Removing chlorine

[MashBag]

Nothing to do with water treatment (alkalinity and minerals)

I am a winemaker. I use potassium metabisulphate in the wine. Never sodium.

I could use this to blow away the chlorine.

As an Anglia customer, its fine to drink. So what problem would I be fixing?

[IPA]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Frizzlife-SK99 ... =8-25&th=1

Use one of these and you will realise how bad your water tasted before !!!

[MashBag]

I have (well similar) and it doesn't. Hence my question about chlorine.

[IPA]

Try the one I listed and it does. Sometimes in summer the chlorine in our tap water is higher than the swimming pool.
This is borne out in my water analysis carried out by Wally Brew (Neil)
"TOTAL RESIDUAL CHLORINE AS CI2,mg/L 0.01"
A week ago I did a blind tasting with some neighbours and both of them correctly identified the filtered water.

[MashBag]

So what is the problem with chlorine that it needs to be removed?

[IPA]

So what is the problem with chlorine that it needs to be removed?

I am amazed that you don't know the answer to that.

[MashBag]

... And you wonder why the forum is slow!

[LeeH]

So what is the problem with chlorine that it needs to be removed?

It makes your beer taste a bit wanky.

[JonB]

I'm going to try and be more helpful than the above...

Chlorine can create Chlorophenols in the finsihed beer/wine by reacting with phenols released by yeast during fermentation (these are the spicy/peppery/nutmeggy aromas that Belgian yeasts in particular throw out in spades)

Flavour labels for Chlorophenols include "band-aid" (I'm assuming like eating plasters), "plastic," "medicinol," "adhesive solvent-like," etc. Obviously you don't want any of these in your finished beer as they are quite unpleasent and I believe the flavour perception threshold is quite low (i.e. a small amount of chlorine can result in a beer/wine that tastes like nail polish).

EDIT: According to this source from the Aussies 236ng/l of some cholrophenols (i.e. 0.000236mg/l) is enough to be detectable in wine. For reference my water supply typically has 0.18-0.51mg/l of Free Chlorine (assuming Severn Trent are reporting accurately but that's a rant for another day...), so if that all binds to Phenols from the yeast you'd definitely notice it...
https://www.awri.com.au/industry_suppor ... ne_faults/

My personal favourite removal method is an HMA filter; I bought one for my tropical fish tanks because the filters worked out more cost-effective than buying gallons of the "tap-safe" chlorine binder from the fish shops. With the right filters this thing strips out Chlorine, Chloramine, Heavy metals and sediment >1µm (not that we really have any of the latter in our water); the improved water quality has had a noticeable positive impact on my fish and I run this off for brewing water as well. Seems to work really well and I've not had any of the above off flavours in any of my beers...

[Jocky]

Based on my UK experience, the level of chlorine/chloramine in UK domestic supply water is not going to make your beer smell like a bottle of TCP/box of plasters. Invariably when a beer does go like that it's due to a wild yeast infection. This may not apply in the rest of the world where chlorine/chloramine levels may be higher.

That doesn't mean that you shouldn't treat the water. If I leave a glass of my tap water out for a few hours I can smell/taste the chlorine, so I'd be surprised if some form of this doesn't carry over. Adding a tiny pinch of metabisulphite (either sodium or potassium) is so cheap and easy that it seems daft not to do it unless you have a sulphite allergy.

[guypettigrew]

My water company, Bournemouth water, has confirmed there is no Chloramine in my water. It's well worth contacting your local water company to ask the question.

As to Chlorine, I run the raw water into the HLT 24 hours before brewing, then leave it with the lid off. I think this allows any Chlorine to escape, but perhaps I'm wrong. Happy to add metabisulphite if I need to.

Guy

[Rookie]

My water company, Bournemouth water, has confirmed there is no Chloramine in my water. It's well worth contacting your local water company to ask the question.

As to Chlorine, I run the raw water into the HLT 24 hours before brewing, then leave it with the lid off. I think this allows any Chlorine to escape, but perhaps I'm wrong. Happy to add metabisulphite if I need to.

Guy

That works on chlorine, but not chloramine.

[IPA]

... And you wonder why the forum is slow!

I don't remember saying that the forum is slow.

[MashBag]

Thanks chaps.

Some stuff there to make me think.
Water company reports they do use Chloramine never exceeding 1.5 ppm

I assumed an ammount of chlorine would dissappear during the boil and we don't have a heavy chlorine pong on a glass of water (but that of course it part of the reason for Chloramine)

I don't think I have a problem to solve, but do as a winemaker always have potassium metabisulphate to hand. One pinch next time won't hurt, and I will see if there is anything to report.

[vacant]

Chloramine: I got my answer in 2015, my area isn't on the list.

Chlorine: Water filter company says four minutes boiling will do it. I think way more time than that heating to strike temperature would do the job.

I gave up Campden tablets.