Water treatment basics

[simpleton]

Hi All,

First post, so please don't bite. You all come across as a friendly bunch so I'm sure I'll be fine. . Though I am sure you get this time and time again, so apologies.

Basically, i'm new to all this. Did a couple of kits which were pretty bad, so moved onto allgrain which has meant pretty decent improvements, but my efficiency is pretty low and seems to fluctuate a fair bit. Anything from 55 - 70%. So one thing led to another and I started reading my water report. Things got pretty heavy when I opened the brunwater calculator!

In any case, the reason I am here is to ask some simple questions. I live in a area with "very soft" water. My report is below. From what I gather this can be seen as a good thing as I can create water profiles based on whatever I want to brew, but a bad thing in that I need know how to do that. So really, all I want to know, should I not bother for now as a relative newcomer and concentrate on something else, or will some simple adjustments help? From what I gather the calcium is very low and this is important, so maybe just work on increasing that?

I did kinda of get my head around the brunwater calculator but not in a way that me confident to start putting all sorts of stuff in my beer.

The other question is how I calculate alkalinity, this seems fair confusing as I am not sure where to even start.

Anyway, thanks in advance.

Si

A water report sample below (full report is here: http://www.unitedutilities.com/waterqua ... ode=sk25qa)

Parameter Min Average Max Units

Calcium 10.6 12.8 16.8 mg Ca/l
Chloride 6.97 9.98 12.1 mg Cl/l
Copper 0.0026 0.0306 0.110 mg Cu/l
Iron <2.97 <39.0 171 µg Fe/l
Magnesium 2.60 3.04 3.70 mg Mg/l
Manganese 0.140 <2.13 29.1 µg Mn/l
Nitrite <0.0016 <0.0023 <0.0095 mg NO2/l
Nitrate 2.04 2.71 3.72 mg NO3/l
Sodium 8.50 9.84 11.5 mg Na/l
Sulphate 22.4 26.5 29.3 mg SO4/l

[Dave S]

Hi All,

First post, so please don't bite. You all come across as a friendly bunch so I'm sure I'll be fine. . Though I am sure you get this time and time again, so apologies.

Basically, i'm new to all this. Did a couple of kits which were pretty bad, so moved onto allgrain which has meant pretty decent improvements, but my efficiency is pretty low and seems to fluctuate a fair bit. Anything from 55 - 70%. So one thing led to another and I started reading my water report. Things got pretty heavy when I opened the brunwater calculator!

In any case, the reason I am here is to ask some simple questions. I live in a area with "very soft" water. My report is below. From what I gather this can be seen as a good thing as I can create water profiles based on whatever I want to brew, but a bad thing in that I need know how to do that. So really, all I want to know, should I not bother for now as a relative newcomer and concentrate on something else, or will some simple adjustments help? From what I gather the calcium is very low and this is important, so maybe just work on increasing that?

I did kinda of get my head around the brunwater calculator but not in a way that me confident to start putting all sorts of stuff in my beer.

The other question is how I calculate alkalinity, this seems fair confusing as I am not sure where to even start.

Anyway, thanks in advance.

Si

A water report sample below (full report is here: http://www.unitedutilities.com/waterqua ... ode=sk25qa)

Parameter Min Average Max Units

Calcium 10.6 12.8 16.8 mg Ca/l
Chloride 6.97 9.98 12.1 mg Cl/l
Copper 0.0026 0.0306 0.110 mg Cu/l
Iron <2.97 <39.0 171 µg Fe/l
Magnesium 2.60 3.04 3.70 mg Mg/l
Manganese 0.140 <2.13 29.1 µg Mn/l
Nitrite <0.0016 <0.0023 <0.0095 mg NO2/l
Nitrate 2.04 2.71 3.72 mg NO3/l
Sodium 8.50 9.84 11.5 mg Na/l
Sulphate 22.4 26.5 29.3 mg SO4/l

It depends on what style you're brewing but going by your report you're starting with an almost blank canvas. I'd advise you stick with Bru 'n Water, though you won't need any acid additions, (maybe a small amount in the sparge water, but definitely none in the Mash). Regarding alkalinity, the Salifert test kit is good, though if you send a sample off to Murphy's you'll get a figure plus for alkalinity accurate figures for the rest.

[Aleman]

KISS

Forget Brun water, and forget water treatment until you are consistently brewing good beer with a very simple addition.

All you need to do for your water is to add 1 tsp of gypsum to the mash (to the dry grain) and 1 tsp to the boil.

You do not calculate alkalinity you measure it!!!!!!!!!

[simpleton]

Regarding KISS - yeah, that was my aim. I only really started to consider it as my water was so far off what is considered decent for brewing. A simple addition of Gypsum sounds good to me for now. I was hoping that would be the case. The proof is in the pudding I suppose.

When I get my beer tasting better I may plump for a Murphys test. That said they are pretty cheap to be fair.

Cheers.

[Matt12398]

The Murphy's test is good because it is a lot more specific to your water at your tap than a general report for everyone on the same supply. That said it will fluctuate from time to time and you might want to do an occasional test.

Like Aleman said though, keep it simple at the start. I spent a while brewing before going near water treatment and have a similar blank canvas to you. It was only dark beers that were harder with my soft water and pale ales were of an acceptable quality without any water treatments.

[orlando]

All water makes good beer it just doesn't make all styles. Brew with it as is then make changes. The only thing I would do right now is taste and smell your water, if you can taste or smell something that is not to your liking i.e. chlorine then you can draw the water you are going to brew and allow it to stand for a day or two, which helps to dissipate it or use a campden tablet.

I would use the Brun water knowledge page before using the calculator.

[AnthonyUK]

I have the John Palmer Water book on pre-order.
If this is anything like the yeast book it will easily be worth the money.