Burst water main

[staplefordbill]

Brewday planned for tomorrow. Done the weekly shop last night, shuffled other things around so I'll be able to brew undisturbed tomorrow. Then a water main exploded and I only have a trickle through the taps. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-no ... e-11549169

I'm hoping it'll be all right again by tomorrow morning, but it's pre-empted the research I was going to do into water treatment anyway, in case the water's got various nasties in when I brew up.

The water's hard where I live but I don't know much more than that. If I boil up 30 litres or so tonight it'll take out the temporary hardness (bicarb?) but will I need to add a teaspoon of gypsum or similar tomorrow? I haven't got any pH strips.

I feel completely unprepared now so any tips will be much appreciated.

[Aleman]

If you are going to reduce your alkalinity by pre boiling . . . add your gypsum to the liquor before the boil (the excess calcium helps precipitate out the carbonate)

[boingy]

Sounds like you need a visit from the Asda-SmartPrice-Still-Water-Two-Litres-For-Seventeen-Pence fairy.

[staplefordbill]

Buying water sounds like a plan, if the local supermarkets haven't already been cleaned out.

Would you recommend treating the bottled water? Would I need to boil or use as is?

A general question - how long should I boil tap water to remove the temporary hardness?

[boingy]

I've never used it myself but Asda SmartPrice water is reckoned to have a good combination of minerals and stuff and can be used straight from the bottle, no boiling required. Add a teaspoon of gypsum in the mash and another teaspoon in the boil.

I've no idea on the boiling tap water thing. Sounds far too much hassle to me. I think you are right to distrust the water quality after the water main is repaired though. We were once told that our obviously muddy water was safe to drink! It took a few days to flush through the pipes.

[Aleman]

Asda Smartprice water is not suitable for brewing "as is" as it actually has very few minerals in it . . . The thing that makes it great as a base liquor is that it has a low alkalinity, which means that you can correct the issue easily by as boingy says a tsp of gypsum in the mash and another in the boil.

Preboiling brewing liquor is a great way of reducing moderate alkalinity if you can be that well prepared to do it the day before, and can leave it all set up without getting in the way of the other residents of the house. . . . No hope of that here, so I'll resort to acid treatment .. . well whenever the alkalinity here gets high enough to worry about it

[staplefordbill]

Thanks for your help Boingy and Aleman. I have more questions, sorry. I've had a look at threads on the Brewing Liquor forum but most don't make any sense since Chris' departure.

* Water's up to pressure again but I don't know what's in it, so I'm pre-boiling now for 30 minutes ready for brewing tomorrow. I can't get hold of pH papers locally but will that matter this time? I don't know the alkalinity of the water.

* Still have no idea of the mineral content of my water, but should I be relatively safe just adding gypsum to the mash and wort?

* For next time I like the idea of using acid instead of pre-boiling but which one would I use e.g. hydrochloric? I have young kids in the house so I'm nervous about buying a bottle of the concentrated stuff. Would Brupaks CRS be suitable? http://www.hopshopuk.com/products/view/ ... lution-crs

* Does the Salifert KH testing kit replace pH papers?

I ought to add I've not had problems with the clarity of my beers before, when I just used 'straight' tap water.

EDIT: I'm doing a bitter tomorrow, Timothy Taylor's Landlord clone.

[Eric]

I can't get hold of pH papers locally but will that matter this time? I don't know the alkalinity of the water.

* Still have no idea of the mineral content of my water, but should I be relatively safe just adding gypsum to the mash and wort?

* For next time I like the idea of using acid instead of pre-boiling but which one would I use e.g. hydrochloric? I have young kids in the house so I'm nervous about buying a bottle of the concentrated stuff. Would Brupaks CRS be suitable? http://www.hopshopuk.com/products/view/ ... lution-crs

* Does the Salifert KH testing kit replace pH papers?

I ought to add I've not had problems with the clarity of my beers before, when I just used 'straight' tap water.

EDIT: I'm doing a bitter tomorrow, Timothy Taylor's Landlord clone.

I had pH strips for years. Didn't know the alkalinity of my water either except that it was too high to get a mash pH much below 6. Never stopped me brewing beer that was very drinkable. Gypsum was added as it seemed it couldn't do any harm and I though it might reduce the alkalinity.

CRS can do the job if your water is too alkaline.

A pH paper in the mash will confirm your water treatment. Such readings are taken too late in the process and only serve to confirm conditions or indicate alterations are necessary in future.

A Salifern kit will give you greater confidence and a better understanding of your water and its part in the process.

[Scotty]

To try and help, I'll pipe in!

The Salifert kit isn't a replacement for ph strips, as the kit is to test the total alkalinity of your water and the ph strips are to test the mash.

I've started using both and on each occasion I have found that by reducing my water's alkalinity using CRS, my mash ph has been 5.2 (or as good as) every time. I will however, keep using the strips until I am confident that my water treatment is correct (I've only brewed pale beers to date and reduce my total alkalinity to around the 40 mg/l CaCO3 mark).

You mention that your brews are good without treatment? Do you mainly brew pales or darker beers?

As for the CRS, it is an irritant to eyes and skin but the usual common sense to handling and storage will suffice.

Good luck with the brew

[Aleman]

* Water's up to pressure again but I don't know what's in it, so I'm pre-boiling now for 30 minutes ready for brewing tomorrow. I can't get hold of pH papers locally but will that matter this time? I don't know the alkalinity of the water.

As said pH is irrelevant . . . alkalinity is important . .. measure it with A Salifert Kit

* Still have no idea of the mineral content of my water, but should I be relatively safe just adding gypsum to the mash and wort?

That is probably the best and indeed 'safe option

* For next time I like the idea of using acid instead of pre-boiling but which one would I use e.g. hydrochloric? I have young kids in the house so I'm nervous about buying a bottle of the concentrated stuff. Would Brupaks CRS be suitable?

Boiling is a perfectly acceptable method of reducing you alkalinity, I would always want to check it after boiling just to see what it had reduced to (For pale ales <30-50, stouts <100)

* Does the Salifert KH testing kit replace pH papers?

No use the pH papers on the mash and the alkalinity test kit to check the liquor

I ought to add I've not had problems with the clarity of my beers before, when I just used 'straight' tap water.

The you should get an improvement once you start treating it

EDIT: I'm doing a bitter tomorrow, Timothy Taylor's Landlord clone.

Boil, Rack off the precipitate add 1 tsp of gypsum to the mash and another to the boil

[staplefordbill]

Thanks Aleman. When I brewed today the wort was clearer than ever before. Partly, I think, because for the first time I left it settle for 30 mins after cooling had finished before transferring to the FV, but I'm sure it was also because of the water treatment. Felt under-prepared this time but I'll definitely get a Salifert testing kit and pH papers for the next brew.

I didn't have enough water for sparging so I added half a teaspoon of gypsum to tap water and got to 80C. Didn't get it boiling point then but I was still surpised to see a neat little pile of chalk in the middle, 20 minutes after turning the HLT off.

You mention that your brews are good without treatment? Do you mainly brew pales or darker beers?

As for the CRS, it is an irritant to eyes and skin but the usual common sense to handling and storage will suffice.

Good luck with the brew

Brewday went well thanks. Today's was a pale ale as was AG#2, although AG#3 was a dark ale. I know there's a lot of room for improvement in them though, so I'm going to get pH strips and a Salifert kit for next time. Thanks for the tip about CRS; I'll keep it out of reach of the little 'uns.