Jim's Beer Kit

I can understand the confusion that some people are having with hardness determinations and alkalinity. The term hardness came about from soap manufacturers and the use of steam in industry. Hardness is normally defined in terms of temporary and permanent hardness, which is usually assumed to be du...

Thats exactly what you want .. even got the right E Number

Thanks for all the comments, they make a very interesting read. But now I am unsure whether to add the acid or not :) Does the estimated mash pH in Bru'n'water take into account the alkalinity, pH, grain, mineral and acid additions? Would it change if I were to boil the night before and not add any...

I'm one of those who may be considered to be 'negative' about it. Yet I am a supporter, and have a paid for version. I know water treatment looks confusing, and Brun'water does little to dispel this, indeed, as a beginner if I was to come across it with it's bright red warnings etc, I'd be worried t...

An exact number is not important ... As Iron Maiden put it so eloquently "I AM NOT A NUMBER! I AM A FREE MAN!!" As far as it goes the Hanna meter works OK, but make sure you take a look at the cost of replacement reagets (~£35 the last time I heard it quoted from someone who has one!) A 10% error in...

I'd make it even simpler, and just add 150ppm off calcium to whatever is already in the liquor (which won't be much). Your choice as to how much calcium sulphate and calcium chloride should be used to make that 150ppm.

Hardness is indeed a confusing term, and should be avoided in brewing IMO. Hardness is a measure of the amount of calcium and magnesium ions in the water, generally, but not always, these are combined with 'carbonate' ions (generally carbonate ion species depending on pH). In the good old days 'Hard...

Anybody in the Blackpool area want a load of Grolsch bottles, let me know, and I'll empty and rinse them for you. ... I've just gone overboard on to many Aldi promotions, I need the space for brown swingtops

Water is just too variable, even when in the past it has been constant!

It's caught me out in the past.

Use 4ml of the check solution instead of water. As you know the Alkalinity of the check solution you know how much KH solution you should add to get the colour change, if significantly under or over then your kit is past it's best. If spot on, then your process is correct, and something has changed....

I'm not going to give you flak for using brun'water, but will say that it is based on Kohlbachs research into alkalinity ;) (which was a very limited study in the 1950's) for those reasons being aware of the alkalinity of the liquor, and how the salts contribute to would help brewers understand just...

The TCP reaction occurs when phenols from the malt combine with chlorine (From unrinsed sanitiser or water) ... it is NOT the same as ethyl acetate (pear drops). as I said earlier this is often quoted as the source of any TCP flavour in beer overlooking the inconvenient fact that pediococcus infecti...

Well as only 2g of Sodium carbonate is required to raise alkalinity quite high, it's difficult to see where the definition of 'Not Good' levels of sodium come from ... possibly some US influence here. If high levels of sodium are perceived as an issue then potassium hydrogen carbonate can be used in...

Jockys right, although personally I would reverse the order. The biggest cause of TCP like flavours in beer is infection. The presence of chlorine just gets obsessed over (IMO)

Easiest way is to add some Sodium bicarbonate 1g of sodium bicarbonate per litre of liquor will produce alkalinity equivalent to almost 600mg/l if measured as calcium carbonate. I tend to increase it to a maximum of 125mg/l for stouts, probably a bit less for porters say around 100mg/l (Note the spa...