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Author Topic: Water Help..  (Read 10750 times)

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Water Help..
« Reply #15 on: November 19, 2009, 11:48:01 am »
I use RO water, and build the profile I want using Palmer's spreadsheet.  From the Daniels quote  "This includes things like calcium, magnesium, sulfur and chloride.".  Ca comes from the gypsum and CaCl2.  Mg from Epsom salts.  Sulfur from the gypsum.  Cl from the CaCl2.

One other thing the yeast will utilise is zinc.  Half a diet supplement tab is about right for a 10 gallon batch.  FAN and vitamins comes from the grain, as Kai says.

BYO had an article on yeast nutrition this past summer.

Jeff Rankert
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Offline majorvices

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Re: Water Help..
« Reply #16 on: November 20, 2009, 05:16:28 am »
A lot, if not all, the micro nutrients that Fred mentioned should be present in malt. I build my water from RO water all the time and don't see fermentation issues.

Kai

However, at the very least you are going to need Calcium in some form.

Offline wilypig

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Re: Water Help..
« Reply #17 on: November 20, 2009, 08:30:13 am »
This is a good thread. I feel that without knowing what you have to start with you cannot start. I guess I am a simpleton about water chemistry but I am also blessed with a great overall brewing water source (Lake Erie). The only time I would consider using RO or distilled water, both very expensive compared to tap and not very green IMHO, is if I were trying to make something anally authentic to a specific historic brewing center. Cseck pils is the only one that comes to mind for me. Relax, don't worry is a great way to put it for me. As always you are free to chose your path. Good luck. Just my 2 cents.
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Offline Kaiser

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Re: Water Help..
« Reply #18 on: November 20, 2009, 08:50:45 am »
However, at the very least you are going to need Calcium in some form.

I do add Calcium, but I wonder how much is really needed. There is also calcium and magnesium in the malt and some is released into the wort. I don't argue that calcium is benefical for beer quality but the benchmark mash that is done to determine extract potential is done with distilled water. The analysis also involves fermenting a sample of the produced wort to determine the wort fermentability which means that fermentation also works w/o calcium from the water.

An experiment on my wish list is brewing the same Pils with RO (~10 ppm Ca), 60 ppm Ca and 150 ppm Ca water. I'm curious to see how the flavor and in particular clarity of the beer is affected by the hardness of the water.

Kai

Offline Steverino

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Re: Water Help..
« Reply #19 on: November 20, 2009, 10:29:48 am »
A lot, if not all, the micro nutrients that Fred mentioned should be present in malt. I build my water from RO water all the time and don't see fermentation issues.

Kai

I blend RO with tap water (municipal well water) to get the PPM I need for the style I'm brewing. If you have fairly hard water, it takes very little of it to provide adequate minerals for the yeast, IMHO. For lighter beers, it's usually something like 9:1, RO:tap.
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Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Water Help..
« Reply #20 on: November 20, 2009, 10:59:16 am »
The water supply I am on has deep wells for the source, so it has minerals from all of the ground up rocks left by the glaciers.  The municiple supply takes out the iron, but that is it.  Carbonate is really high, about 290 ppm.  That is why I use RO.

If you are in another part of the country, you might be blessed with soft water.  I will attach a map of water hardness.  Be aware that the Great Lakes are really pretty soft, and many cities such Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland as use those as a source.

http://www.qualitywatertreatment.com/city_water_guide.htm

I am in the really dark green area in southern MI. 

Jeff Rankert
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BJCP National
Ann Arbor Brewers Guild
Home-brewing, not just a hobby, it is a lifestyle!