Water adjustment question please?

[Khasta]

Hey noob brewer here with a noob question please [emoji3]

When adding gypsum and etc to build your water, when do you add it? In the mash water? Boil? When its chilled and about to get pitched? In the sparge water maybe? I dont know... Im guessing it will affect the grains in the mash so... But i made so many mystakes already can someone helo me out please? Lol

And ill be trying my 2nd attempt at the centennial blond, would that be a descent water profile in your opinion? View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1465848141.293131.jpg

Thanks!

 

[Khasta]

Sry pic is kinda hazy lol
Here View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1465848615.141208.jpg

My water being in the 5th row ( target minerals)

 

[Khasta]

I mean 7th... Adjusted water... [emoji58]

 

[bruhaha]

Hey noob brewer here with a noob question please [emoji3]

When adding gypsum and etc to build your water, when do you add it? In the mash water? Boil? When its chilled and about to get pitched? In the sparge water maybe? I dont know... Im guessing it will affect the grains in the mash so... But i made so many mystakes already can someone helo me out please? Lol

And ill be trying my 2nd attempt at the centennial blond, would that be a descent water profile in your opinion? View attachment 358502

Thanks!

There are tons of knowledgeable brewers on here, but I am not including myself since I am still learning the water chemistry management process. But my understanding is that at least some additions which are necessary will benefit us during the mashing process. I no sparge BIAB, so I make my CaCl and Epsom salts adjustments prior to mash in. So I am not all so sure to add before the mash in or after mash out. I think it depends on what is going on with your original water ph to be honest.

If I am wrong in doing so, will someone with experience please correct my shortcomings.

 

[brewkinger]

I can help get you started in the right direction.

1) salts and acid additions can be added to the strike water before mashing OR directly to the mash itself.
I check mash pH about 5 minutes into the process and often make additional salt additions if needed then.
I add salt and acids directly to my sparge water before heating.

Looking at your water for the upcoming brew is slightly confusing because I cannot tell what minerals are what.
What I can tell you is based on what is right at the bottom of the sheet.
That water is best for an amber ale that is very hoppy.

You are planning on making a blonde ale which is NOT amber and usually NOT very hoppy.
So to answer your question, that water profile is not the best for a blonde ale.

 

[Khasta]

Thanks Brewkinger and Bruahah, this sure points me the right direction, sry for the bad pic i posted here it is again, its the tap water in Montreal
View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1465863648.619327.jpg

And i was trying to get it to a "balanced profile" as said in this calculator, which only needed me to add a bit of gypsum, to raise both the CA and the SO from. Poor level to a more balanced one View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1465863780.378376.jpg

5 grams of gypsum... For a 5galon i think it was, i dont understand why it says a balanced profile is good for a hoppy amber tho...

I think i red that a very important point was to have your calcium and your sulfate 1:1 amirite?

Anyways thanks for the info guyz much appreciated

 

[brewkinger]

And i was trying to get it to a "balanced profile" as said in this calculator, which only needed me to add a bit of gypsum, to raise both the CA and the SO from. Poor level to a more balanced one.

5 grams of gypsum... For a 5galon i think it was, i dont understand why it says a balanced profile is good for a hoppy amber tho...

I think i red that a very important point was to have your calcium and your sulfate 1:1 amirite?

This is a "balanced" profile because it balances the hoppy and malty characteristics of an amber ale and perhaps even a pale ale.

For a blonde ale, there is less malty and less hoppy to contend with.

The ratio I think you are referring to is SO4 : CHLORIDE
and honestly I think it's all a bunch of hooey.
I've had beers that have a wide variety of ratios and really made no specific correlation.

Key focus of water chemistry at your stage is to make sure that you keep everything within acceptable limits and focus on getting your mash pH into the 5.2 to 5.4 range.

 

[brewkinger]

And also, if that water is treated then you will want to remove chlorine and chloramine with campden tablets before use

 

[Khasta]

Okay thanks Brewkinger, so tomorow at my lhbs i should not buy gypsum but some acid so i can adjust my ph if i need to? Cause i was planning on using tap water tomorow, ive used source water so far and have been checking my ph which is 5ish all the time so i guess im not doing it all wrong, i ruined 4 batches so far [emoji46] lol

But about those campden tablets... I just ran through a very in dept lab report of Montreals tap water and i have not seen any of those 2 you mentionned, chlorine and chloramine, does that mean my tap water isnt "treated" so its good for use? Or did i miss something, those report are really in dept they mention everything like chlorobutane and chlorotiluene and all those crazy name lol...

 

[Khasta]

If i plan on using tap water is there anything elae i should worry about? As a beginner strugling to brew his first drinkable batch? Lol

 

[MaryB]

Running your tap water through a charcoal filter will get rid of the chlorine compounds.

 

[brewkinger]

Okay thanks Brewkinger, so tomorow at my lhbs i should not buy gypsum but some acid so i can adjust my ph if i need to?

But about those campden tablets... I just ran through a very in dept lab report of Montreals tap water and i have not seen any of those 2 you mentionned, chlorine and chloramine, does that mean my tap water isnt "treated" so its good for use? Or did i miss something, those report are really in dept they mention everything like chlorobutane and chlorotiluene and all those crazy name lol...

I would definitely recommend that you get some gypsum (CaSO4)
Epsom salt (MgSO4)
calcium chloride
NON-IODIZED salt / sodium chloride
As well as acid for pH purposes.

As far as the water report, I don't know what to say, I am not familiar with how they treat the water in Montreal.
In my opinion, unless that water comes from a well directly from underground then it would have to be treated for consumption by the general public.

When you say that you have ruined 4 batches, what do you mean?
Off taste?
If so, describe the taste.

 

[Khasta]

Thanks you guy, especially you Brewkinger for all the great advice, i did buy some campden tablets like you said, and added some gypsum, beer is looking awesome im sure its gonna rock! View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1465955313.947960.jpg
Been really precise with everything and target OG was 1.040 i hit 1.041! Lol its the water i guess 🤗

Thanks a lot King for all your help this beer will rock im sure!

About those 4 batchea ahahah... Ive been learning and error trials u know lol... But im french and i just mis understood a little detail, i though boil size water was how much total water you were using, from a to z, mash to fermentor, amd then depending on your eficiency you would get the said batch size... So in other words i never adjusted my water volume before i start my boil, so all my batch all MALTY AS HELL lol

 

[Khasta]

This one is gonna rock tho! View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1465955890.371350.jpg

 

[brewkinger]

Thanks you guy, especially you Brewkinger for all the great advice, i did buy some campden tablets like you said, and added some gypsum, beer is looking awesome im sure its gonna rock! View attachment 358664
Been really precise with everything and target OG was 1.040 i hit 1.041! Lol its the water i guess ��

About those 4 batchea ahahah... Ive been learning and error trials u know lol... But im french and i just mis understood a little detail, i though boil size water was how much total water you were using, from a to z, mash to fermentor, amd then depending on your eficiency you would get the said batch size... So in other words i never adjusted my water volume before i start my boil, so all my batch all MALTY AS HELL lol

So let me get this straight so that I understand.

Lets say your recipe called for a boil volume of 7 gallons.

You started with 7 gallons of water and mashed...
lost around 1-2 gallons because the grain absorbed it.
Put 5.5 gallons (lets assume) into the kettle and boiled it for 60 minutes and lost another 1 gallon.
And then lost another 0.25 gallons to kettle and trub loss.

So you put 4 gallons into the fermenter and then eventually lost another 0.25 gallons in the bottom of your fermenter.

So a recipe that should have potentially been 5 gallons of finished beer only gave you around 3.75 gallons?

AND>>>>>......

You did all of this with water that was potentially full of chlorine / chloramine that added to the off tastes.

Yup, that probably did not taste correct at all......

 

[Khasta]

Actually i used source water for all my other batches, but ya you got it thats what i did lol [emoji38]