Water question and Brunwater

[TeamAshBrewing]

Hello all, I moved into a new house a few batches ago and all of those beers have had a harsh bitterness and under achieving hop profile. I am pretty sure it’s the water that’s causing it, so I have been digging into adjusting the water. I got my ward water report back and have a few questions.

pH 7.9
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm 396
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.66
Cations / Anions, me/L 7.7 / 8.3

Sodium, Na 10
Potassium, K 3
Calcium, Ca 83
Magnesium, Mg 37
Total Hardness, CaCO3 362
Nitrate, NO3-N 0.2 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 7
Chloride, Cl 11
Carbonate, CO3 < 1.0
Bicarbonate, HCO3 458
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 378
Total Phosphorus, P 0.35
Total Iron, Fe < 0.01

I’m brewing a 6 gallon batch pale ale with
11 lbs Pale
12 oz Crystal 40
8 oz Carapils
4.25 gals Mash water
5 gals sparge water

I plugged all of that info into Bru’N water, chose the Pale Ale Profile, and came up with the following summary.

Am I on the right track here? Should I dilute with RO water to bring down the MG level, and add more additions to bring the other levels back up? Do I measure and adjust the mash water, and then start over with the sparge water, or just measure and combine the entire 9.25 gals and 11.6g of gypsum? Any other helpful hints would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[rhys333]

You have 'uuuuuge amounts of alkalinity there and its time to make your beers great again. Sorry, had to.

Your mineral concentrations are still pretty high compared to what I usually do. Calcium around 50-75 is plenty and and sulfate or chloride up to 100 is good. I have high alkalinity too and my water tends to fluctuate seasonally. For that reason I stay away from it. I recommend you consider going all RO and building from scratch. That way its headache free and you know exactly what you're getting.

Basically you want to treat your mash and sparge water so they match. I did it before where I treated mash water only and sparged with RO and the result was astringency. They say technically you can sparge with untreated RO, but my experience differs.

 

[TeamAshBrewing]

Your mineral concentrations are still pretty high compared to what I usually do. Calcium around 50-75 is plenty and sulfate or chloride up to 100 is good.

Thanks for the info. I have since added 50% RO water to reduce the magnesium down to 19, and added gypsum, calcium chloride, and acid to bring the other levels back inline. For certain batches, I probably will go 100% RO.

What is the difference in taste between your profile and the Pale Ale profile in Brunwater of Calcium at 140 and Sulfate at 300?

 

[rhys333]

Thanks for the info. I have since added 50% RO water to reduce the magnesium down to 19, and added gypsum, calcium chloride, and acid to bring the other levels back inline. For certain batches, I probably will go 100% RO.

What is the difference in taste between your profile and the Pale Ale profile in Brunwater of Calcium at 140 and Sulfate at 300?

I have never gone that high, but I have noticed a mineral character at higher levels and I figure if I notice it, its too high. YMMV of course.

 

[mabrungard]

That is some crappy water for brewing. It is a candidate for lime softening to reduce the Ca, Mg, and alkalinity. I'm not sure that you're into that kind of torture. But RO is a good option, if you're not.

 

[TeamAshBrewing]

It is a candidate for lime softening to reduce the Ca, Mg, and alkalinity.

I get reducing the Mg, but doesn't your Pale Ale profile call for 140 of Ca?
If I dilute with 50% RO, which will bring the Mg down to 19, would that make it better?
Thanks for the help

 

[mabrungard]

No. I was referring to the lime softening process and it's effect on Ca and Mg reduction. I wasn't referring to the Ca level you want in your brewing liquor.

 

[TeamAshBrewing]

Thanks for the help Martin and Rhys