I've returned to water treatment this last couple of years or so, following a gap where I did no water treatment whatsoever, previously being quite anal about it.Belto wrote:I have quickly scanned the postings and yet to find any one who has benefited from treating their local water supply.
Have I missed something? or is the resulting beer better
The result, Fermentation is much more effective, faster, yeast drop clear, less chill hazes, Crisper hoppier beers, and rounded sweeter beers. Beer flavour is stable for longer over time . . . So yes I would say that the resulting beer is better . . . but you should have a good sound brewing technique before you really start to play with water treatment.
FWIW my water treatment follows two very simple 'rules'
1) Adjust the alkalinity to a level appropriate to the beer being brewed. (Below 30mg/l for pale beers . . . increasing the amount up to 75-100mg/l for stouts and porters)
2) Adjust the calcium to a minimum of 120-150mg/l
And that is pretty much it. I'm cursed with low hardness, low alkalinity water and adjusting it to meet these two conditions is quite hard (Especially stouts) but my method is as follows
. . .Add a calcium salt to raise the calcium levels to a sensible level . . . Sulphate and/or chloride depending on if I want to go for bitter or sweet or balance
. . . A touch of magnesium as mine is incredibly low
. . . Bicarb for dark beers to increase the carbonate . . . but watch the level of sodium . . .
I have found another method to increase carbonate which is quite intriguing so I might very well try that instead . . . Sometimes I wish I brewed smaller batches so that I could try out things much quicker :