Water profile: what really matters?

[ScrewyBrewer]

Ok so we have a fresh thread here with a lot of good info. I know this deviates from the OP, but it is a very valuable general question IMO that will help a lot of people searching google/HBT for answers in the future.

If i'm using 100% RO water, and making additions of Sulfate/CaCl in less than ~150ppm. And I'm mashing a batch of 1.050 wort. How much acid malt, or how much lactic acid do I need to achieve an ideal mash PH, or as close to it as possible without having a PH meter?

My research and experience has led me to think 4oz Acid Malt, 4-5ml Lactic. But i've never seen someone specifically state this. I've also used much more lactic with the same variables and had interestingly good results. I know lower PH doesn't cause the problems that higher PH does.

It seems like such an easy reference point to map considering the variables are static enough (100% RO, 1.050 wort, typical mineral additions), but I can't tell you how many searches and threads have lead me down a (informative, yet question evoking)rabbit hole without explicitly stating this general, relatively non-conditional rule of thumb.

The pH of your mash is determined by a combination of, the DI pH of the individual grains in your recipe, and the pH and alkalinity of your brewing water. So while your brewing water may stay consistent year round, which may or may not be very likely, the type and amounts of the grain in your recipes is very likely to change from beer style to style, making the grain DI ph a variable. That is why there is no reference table available to simplify the design of your brewing water profile.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

My well water has quite noticeable sulfur odor issues, and I've been able to reduce them to being undetectable by nose (at least my aging nose and my wife's never aging nose) simply by agitating (aerating) followed by letting it sit in an open container for a day or two.

I believe the bacteria that cause this issue are anaerobic, so the aeration kills them off. So once the resting period deodorizes the water, there are no longer bacteria present to re-odorize it.

 

[ajdelange]

The pH of your mash is determined by a combination of, the DI pH of the individual grains in your recipe, and the pH and alkalinity of your brewing water.

As explained in #31 the pH of the brewing water is a minor factor as long as one knows the alkalinity. A more relevant factor is the water to grist ratio except in cases where the alkalinity is low.

 

[ajdelange]

I believe the bacteria that cause this issue are anaerobic, so the aeration kills them off. So once the resting period deodorizes the water, there are no longer bacteria present to re-odorize it.

There are several ways (including bacteria) to get H2S into your water. But what happens when you oxygenate (or add chlorine or any other oxidizing agent) is that the S- ion gets oxidized to elemental sulfur which is not water soluble and which you should filter out.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

There are several ways (including bacteria) to get H2S into your water. But what happens when you oxygenate (or add chlorine or any other oxidizing agent) is that the S- ion gets oxidized to elemental sulfur which is not water soluble and which you should filter out.

Good to know. Thanks A.J.!!!

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

As explained in #31 the pH of the brewing water is a minor factor as long as one knows the alkalinity. A more relevant factor is the water to grist ratio except in cases where the alkalinity is low.

That's true. Using RO water for all of my brewing, source water alkalinity is not something that concerns me. Since switching to BIAB brewing where the ratio of brewing water to grist are more in the 2.5 qt/lb range, than the 1.25 qt/lb range when using a mash tun, I became much more interested in brewing water properties.

Not everyone has the luxury of building their water profile starting with distilled or RO water. For some brewers, the sheer volume of water needed to be treated, as is the case in many breweries, or the added cost of getting distilled or RO water, means they will always have to try to figure out the properties of their primary water source beforehand.

 

[Apimyces]

What's RO water?

Yea, I've got bacteria in my well, or at least I presume so. Gonna have to desinfect it soon, might fix the issue. A bit of a hassle since it serves multiple dwellings though so we'll need to coordinate a bit.

 

[Braufessor]

What's RO water?

Yea, I've got bacteria in my well, or at least I presume so. Gonna have to desinfect it soon, might fix the issue. A bit of a hassle since it serves multiple dwellings though so we'll need to coordinate a bit.

Reverse Osmosis Filtered - most of those water dispensing machines at Walmart/Grocery Stores where you can fill jugs are dispensing "RO Water."

 

[ajdelange]

'Shocking' a well with bleach will easily dispatch most coliforms but the sulfur reducing bacteria (SRB) responsible for hydrogen sulfide production are more stubborn because they create a slime layer which protects them from the introduced hypochlorite. More dramatic treatment is often required. So test to be sure that this is the problem before you undertake treatment for SRBs.

RO water is water that has been run through a Reverse Osmosis system - in essence a very fine filter - which removes most (95% or more) of the ions. It is, thus, essentially pure.

 

[lawdawg]

Personally I got sick of monkeying around with my tap water profile. I did insane amounts of research on the topic and fretted over lactic vs phosphoric acid additions, etc, etc until I finally decided I'm just starting every batch with a blank slate. Our tap water is basically ok for brewing porters/stouts but I still have to filter out the chorine. It sucks paying the extra $8 bucks per batch for distilled but it makes better beer in the end as far as I'm concerned. So, I just start with distilled and add minerals as required per bru-n-water and the beers are usually good if the recipe (and process) was good. I try to keep it simple and just use the yellow, amber, and brown water profiles in bru-n-water and tweek them to the style I'm brewing. There's a learning curve and plenty of info on youtube to help learn bru-n-water but once you know the basics it's pretty easy after brewing a few batches. It will require a good bit of research but it's worth the extra time and money in my opinion. Cheers!

 

[Apimyces]

'Shocking' a well with bleach will easily dispatch most coliforms but the sulfur reducing bacteria (SRB) responsible for hydrogen sulfide production are more stubborn because they create a slime layer which protects them from the introduced hypochlorite. More dramatic treatment is often required. So test to be sure that this is the problem before you undertake treatment for SRBs.

RO water is water that has been run through a Reverse Osmosis system - in essence a very fine filter - which removes most (95% or more) of the ions. It is, thus, essentially pure.

Fantastic... XD

We have a system that treats for minerals, but does nothing, or at least very little, for the odor. Haven't tried aerating the water yet. Guys who installed it said that we should probably try the shock treatments first, because the systems to deal with this stuff are pretty expensive.

Thanks for RO. I know what reverse osmosis is, just didn't make the association.