supermarket water

[Onthebrew]

i am about to do my first all grain brew next week and would like to ask on recommendations of best water options available for brewing ipas, both english, aemrican and black ipas? can anyone make brand recommendations that will keep the mash ph at target level without to much alterations?

[injac]

Tesco Ashbeck water is quite popular.

[Onthebrew]

cool, maybe give that a go then.

[AnthonyUK]

Ashbeck can be a better starting point than some tap water but will still require some adjustments. I would at least add some gypsum to the mash for example.

[Onthebrew]

ok thanks, so if i check the PH after mash, whats best option to increase it if need be and best option to decrease it? for a beginner that is. i guess gypsum increses ph? whats best for reducing it?

[BrannigansLove]

Gypsum will reduce pH, but you're adding it to boost the Calcium and Sulphate levels of the water. Personally I use phosphoric acid to reduce pH, though lactic acid is also popular.

[AnthonyUK]

ok thanks, so if i check the PH after mash, whats best option to increase it if need be and best option to decrease it? for a beginner that is. i guess gypsum increses ph? whats best for reducing it?

It doesn't really work like that
You usually use a calculator to predict what treatment you require beforehand.

[Fil]

whats wrong with your local tap water? hardness isn't necessarily a problem for an ale
and the chlorine etc can be neutralised with a campden tab easily enough, If Too hard a preboil for 15-20minuts can precipitate temporary hardness ( it can float as a 'dry' film too) so you can draw off a less hard liquor off or from under it

Unless uber soft i would brew your first brew with the tap water as is, water chemistry can be the most challenging aspect of brewing, and may not be something you need bother with for a while/ at all? unless you have noticed shortcomings in your brews.

[gnorwebthgimi]

Totally agree with Fil, unless you have a good reason not to drink tap water you should use it for your first brew otherwise you are adding an unknown variable.

You should be able to make good beer with the simplest of ingredients, unless something goes wrong, in which case it will be a question of chasing down the issue in each of the stages of the brew. Keep notes on what you do eg how hot your strike temperature was, how many litres you added etc etc and keep it simple.

Once you've made that first beer then try and improve the processes one thing at a time, you can chuck some gypsum in the mash and see what kind of difference it makes, which will depend a huge amount on your set up.

Most bottled waters are hard water, if that helps.

[Jocky]

For my tastes Ashbeck is a little soft for brewing with unless you're making a very pale beer, and even then you need to add some gypsum or calcium carbonate to the mash to get enough calcium in there.

Unless your water is sewage or liquid rock I'd just use your tap water and add half a crushed Camden tablet to remove chloramine.

[gnorwebthgimi]

The water I use is hard, if you boil it the calcium carbonate precipitates out, I skim it from the surface. I never bother with a campden tablet I drive the chlorine off by heating it to strike temperature.

My slightly darker ales are better and my pales lack a bit of maltiness. It's not a big enough issue to worry about all the beers are great. I would get worried about it making a pilsner or something really light and bland, but brewing a big beer with a ton of hops you won't easily notice a difference between the water you used.

[Onthebrew]

i am getting even more confused now. my tap water is actually moderately soft so if shop bought water is hard am i better with tap water anyway then for ales? - just boil it first or ad a campden tab?

i am also a bit confused about gypsum- so it reduces Ph- like an acid then? essentially trying to work out what i must do if when i check the ph after mash and its out of target range- - how do i rectify that?

[Goulders]

Follow Aleman's advice on your other post

[AnthonyUK]

Ashbeck is not 'hard' water. It contains very low levels of buffering compounds which is why a lot of people use it.
As mentioned above this is probably the hardest topic to understand in brewing and there is no magic bullet or simple solution so I doubt anyone would provide answers to your question as it is not possible without having a lot more data available, grain bill for example

Take a look at a calculator such as BruNwater. These are complex things to understand at first but there are plenty of people to help.
You really need to know what your local water contains and as a bare minimum you should buy an alkalinity test kit. The Salifert one is recommended for around £10.

[Onthebrew]

not so much after a magic bullet but maybe just a starting point for a decent base water for IPAs ( black or otherwise) been on brewnwater and beersmith and they will be useful down the line i am sure!

i just posted on another thread ( it was a general one that ended up focusing on water too!) stated water profiles from my tap water and various supermarket options. Maybe people can add to it with what they have used. i've re posted it below.

So essentially, i am just trying to select the one that could be best starting point for typical IPAs.

Tap water. Classed mod soft ( drinkable but not great to be honest)
Calcium 33
Magnesium 5
Sodium 13
Sulfate 45
Chloride 18
Bicarbonate 81



Asda Eden Falls:
Calcium 11ppm
Magnesium 3ppm
Sodium 9ppm
Sulfate 9ppm
Chloride 12ppm
Bicarbonate 30ppm


Tesco Ashbeck:
Calcium 10ppm
Magnesium 2.5ppm
Sodium 9ppm
Sulfate 10ppm
Chloride 12ppm
Bicarbonate 9.5ppm

Just EAU:
Calcium 92ppm
Magnesium 1ppm
Sodium 7ppm
Sulfate
Chloride 14ppm
Bicarbonate
Ph. 7.5

carrick glen:
Calcium 80
Magnesium 23
Sodium 18
Sulfate 31
Chloride 20
Bicarbonate 293