Membership questions? Log in issues? Email info@brewersassociation.org

Author Topic: Water  (Read 5427 times)

Offline jonhowell

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 9
Water
« on: November 16, 2009, 07:53:33 am »
I recently moved from the country (with a well) to a small town (city water).  I am hoping to brew my first batch at the new house this weekend and was wondering what, if anything, I need to know about city water. I never tested the well water and I never had a problem with it.

The city water tastes fine, I was thinking that I might just go ahead and brew and see if I got any off flavors.

What should I be worried about with the water?

Offline a10t2

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4696
  • Ask me why I don't like Chico!
    • SeanTerrill.com
Re: Water
« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2009, 09:27:27 am »
Extract or AG? If it's extract I say just go ahead and brew.
Sent from my Microsoft Bob

Beer is like porn. You can buy it, but it's more fun to make your own.
Refractometer Calculator | Batch Sparging Calculator | Two Mile Brewing Co.

Offline jonhowell

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 9
Re: Water
« Reply #2 on: November 16, 2009, 09:31:43 am »
AG, single step mashing.

Offline tubercle

  • Senior Brewmaster
  • ******
  • Posts: 1639
  • Sweet Caroline
Re: Water
« Reply #3 on: November 16, 2009, 09:34:25 am »
Chlorine and/or chloramine.

 A campden tablet should take care of it.
Sweet Caroline where the Sun rises over the deep blue sea and sets somewhere beyond Tennessee

Offline Crispy275

  • Global Moderator
  • Assistant Brewer
  • *****
  • Posts: 121
Re: Water
« Reply #4 on: November 16, 2009, 09:35:17 am »
One issue I have with my city water is high iron. the good thing about iron is that you can smell it's presence. The bad thing is it takes an RO system to remove it.

Ask your local water board for a copy of their most current analysis. It may even be posted on your local government website. From there you can compare it to the water profiles of your current style and determine if you need to do anything more (or less) with your water.
Chris P. Frey, aka "Crispy"
Mountain Ale & Lager Tasters MALT)
Ann Arbor Brewers Guild (AABG)
Fermental Order of Renaissance Draughtsmen (FORD)

Offline NorthernIke

  • Cellarman
  • **
  • Posts: 51
Re: Water
« Reply #5 on: November 16, 2009, 12:08:43 pm »
You need a mineral analysis.  Key elements:

• Bicarbonate
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Chloride
• Sulfate
• Sodium

Let us know what you find out and we can help you from there.

Offline jonhowell

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 9
Re: Water
« Reply #6 on: November 17, 2009, 08:38:09 am »
You need a mineral analysis.  Key elements:

• Bicarbonate
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Chloride
• Sulfate
• Sodium

Let us know what you find out and we can help you from there.

Bicarbonate   153-191 MG/L
Calcium         34.5-191 MG/L
Magnesium    16.2-19.4 MG/L
Chloride         .2-.4 MG/L
Sulfate           8.21-14.2 MG/L
Sodium          1.61-2.83 MG/L
 

Offline majorvices

  • Global Moderator
  • I must live here
  • *****
  • Posts: 11326
  • Polka. If its too loud you're too young.
Re: Water
« Reply #7 on: November 17, 2009, 09:06:04 am »
That water is well suited for Amber style beers, and would be suited for pale beers if you removed some of the bicarbonates or dilute your existing water with at least 50/50 with distilled or RO water. You will want to add a small amount of Calcium either in the form of Calcium Chloride or Gypsum to get your Ca up to at least 50ppm (Calcium Carbonate for malt accented beers and Gypsum for hop accented beers). For dark beers you will want to add some calcium carbonate to raise your carbonates up to around 300ppm.
« Last Edit: November 17, 2009, 09:07:40 am by majorvices »

Offline a10t2

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4696
  • Ask me why I don't like Chico!
    • SeanTerrill.com
Re: Water
« Reply #8 on: November 17, 2009, 09:06:51 am »
I'm guessing that's from your utility? The calcium range is HUGE, so nailing that down would be a good idea. In general, though, you can probably just dilute with distilled or RO to get the bicarbonate in the right range for lighter beers. You'll probably have to add some carbonates to brew anything really dark. Then add chloride or sulfate to emphasize malts or hops, respectively.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter15-1.html
http://seanterrill.com/2009/08/08/water-water-everywhere/
http://nomograph.babbrewers.com/
Sent from my Microsoft Bob

Beer is like porn. You can buy it, but it's more fun to make your own.
Refractometer Calculator | Batch Sparging Calculator | Two Mile Brewing Co.

Offline majorvices

  • Global Moderator
  • I must live here
  • *****
  • Posts: 11326
  • Polka. If its too loud you're too young.
Re: Water
« Reply #9 on: November 17, 2009, 09:08:55 am »
I'm guessing that's from your utility? The calcium range is HUGE, so nailing that down would be a good idea.

I wonder if that is not a typo??

Offline a10t2

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4696
  • Ask me why I don't like Chico!
    • SeanTerrill.com
Re: Water
« Reply #10 on: November 17, 2009, 09:13:38 am »
I was thinking the same thing, especially with the "191" being in both.
Sent from my Microsoft Bob

Beer is like porn. You can buy it, but it's more fun to make your own.
Refractometer Calculator | Batch Sparging Calculator | Two Mile Brewing Co.

Offline jonhowell

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 9
Re: Water
« Reply #11 on: November 17, 2009, 09:44:16 am »
I'm guessing that's from your utility? The calcium range is HUGE, so nailing that down would be a good idea.

I wonder if that is not a typo??

Yes, it is a typo, 34.5 - 44.9 is what it should read.

There is also a lot of discussion about the Bicarbonate. I am assuming that is the same as hardness/carbonate because biocarbonate is not listed.

http://www.mtvernon-cityhall.org/water_reports/2008_ccr_report.pdf

Offline jonhowell

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 9
Re: Water
« Reply #12 on: November 17, 2009, 09:57:57 am »
I'm guessing that's from your utility? The calcium range is HUGE, so nailing that down would be a good idea. In general, though, you can probably just dilute with distilled or RO to get the bicarbonate in the right range for lighter beers. You'll probably have to add some carbonates to brew anything really dark. Then add chloride or sulfate to emphasize malts or hops, respectively.

http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter15-1.html
http://seanterrill.com/2009/08/08/water-water-everywhere/
http://nomograph.babbrewers.com/

Thanks for the links!

Offline a10t2

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4696
  • Ask me why I don't like Chico!
    • SeanTerrill.com
Re: Water
« Reply #13 on: November 17, 2009, 10:00:54 am »
No, bicarbonate (HCO3-) and carbonate (CO3--) are not the same, although as you can see they're related. In the pH range useful for brewing, almost all carbonate is actually in solution as bicarbonate, so it's reasonable to assume that all alkalinity is the result of bicarbonate. Given that assumption, you can convert alkalinity as CaCO3 to bicarbonate by multiplying by 1.2.

So your HCO3- range is about 178-215 ppm.
« Last Edit: November 17, 2009, 10:12:49 am by a10t2 »
Sent from my Microsoft Bob

Beer is like porn. You can buy it, but it's more fun to make your own.
Refractometer Calculator | Batch Sparging Calculator | Two Mile Brewing Co.