What can I brew with this water

[boicutt]

Hey guys,

I'm making the quick transition to AG. Steeping/Partial extract recipes have been too easy from the start (maybe read too much over a year) and after only 3 batches I'm already getting compliments of "commercial quality beer" from my beer connoisseur friends. Yes there are still tweaks here and there, like me being impatient and pitching 4-6 Celcius degrees higher than ferm temp (ill fix that), but I picked up this hobby to be challenged some what, and yet still enjoy it. As much as it's great to have great tasting beer, I want personal value in it as well. Right now I feel like I'm not doing much, so can't take much credit for it.

Chemistry to me is something I've always been interested in but suck at. I want to learn and I want to get straight to it, but first want to get the hang of the AG process. So I have a cooler mash-tun ready, bought a burner (was doing 5 gallon batches on electric stovetop, fml, 1 hour just to get to boil). I don't want to play too much with water just yet, just so I can get the AG stuff down to a point with efficiency/boil off rate and once all my process is nailed down start playing with water.

So all this blabbing to say, what can I brew with this water without affecting the taste too much? Also, I was unable to obtain the sodium levels from my city, how bad is it?

Total Alkalinity 82.2
Aluminum 0.0276
Ammonia Nitrogen 0.013
Calcium 32
Chloride 15.26
Conductivity (uS/cm) 250.9
Color (UCV) 1
Copper 0.037
Hardness Cal. (mg/l CaCO3) 100
Hardness Mag. (mg/l CaCO3) 20
Total Hardness (mg/l CaCO3) 120
Iron 0.1179
Fluorides 0.289
Manganese 0.0225
Nitrates 0.513
pH 7.488
Phosphates 0.081
Sulfate 25.81
Temp. 8.7
Turbidity 0.04163

Thanks a bunch!! <3

 

[grainbill]

If you don't use software for formulating your recipes, this is one of the places you can go to get your water to "match" brew styles. www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/ . A lot of the online Homebrew stores have them as well. I update the water profiles from the City prior to each batch, as they do change from time to time. I brew out side and use a hose that is made for potable water (for RV's etc, generaly they are white hoses) not your standard garden hose. I also have an inline water filter on the hose to help knock down crud, chlorine etc. in the water main. Salute!

 

[mabrungard]

That water isn't all that bad. Nothing jumps out that would prevent its use. However, the alkalinity is a bit high and you would need to master the use of acids to neutralize that.

 

[boicutt]

Hummm, I really don't want to start playing with minerals/acids just yet. Would I be better off with mineral/spring water?

 

[boicutt]

Would 5.2 stabalizer also fix my issues for now? Just so I don't get too many tannins/bad flavors?

 

[acidrain]

5.2 sucks.
Water chemistry is really simple with the use of on-line calculators like brewers friend. Give it a try... just enter the mineral amounts into the spread sheet, enter your grist profile, and look at the predicted PH. It will also tell you if you're high or low in any of your minerals.
You can just try it out by toggling 88% lactic acid, and try some small additions. I'm sure that's all you need, and the lactic acid is readily available at your LHBS.

 

[boicutt]

I tried bru'n'water real quick and said that something was real off I don't recall what but I think it was something like it hight than .5 something must be wrong.

Also, don't have my sodium levels as stated :/

 

[itsratso]

all those calculators are way too complicated for me. i have always just followed this - no muss no fuss:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/brewing-water-chemistry-primer-198460/

 

[boicutt]

I want to learn dont get me wrong but I have other things to learn first, yet I don't want it to affect the taste of my beer too much!

Thanks for the link I think it's the best bet yet to have decent AG beer while I learn!

 

[itsratso]

as it says at the top of that thread it is the most up to date method per palmer and jz, you dont need anything else.

 

[catalanotte]

Brew a batch and see what you think. I have horrible water, over 300 Total Alkilinity and over 350 total harness which causes higher than desirable mash pH (5.8-6.0) but I still get good efficiencies (80%) and good quality beer. I certainly won't be able to reproduce the profile of a beer from a particular water source, but have been quite happy with the beer produced.

The only water issue that I would never at least try to brew with is Chlorine. I have tasting one to many HBs with nasty tasting Chlorophenols, which to me taste like some has managed to bottle that melted plastic smell.

 

[covers42]

Water is a little basic (opposite of acidic). Most beers should work OK except ones that require really soft water. I would throw in a teaspoon of gypsum for a pale ale or IPA to boost calcium level, reduce alkalinity a little and bring out hop flavor.