Basic water treatment

[HopIt]

Hi,

I am using a fairly unscientific approach to my london water treatment at the moment. I generally brew pales. The plan is to go back to school on it at some point but im taking little steps so that might be a while off. My current process is as follows:

1. Filter all water through a carbon filter (britvic)
2. Treat with campden tablets the night before brewing
3. Add a tsp of gypsum to the mash when got mash to correct temp
4. Test water pH with digital meter and adjust to 5.4 using crs
5. Wait to convert and collect
6. Test sparge water ph when laudering and adjust to 5.4
7. Another pinch of gypsum in the boil

Am I in the right ballpark with this? Any pointers would be great, short of getting my water tested and doing it properly

[Eric]

Hi,

I am using a fairly unscientific approach to my london water treatment at the moment. I generally brew pales. The plan is to go back to school on it at some point but im taking little steps so that might be a while off. My current process is as follows:

1. Filter all water through a carbon filter (britvic)
2. Treat with campden tablets the night before brewing

London water does vary, so I hear, but it is good stuff and for me that's "over the top" at this particular stage.
Use half a campden tablet if you fear chlorine will spoil your beer.

3. Add a tsp of gypsum to the mash when got mash to correct temp
4. Test water pH with digital meter and adjust to 5.4 using crs

Adding a tsp of gypsum for a pale beer will only rarely do anything other than good, mix it into the grains. Provide quantities of grain and mash water to get guidance on strike temperature for your mash water.
Adding acid into a mash to achieve a predetermined value of pH is a lot harder than you might imagine. To avoid this, get a kit that measures alkalinity and adjust your water before mashing. With mash water of the correct alkalinity and enough calcium, the pH might not be exactly 5.4 at the precise moment you measure it, but not only will it be in the right area, but where you determined and be able to replicate or fine tune in future.

5. Wait to convert and collect
6. Test sparge water ph when laudering and adjust to 5.4

Mash for 90 minutes initially, then recycle the wort until it clears of grain and other particulate matter. It seems you intend to batch sparge which is probably your best option, but be minded there are alternatives to explore later.
pH 5.4 is for me a little low for sparging, there will likely still be alkalinity remaining in the grains. Again I would measure alkalinity rather than pH which would be a bit lower than that used for the mash.

7. Another pinch of gypsum in the boil

Yes, as said above.

Am I in the right ballpark with this? Any pointers would be great, short of getting my water tested and doing it properly

It is obvious you've done your homework, that came through strongly when reading your post. A full water test can be very helpful, but your water might change and being equipped to measure alkalinity when you treat your water and before you brew is something to embrace.

Edit: I think I've misread point 4, assuming you were proposing to add CRS to the mash. Mash water at pH 5.4 is too low. The acids in the malt will pull the mash pH down to less than pH 5.0. Measure alkalinity in water, not its pH.

[mozza]

I would download brew n water and get a water report worth the hassle!

[HopIt]

Maybe I've not been clear, I mix water with the grains and adjust the temperature. Once thats all good I chuck in the gypsum. Then I take the ph of the mash, and adjust in small increments of CRS until I have a ph of 5.4.

I'm no chemist, but it seems to me the point in working it out before hand (in terms of alkalinity) is that you can just dump in your treated water and get the right mash ph. But in terms of ph I think (but am not sure) that my process is okay?

[barneey]

The Alkalinity Test Kit, Eric refers to, can be bought from ebay, or a local fish stockist.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SALIFERT-Alka ... 1189002882?

1) Measure your water alkalinity first.
2) Determine the alkalinity you need for the beer you want to brew for a light bitter say 30 to 50 as CaCO3, mg/l
3) Adjust the alkalinity of the water with CRS to that.
4) Mash In, check the PH reading to see if your in the right ball park.

Anything else Eric recommended as ever VERY GOOD advice.

Repeat step 2 to 3 for your sparge water.

[Jim]

All the answers you have so far are spot on, but it's worth having a look here as well to get a better insight into what's required.

[Dave S]

All the answers you have so far are spot on, but it's worth having a look here as well to get a better insight into what's required.

I notice on that link that the recommended alkalinity level for pale ales is no higher than 30ppm, whereas pretty well everywhere else I read, the recommendation is 30-50 ppm, and less than 30 for lagers. I tend to aim for around 40 for pales and bitters.

[Eric]

Maybe I've not been clear,.................

No, I did initially read it correctly, but after submitting my reply that I notice pH 5.4 was for water rather than wort that made me wonder and add that last section.

.................., I mix water with the grains and adjust the temperature. Once thats all good I chuck in the gypsum. Then I take the ph of the mash, and adjust in small increments of CRS until I have a ph of 5.4.

I'm no chemist, but it seems to me the point in working it out before hand (in terms of alkalinity) is that you can just dump in your treated water and get the right mash ph. But in terms of ph I think (but am not sure) that my process is okay?

I can see where you are coming from and how you've reached your conclusions, but while pH is a valuable indicator at every stage of beer in production, it is not the be all and end all of mashing. pH is neither the best measure of your water's buffering capacity nor will it be at a constant value during any mash.

Match the alkalinity in your water with the acidity in the grist and there could be some stage during the mash that a sample would have a pH of 5.4 and of course another when it would be 5.3.

[Eric]

All the answers you have so far are spot on, but it's worth having a look here as well to get a better insight into what's required.

I notice on that link that the recommended alkalinity level for pale ales is no higher than 30ppm, whereas pretty well everywhere else I read, the recommendation is 30-50 ppm, and less than 30 for lagers. I tend to aim for around 40 for pales and bitters.

I'd agree with you Dave, but maybe that's because our waters contain more calcium than the average that would then lower mash pH.

[Dave S]

All the answers you have so far are spot on, but it's worth having a look here as well to get a better insight into what's required.

I notice on that link that the recommended alkalinity level for pale ales is no higher than 30ppm, whereas pretty well everywhere else I read, the recommendation is 30-50 ppm, and less than 30 for lagers. I tend to aim for around 40 for pales and bitters.

I'd agree with you Dave, but maybe that's because our waters contain more calcium than the average that would then lower mash pH.

Could be, Eric, could be. I think we have similar levels of calcium. Mine is always around 76ppm.

[HopIt]

Stupid question time: what's the difference between alkalinity and water hardness? My water report has hardness but not alkalinity.

BTW thanks for all the advice, definitely will get an alkalinity kit soon

[mabrungard]

Hardness is primarily a product of the calcium and magnesium content of the water. Alkalinity is primarily a product of the carbonate and bicarbonate content of the water.

[Eric]

Stupid question time: what's the difference between alkalinity and water hardness? My water report has hardness but not alkalinity.

BTW thanks for all the advice, definitely will get an alkalinity kit soon

Does your water report give figures for calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, chloride, sulphate, nitrate, phosphate or hardness?

[HopIt]

No

[HopIt]

I've ordered a Salifert kit in case this helps