 

[Jag75]

Have you inputed the water info on the Bru N Water program yet? Once you input that then choose your grain , water amount . You can select the different styles of beer and it will show you the desired water profile . I add gypsum , calcium a little bit at a time . You can see the profile adjust. Add your lactic acid ect...

It seems overwhelming at first but it becomes easy after you play around on it for a bit .

Check out the science brewing section . There are good threads in there.

 

[DarrellQ]

Have you inputed the water info on the Bru N Water program yet? Once you input that then choose your grain , water amount . You can select the different styles of beer and it will show you the desired water profile . I add gypsum , calcium a little bit at a time . You can see the profile adjust. Add your lactic acid ect...

It seems overwhelming at first but it becomes easy after you play around on it for a bit .

Check out the science brewing section . There are good threads in there.

I have played around with Bru N' Water but can't figure it out. For example, the input that the program asks for is different terminology from the water report that I listed above. The program asks for carbonates and bicarbonates, etc.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

To convert from alkalinity as CaCO3 to Bicarbonate, you multiply by 1.2. Actually it should be 61/50, but 1.2 is close enough. So you have 204ppm Bicarbonate. For brewing purposes and due to reading error and water variation, just call it 200ppm. The only thing you're missing that needs to be input into Bru'n water is Chloride. You will need to acidify your mash and sparge water for most beers - that's quite alkaline water. I'd suggest either straight phosphoric acid, or a blend of lactic and phosphoric acid - you might end up above the taste threshold using lactic acid alone. You'll also need to get some more Calcium in for most ales.

 

[Jag75]

I started out with my tap water . It wasn't long until I ended up using RO water for easy profiling

 

[camonick]

I have played around with Bru N' Water but can't figure it out. For example, the input that the program asks for is different terminology from the water report that I listed above. The program asks for carbonates and bicarbonates, etc.

Where did you get your water report? Wardlabs provides all that information. Regardless, did you read the rest of the “Water Report Input” page? It provides a calculator halfway down the page to estimate your carbonate and bicarbonate levels.

Like @Jag75 mentions above, it seems a little overwhelming at first, but once you have the correct information input into the water report page, it’s fairly easy to get the hang of.

 

[camonick]

FWIW, that water is very similar to my well water and I have to dilute it with RO water quite a bit for most recipes and add back some minerals and acid to make them fit the different profiles. Darker beers require less dilution.

 

[DarrellQ]

Where did you get your water report? Wardlabs provides all that information. Regardless, did you read the rest of the “Water Report Input” page? It provides a calculator halfway down the page to estimate your carbonate and bicarbonate levels.
View attachment 708106
Like @Jag75 mentions above, it seems a little overwhelming at first, but once you have the correct information input into the water report page, it’s fairly easy to get the hang of.

Thanks. I got the report from National Testing Laboratories. I'll try to not be so overwhelmed by the program and try to play around with it some more.

 

[DarrellQ]

Where did you get your water report? Wardlabs provides all that information. Regardless, did you read the rest of the “Water Report Input” page? It provides a calculator halfway down the page to estimate your carbonate and bicarbonate levels.
View attachment 708106
Like @Jag75 mentions above, it seems a little overwhelming at first, but once you have the correct information input into the water report page, it’s fairly easy to get the hang of.

I gave it another go, does this look right?:

 

[Gnomebrewer]

No, you've got your bicarbonate set to zero.

 

[Jag75]

I gave it another go, does this look right?:
View attachment 708108

You see where it says sulfate and chloride . Add some gypsum , calcium chloride to get close to the recommended amount. Your finished profile shows zero

 

[DarrellQ]

You see where it says sulfate and chloride . Add some gypsum , calcium chloride to get close to the recommended amount. Your finished profile shows zero

Does this look right? So, the bottom line is that would add .4ml phosphoric acid; 1 gram/gal gypsum; 1 gram/gal calcium chloride?

 

[Jag75]

Does this look right? So, the bottom line is that would add .4ml phosphoric acid; 1 gram/gal gypsum; 1 gram/gal calcium chloride?

View attachment 708124

You have too much additions. Try lowering your gypsum and calcium chloride to .10 to start , then bump up as needed . You see your calcium is 212 . Thats way too high . Your trying to hit 50. Chloride is way high as well at 169 when you should be hitting around 45. Here's an idea of what I'm talking about . Its ok to over a bit , just not too much . You want your ph to be in the low 5's for that style .

 

[DarrellQ]

You have too much additions. Try lowering your gypsum and calcium chloride to .10 to start , then bump up as needed . You see your calcium is 212 . Thats way too high . Your trying to hit 50. Chloride is way high as well at 169 when you should be hitting around 45. Here's an idea of what I'm talking about . Its ok to over a bit , just not too much . You want your ph to be in the low 5's for that style .

I hate to be so ignorant, but I struggled with chemistry in high school and never have been very proficient with Excel I really appreciate you guys working with me. I'm not sure why I can't get my water input to balance?

 

[Sammy86]

I hate to be so ignorant, but I struggled with chemistry in high school and never have been very proficient with Excel I really appreciate you guys working with me. I'm not sure why I can't get my water input to balance? View attachment 708139

You need to fill in the Bicarbonate, Carbonate, Sulfide and Chloride on the blue on the top...otherwise it won't be able to balance.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Step 1 - fill in the bicarbonate, sulphate and chloride in the blue boxes (as Sammy said). The others can all stay blank or zero.
Step 2: Fill in the water additions on the water adjustments tab. A reasonable starting point will be 1g/gallon of sulfate, and 0.4g/gallon of Calcium chloride. For something more 'juicy' (NE style) try 0.7g/gallon of each.
Step 3: Select the acid you plan to use in the mash (type and concentration). Adjust the mg/gallon until the estimated mash pH is 5.4

 

[Buckeye_Hydro]

And as a side note.... you may want to give us a call regarding a whole house water softener if you don't have one already!

Russ

 

[BarryBrews]

A RO system only cost about $150. It's the perfect starting point for both brewing beer and coffee. When you add up the cost of purchasing RO or distilled water from the store to correct your well water and then factor in the cost of transportation of said purchases, you'll find a break even point within about 15 brews. Home brewing is about commitment. By the way, you'll still need to use a brew water calculation sheet for the needed salts to achieve the style you want to brew. I can tell you from experience that RO water makes much better beer, but then again all well waters are different. My career was as an environmental chemist and I have had my family using a RO system since 1984. Good brewing water is just one of many factors for making better beer. Try it.