Water Report or can I use this water

[gunnuts]

I have been collecting up what I need to make good beers.

I am not interested in making bad beer any more than I am in making bad BBQ.
I've already made a fermentation chamber but this water report stuff has me confused.
I decided to enlist a software solution to try and understand it better...this was a fail.
I'm stuck on the bicarbonate.

I have my water report.
Chloride 54
Sulfate 45
Alkalinity 148
Calcium 36
pH 8.1
Sodium 51
Hardness 159
Magnesium 16

I know I have chloromine in the water as a disinfectant.

If I use campden tablets on this water can I use it for a beer like Carabu Slobber?

Is there a high school dropout version of the bicarbonate calculation

 

[jsprinceiii]

For my dark/brown style beers, I use a target profile of:
Ca: 108.3
Mg: 15.1
Na: 14.4
SO4: 280.7
Cl: 50.0
HC03: 1.2

Based on your base, and 5 gallons of your water, I would add
6.5g: Gypsum (CaS04)
2.1g: Epsom Salts (MgS04)

That should leave you with about:
Ca: 115.3
Mg: 26.8
Na: 51.0
SO4: 277.8
Cl: 50.0
HC03: 1.2

Still a bit high on sodium, the rest is close.
Not sure what your Bicarb is, however if I had to guess..
61*alkalinity/50 = 180.56.. I think that to be a bit high.


If you want to lower, you could substitute distilled or RO water, or just use RO and build your profile.

 

[jsprinceiii]

Did you have that water tested, or are you going of a standard report?

 

[gunnuts]

This is from a standard report.

I used to keep a reef and had all the test kits on the planet.
Too bad I don't still have my log book. I used to have a detailed record I could compare to.

Would I be better off just starting with RO till I get my own report done?
Getting 10 gal of RO here is easy.

 

[jsprinceiii]

I would use the RO, and add the necessary salts for the profile you like.

 

[gunnuts]

Thanks!

I'll try the profile from RO and see what it says.