Water tested, Fort Lauderdale, FL

[Rick Crane]

I got my water tested at Ward Laboratories, now I need to figure out what to do with it.

Would someone know what i may need to adjust for a Pale Ale and/or Irish Stout, all Grain.

Thanks

pH 9.1
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm 212
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.35
Cations / Anions, me/L 3.6 / 3.6

ppm

Sodium, Na 38
Potassium, K 4
Calcium, Ca 25.9
Magnesium, Mg 7
Total Hardness, CaCO3 94
Nitrate, NO3-N 0.1 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 2
Chloride, Cl 61
Carbonate, CO3 6.4
Bicarbonate, HCO3 94
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 87
Total Phosphorus, P 0.02
Total Iron, Fe < 0.01 "<" - Not Detected / Below Detection Limit

 

[day_trippr]

Actually, that water isn't bad at all. You could use it 100% for darker beers and with very little mash acidification for lighter beers.

If you click the Report button in my reply you can request the moderators to move this thread to the Brew Science forum where all the water gurus hang out

Cheers!

 

[Rick Crane]

Actually, that water isn't bad at all. You could use it 100% for darker beers and with very little mash acidification for lighter beers.

If you click the Report button in my reply you can request the moderators to move this thread to the Brew Science forum where all the water gurus hang out

Cheers!

Thanks for the input. I did report as you suggested and will go hang out in Brew Science for more water fun.

Rick

 

[VikeMan]

I got my water tested at Ward Laboratories, now I need to figure out what to do with it.

Usually, there are two goals with mash and/or sparge/kettle water treatment.
- hitting a target mash pH
- ion profile to support/enhance desired flavor/mouthfeel

For a basic intro, you might read this...
http://sonsofalchemy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Intro-to-Brewing-Water-Treatment.pdf

 

[jdauria]

The water is pretty good...basically for hoppy beers you will need to add gypsum to up the sulfates up higher than the chloride number and for malty/dark, you could almost use as in, thought it's recommended that calcium be at least 50 ppm for yeast health. The Brew Science section is definitely great for this stuff though,

 

[Rick Crane]

Thanks for the help. Through this forum I have also discovered the brewing water calculator and am reading about that and plugging in values. . I have heard it said South Florida has quality drinking water.

Where does Fort Lauderdale’s water come from and how does it get from its source to the tap? The City of Fort Lauderdale pumps water from wells that draw it from the Biscayne Aquifer, which is an underground water supply and the sole source of the City’s drinking water. Before it reaches the faucet, the water travels from the Biscayne Aquifer to one of the City’s two treatment plants