Water: pH and such

[bransona]

Hiya, everyone,

I'm a new brewer, looking to make up my third and fourth brews this weekend. I've already dumped about as much money into my already-minimalistic setup (BIAB) as I can. I'm now learning about mash pH and the effects of other chemicals in water. I brewed my first two batches with carbon-filtered tap water, but I have no idea of the actual water composition. It tastes nice, better than most tap water I've had. I know I could call town hall and get a water report, but is it ok if I don't do that for now? I'm trying to dial-in my other basic processes and it's already getting super-complicated. Messing with the water seems intimidating and, frankly, expensive. I'll be making all styles of beers, and I really wonder how this can effect the outcome. Is it extreme? Or is this one of the steps that I'll take as I grow along my brewing journey?

 

[TheMadKing]

I think getting your process down is much more important than messing with your water. Unless your water is undrinkable, it won't make undrinkable beer, so no the effect on your beers won't be extreme. I didn't start messing with my water until a few years in and made some pretty good batches along the way.


When you're ready to really start polishing your beers though...

The first step is to get a water report. most city water reports don't have all the info you need, but some do.

Then you need the Bru'n water calculator, it will teach you everything you need to know about water chemistry

Then you need a pH meter. Buy a quality one, and they ain't cheap.

 

[mblanks2]

I think getting your process down is much more important than messing with your water. Unless your water is undrinkable, it won't make undrinkable beer, so no the effect on your beers won't be extreme. I didn't start messing with my water until a few years in and made some pretty good batches along the way.


When you're ready to really start polishing your beers though...

The first step is to get a water report. most city water reports don't have all the info you need, but some do. +1

Then you need the Bru'n water calculator, it will teach you everything you need to know about water chemistry +1

Then you need a pH meter. Buy a quality one, and they ain't cheap. +1

Then Gypsum, Calcium Chloride and some Phosphoric Acid to adjust. Other salts as necessary.

 

[Iseneye]

There are a couple of ways you can do it. The best beginner recommendation where you don't have to spend any money on pH meters is AJ's primer linked below:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=198460

If you want to go any further than this you will need water analysis. You can then use software to _estimate_ the mash pH. You may decide that this is far enough.

The next step is to get a pH meter (a GOOD one) and actually measure the pH. This can get costly.

 

[Scottanooga]

If your water tastes OK and your first few batches taste OK, there are, IMO, more important things to focus on at this point. Get your process down, pitch enough yeast, and control your fermentation temps. Once you are nailing those, look at water chemistry.

 

[bransona]

Thanks, guys! I'm relieved to hear it. I'm gonna be making a swamp cooler for these two brews, so yeah, I've still got plenty to dial in, from mash temps to ferment temps(and eeeeeverything inbetween).

 

[BlueHouseBrewhaus]

Probably the most basic thing to know is how hard or soft your water is. Call your water company and ask if they can give you pH, alkalinity and hardness. With those numbers you can get in the ballpark. If you can get those numbers, post them in the Brew Science forum and AJ or Martin will likely chime in with some recommendations.

And, yes, you should also get Brunwater and check out the chemistry primer that Iseneye linked.