Water Test Results, Please Advise!

[chewyheel]

I'd like to preface this by saying that water chemistry, to me, is undoubtedly the most boring part of brewing. I have the Water book but have yet to read more than a few pages at a time until my eyes glaze over. I know I need to educate myself about it if I want to make the best beer possible, so I'm really trying this time. I just got my test results back from Ward Labs, here they are.

PH 7.3

Values in PPM
Sodium 19
Potassium 3
Calcium 5
Magnesium 2
Total Hardness 21
CaCO3
Sulfate SO4 7
Chloride 8
Bicarbonate 22
HCO3
Total Alkalinity 18
CaCO3

From my understanding, I have very soft water, good for styles like Pilsner and such. Also, since it is from a municipal source, it is also treated with chlorine to kill all the bad stuff.
I have read the 'Brewing Water Chemistry Primer' post too, but my numbers are in ppm, whereas those numbers are in mg/L, are those interchangeable or do I need to convert?

Should I be using campden each time I brew to take out the chlorine?

I am planning on making a pale ale next, from my brief research it look like I should add a little extra calcium and sulfate to enhance the hop flavor, is that a correct assumption?

Any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[day_trippr]

Aside from the chlorine/chloramine you have great water and shouldn't have any problems adjusting it to work with pretty much any style. Pick any of the brewing water tools and go to town!

Definitely the chlorine needs attention unless you enjoy Band Aid character in your beer. The campden treatment works, I understand.

Yes, ppm = mg/l

Cheers!

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

you need calcium but that alkalinity is crazy good, this almost looks like soft water

 

[chewyheel]

Aside from the chlorine/chloramine you have great water and shouldn't have any problems adjusting it to work with pretty much any style. Pick any of the brewing water tools and go to town!

Definitely the chlorine needs attention unless you enjoy Band Aid character in your beer. The campden treatment works, I understand.

Yes, ppm = mg/l

Cheers!

Thanks for the advice, do you have a program that you'd recommend to start with? Also when adding campden and/or salts, does all of that take place while heating the strike water?

 

[ajdelange]

I'd like to preface this by saying that water chemistry, to me, is undoubtedly the most boring part of brewing.

Ah! What a tragedy!

...my numbers are in ppm, whereas those numbers are in mg/L, are those interchangeable or do I need to convert?

Well a liter is 1000 mL and each mL of water weight almost 1000 mg so 1 mg of an ion in 1 L = 1,000,000 mg of water is 1 part per million. Now tell me that isn't exciting.

Also when adding campden and/or salts, does all of that take place while heating the strike water?

Campden tablets and gypsum should be added when the water is cold. Calcium chloride can be added when it is hot or cold (gypsum can be too, really, but it dissolves a little more easily in cold water.)

 

[chewyheel]

Ah! What a tragedy!

Well a liter is 1000 mL and each mL of water weight almost 1000 mg so 1 mg of an ion in 1 L = 1,000,000 mg of water is 1 part per million. Now tell me that isn't exciting.

Campden tablets adn gypsum should be added when the water is cold. Calcium chloride can be added when it is hot or cold (gypsum can be too, really, but it dissolves a little more easily in cold water.)

Thanks for the tips, I must say I'm marginally more excited about water chemistry now that I have some inkling as to what it does.