Gloucester water treatment

[kev1976]

Hi,

Not really thought about this in the past but can anyone in the Gloucestershire area give me an indication of how i should be treating my water?

I've looked at the water report online but can't see the details that seem to matter.

Thanks
K

[orlando]

Get an analysis from Murphy's, a lot of water reports are not really designed with brewers in mind as some of the values are averages.

[Eric]

Your water supplier, like others, doesn't have a particularly informative website. Inputting the water company's postcode, it wasn't possible for me to find what your water is from a brewing aspect. Orlando's advice would rectify that.
As a speculative supposition, I shall bet (just a guess) your water is too alkaline for the highest quality pale beers, if only from the fact you ask this question. Do you get limescale deposits in your kettle?
A third of the water in your area is from boreholes, so you've perhaps a one in three chance that enough of the all important calcium is present, but tied up in a way that untreated, works against you and the process. Of course, the other two thirds might not have the alkalinity problem, maybe instead not having that necessary calcium to make a good British fuller bodied beer.
If you don't suffer problems with limescale or haze and astrinency in pale beers, don't get too concerned apart from salt additions, until you make darker beers.

[AnthonyUK]

I wrote an email to my water company and they were more than happy to send a detailed water report, in fact they send one on a yearly basis now

An example - https://docs.google.com/file/d/1GnPaurh ... sp=sharing

[orlando]

I wrote an email to my water company and they were more than happy to send a detailed water report, in fact they send one on a yearly basis now

An example - https://docs.google.com/file/d/1GnPaurh ... sp=sharing

Couldn't see anything other than the document title when I clicked on it, what I do wrong?

[yojimbo]

AnthonyUK wrote:
I wrote an email to my water company and they were more than happy to send a detailed water report, in fact they send one on a yearly basis now

An example - https://docs.google.com/file/d/1GnPaurh ... sp=sharing

Couldn't see anything other than the document title when I clicked on it, what I do wrong?



This is in google drive so you may need google chrome browser and google drive to view it I think .

[AnthonyUK]

I wrote an email to my water company and they were more than happy to send a detailed water report, in fact they send one on a yearly basis now

An example - https://docs.google.com/file/d/1GnPaurh ... sp=sharing

Couldn't see anything other than the document title when I clicked on it, what I do wrong?

I have checked it in IE9, Firefox 21.0 and an iPad and it looks OK. I checked that no sign in is needed to Google.

[orlando]

Damn, have both but it still doesn't show!

[IPA]

Hi,

Not really thought about this in the past but can anyone in the Gloucestershire area give me an indication of how i should be treating my water?

I've looked at the water report online but can't see the details that seem to matter.

Thanks
K

Dave Line in his book 'Brewing Beers Like Those You Buy' Gave some basic advice about treating different water for different beer types. As I said it is basic but not a bad starting point. Give it a try!

[Eric]

Damn, have both but it still doesn't show!

Works on Firefox here and the report detailed there is more informative than that for Gloucester, but couldn't find a figure for alkalinity, the all important starting point.

[AnthonyUK]

Alkalinity is provided on the SE Water website but I agree it would be useful if all in one place.

Your water hardness:
The water hardness for your property is 285mg/l CaCO₃
This means your water is classified as hard

[Eric]

Alkalinity is provided on the SE Water website but I agree it would be useful if all in one place.

Your water hardness:
The water hardness for your property is 285mg/l CaCO₃
This means your water is classified as hard

Hardness and alkalinity are not the same.

[orlando]

Damn, have both but it still doesn't show!

Works on Firefox here and the report detailed there is more informative than that for Gloucester, but couldn't find a figure for alkalinity, the all important starting point.

Think it could be a cookie problem, I have mine set to reject them for all sites until I'm happy about it. Will try with it set to accept.

[AnthonyUK]

Hardness and alkalinity are not the same.

They're not but most water calculators e.g. Graham's one in the calc section above can use this figure.
I have used it and it worked out the CRS and additions to obtain the correct mash PH.

[NeedsMoreHops]

Hi,

Not really thought about this in the past but can anyone in the Gloucestershire area give me an indication of how i should be treating my water?

I've looked at the water report online but can't see the details that seem to matter.

Thanks
K

Hi Kev, which zone are you in. I have had a look at our report (ZGL10) and although it seems to be pretty thorough, it is lacking info. on calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate I havent noticed any particular issues with the pale ales that I tend to make, or the dark beer I tried (hobgoblin style) using tap water, although now you have raised the subject I will not be able to rest until I have the details and have run a few experiments with water modification...