Bru'n Water - mash and sparge water Total Water Additions

[chastuck]

I've been trying to get to grips with Bru'n Water and how to use the Total Water Additions. At the moment I am using Murphy's recommendations based on a water test they did for me and utilising AMS and DWB (aka CRS & DLS). In Murphy's way, you treat all the water to be used for liquor with AMS and then add the dry DWB to the mash grains before running the treated liquor from the HLT onto the mash. So there is only one batch of water as it were, with the remaining liquor left in the HLT being used for sparging.

Bru'n Water treats mash water and sparge water separately as two different entities. How do users of Bru'n Water interpret this? Does it mean you must have two separate HLTs - one for the sparge water and one for the mash water? Be grateful for any suggestions on this.

[Belter]

I don't use HLT additions as my water is so soft I don't want to reduce anything. I use one addition to the mash at the start of the mash. Then a further addition to the mash at sparge time to keep the PH constant

[Goulders]

Can use one HLT. Do the mash water first, then whilst the mash is on, treat and then heat up the sparge water. I only have a buffalo boiler, so this is my HLT and copper so it can be done. Don't know how you are going to do the DLS/DWB with the Bru'un spreadsheet though. A lot of info/discussion here on the bru'un calculator

[chastuck]

Can use one HLT. Do the mash water first, then whilst the mash is on, treat and then heat up the sparge water. I only have a buffalo boiler, so this is my HLT and copper so it can be done. Don't know how you are going to do the DLS/DWB with the Bru'un spreadsheet though. A lot of info/discussion here on the bru'un calculator

Thanks for the tip. Great idea. Also thanks for the link - it answered many of my other questions.

[orlando]

The spreadsheet is orientated to using specific acids and salts to achieve the right profile. The "supporters" version does have a dropdown box for CRS but I don't believe it accommodates Murphy's products, similar as they are. The author does have concerns about the one size fits all approach of these products as certain brewers water could have certain salts driven to proportions that are higher than is desirable when using them. As you have read the thread linked to you will probably be more aware of this now.

[chastuck]

The spreadsheet is orientated to using specific acids and salts to achieve the right profile. The "supporters" version does have a dropdown box for CRS but I don't believe it accommodates Murphy's products, similar as they are. The author does have concerns about the one size fits all approach of these products as certain brewers water could have certain salts driven to proportions that are higher than is desirable when using them. As you have read the thread linked to you will probably be more aware of this now.

I have the supporter's version, and it does as you say have an entry for CRS in the acids. You can make the Water Additions section work with Murphy's DWB (DLS) if you know the breakdown of this product, which I do, and you can see the effect of adding theses salts. I am seriously thinking of moving to Bru'n Water for my liquor so I can be more versatile in my approach, but I do like the Murphy's approach of only have to deal with one batch of water - CRS acid in the whole amount and dry salts in the mash. I do have two HLTs (converted Baby Burcos) so treating sparge and mash water separately as per Bru'n Water would not be an issue for me. There does seem to be a contradiction though in the water treatment approach between Murphy and Bru'n water as to salt recommendations. One glaring example of this is chlorides. Murphy's recommendations for my water allow chlorides up to 300ppm, whereas Bru'n Water suggests no more than 100ppm regardless of beer type. Sometimes you don't know who to follow!

[orlando]

One glaring example of this is chlorides. Murphy's recommendations for my water allow chlorides up to 300ppm, whereas Bru'n Water suggests no more than 100ppm regardless of beer type. Sometimes you don't know who to follow!

Brun' water really scores.

Yes, something that surprises anyone familiar with the two. Try both approaches and see what you like best. The take home for me is that with pretty wide parameters you can't go far wrong. Mash pH is however different and it is there that