Water & Mash treatments - When and How?

[JCU]

Hello All,

Would like some help on the when and how of water & mash treatments. Have made 5 attempts at brewing all grain pale ales with approx IBU 40-50, ABV 4.2, but they have a sharpness/harshness (astringency?) which is off-putting. Equipment is stainless steel 90 litre HLT & Mash Tun & Boiler & Fermentation Bin, cleaned with Starsan. Water is hard at 233 mg/L CaCO3, north east Hampshire. Have always added CRS (Murphy's AMS) to the liquor and DLS (Murphy's DWB) to the mash. Protofloc to the wort.

Liquor report: pH 7.05, Calcium 85.96, Magnesium 5.26, Chloride 59.62, Suphate 56.96, Alkalinity (as CaCO3) 145.
This differs from the published South East Water report for the area.

Here's the When and How questions:-

1. When should I add Campden Tablets to the liqour; When the water is cold/hot? Before or after adding CRS? How long before adding liquor to mash tun? How many tablets are required for 44 litres of liquor?

2. CRS (AMS) was added at a rate of 13ml per 25 litres of liquor, is this adequate? How long before adding liqour to the mash tun.

3. DLS (DWB) was added at a rate of 15.5g per 25 litres of beer to be made, is this adequate?

Next brewday is Sunday 25th - Maris Otter 5.5KG, East Kent Goldings 100gms, 33 Litres in the fermenter.


Thanks JCU

[Wonkydonkey]

Some of your anwers are here,
http://www.brupaks.com/water%20treatment.htm
But I'm sure there was a thread about the strengths of each batch, not being what is stated on the label.

As for the Camden tab 1 is more than enough, put it in the water, best time is when cold but, I'm sure it works quicker if the water was warmer or being warmed.

Edit: Camden is 1st addtion, and give it a bit of time to work min 1/2hr and give it a good stir

[Aleman]

ave made 5 attempts at brewing all grain pale ales with approx IBU 40-50, ABV 4.2, but they have a sharpness/harshness (astringency?) which is off-putting. <snip> Water is hard at 233 mg/L CaCO3, north east Hampshire. Have always added CRS (Murphy's AMS) to the liquor and DLS (Murphy's DWB) to the mash.

Liquor report: pH 7.05, Calcium 85.96, Magnesium 5.26, Chloride 59.62, Suphate 56.96, Alkalinity (as CaCO3) 145.
This differs from the published South East Water report for the area.

I would guess that these are the Murphys recommended additions for their analysis and their products, or is it the amounts you have worked out for yourself from their product sheets?

2. CRS (AMS) was added at a rate of 13ml per 25 litres of liquor, is this adequate? How long before adding liqour to the mash tun.

Well, if you use a Salifert Alkalinity test kit before and after testing you will know if you have added the right amount . . . its the only test I do routinely. 1ml of CRS is supposed to neutralise 183mg of alkalinity. In your 25L you have 25 * 145 = 3625 mg of alkalinity 13ml of CRS will remove 2379mg leaving 1246mg which is 50mg/l .The recommended maximum for pale ales is 50mg/l . . .so you could try and reduce this to 30 . . . HOWEVER, ideally you need to test it before and after treatment, water from the tap varies over the year, and CRS varies in strength.

1. When should I add Campden Tablets to the liqour; When the water is cold/hot? Before or after adding CRS? How long before adding liquor to mash tun? How many tablets are required for 44 litres of liquor?

I crush it and add it as I fill the boiler (I heat all my liquor in the boiler),when the boiler is full I take a sample and measure alkalinity, then add my acids of choice and leave it overnight . . . I prepare my liquor overnight. . . When I switch the boiler on to heat up I add the salts required. One CT will treat 3mg/L of chloramine in 17 UK Gallons of water, but a excess is not an issue.

3. DLS (DWB) was added at a rate of 15.5g per 25 litres of beer to be made, is this adequate?

I think this might be your issue, you are adding a lot of sulphate with this, and that is going to emphasise the hop bitterness.

With the amount of calcium you already have in your liquor you don't really need to add anything more, you can effectively treat your liquor just using acids to reduce your alkalinity. Selecting individual acids (sulphuric and hydrochloric) you can neutralise the alkalinity and balance your sulphate to chloride ratio with no other additions. Hampshire used to be well known for its good regional bitters and pale ales, and that is down to the water.

When you have highly mineralised water you just have to treat it appropriately, and a problem with Murphys recommendations and products is that it is a one size fits all approach, adn this is not going to work at the extreme ends of the ranges of brewing liquors.

Next brewday is Sunday 25th - Maris Otter 5.5KG, East Kent Goldings 100gms, 33 Litres in the fermenter.


Thanks JCU[/quote]

[millmaster]

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?ti ... pH_control

Its worth reading the above link and the associated

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?ti ... laked_lime

Personally, my preference is to control residual alkalinity with the addition of slaked lime as per Kai's suggestions and calculator. Its counter intuitive ( adding an alkali to reduce alkalinity ) but, unlike CRS et al doesnt add anything else, leaving you in control of your water salt concentrations

I'm still learning and experimenting with water treatment, but I like being able to control what I add, rather than have CRS push choride or suplphate or both beyond where I want them