[Kirk]

Martin, I just used the program yesterday and wow, I'm sold.  Thanks a bunch.  I will contribute a dime or two to your site so that my conscience is clear.

[Pawtucket Patriot]

Martin, I have two questions about v1.5:

1) When you say that chalk is only soluble up to about 50 Mg/L, what does this translate to in grams/gallon?

2) How does one edit the "user custom" water profiles?  I try to enter values for the various mineral salts and I get a popup saying that the cells are protected.

Thanks for your hard work. I've found this calculator to be very accurate.

[mabrungard]

It sounds like you're trying to adjust the information in Row 4.  That is not where you make the changes.

The water profile list is way down the Water Adjustment sheet.  The rows that were added for Users are at the bottom of that table (like Row 100).  The whole table can be adjusted as the user sees fit, including the water profiles that are already loaded in there. 

I've also added a ion balance calculation so that if the user decides they want to change things a bit, they will know if their change is appropriate.

Enjoy

[Pawtucket Patriot]

Thanks for that, Martin. I wasn't even aware of the table below with all the water profile info.  

However, even after entering a custom water profile below, the fields in row 4 still show up as #/NA. What am I doing wrong?

[mabrungard]

Oops, I'll have to post a fix for that.  I forgot to extend the named range in the table.  Sorry!

[Pawtucket Patriot]

Oops, I'll have to post a fix for that.  I forgot to extend the named range in the table.  Sorry!

No worries. I'm just glad it wasn't me being a numbskull!

[mabrungard]

Version 1.6 has been uploaded and it corrects the inability to enter User Customizable water profiles and also improves the mash pH algorithm. 

[mabrungard]

OK, I screwed the pooch with v. 1.6.  The sparge water check box was protected and the pH equation did not match up with version 1.5 which was known to be a good predictor in the normal mashing pH range.  Its fixed too.  Version 1.7 is uploaded.  Sorry for the run-around!

[gandelf]

I'm currently working on my second recipe profile and would like to extend my appreciation
for your robust development of Bru'n Water; jolly good calculator. I do have a question with
my Oatmeal Stout thou. The water profile cells are green, but for some reason (numb skull?)
I can't achieve a mash pH of 5.4 AND an SRM needed of 37.5. When I acidify the mash to
a pH of 5.4 the SRM needed is 20.2 and if the SRM needed is 37.5, the pH is 6.3. What am
I missing? Thanks

[mabrungard]

I should probably remove the SRM estimate from the Water Adjustment sheet since its just a holdover from the bad old days when water adjustments were based on the beer SRM.  That has been completely superceded by the Mash Acidification calculation.  You will see a note to that effect if you hover the cursor over the SRM Needed heading on the Water Adjustment sheet.

I do see your confusion regarding the program indicating that the Target and Actual Adjustment cells for bicarbonate are going green and yet the pH is not in a proper range.  If you hover over the bicarbonate cell in the Finished Water row, you will see the message that there is not an Ideal bicarbonate level and that cell will not turn green.  I have to say that I need to adjust the Target and Actual Adjustment cells for the bicarbonate to also not turn green since its misleading. 

The desired bicarbonate content in the mash water SHOULD NOT be based on the starting water profile, but SHOULD be based on the results of the mash acidification analysis.  Leaving those cells in their normal yellow color should help avoid misleading the brewer into thinking that they have adjusted their bicarbonate properly. 

In fact, the Target bicarbonate content is the "first cut" at the proper bicarbonate content for the mash water.  The Brewer should try and adjust their initial bicarbonate content to that level.  The Mash Acidifcation analysis will then determine if that level of bicarbonate is apprpriate, then the Brewer will need to revist the bicarbonate content or hardness to dial in the desired mash pH.   

So, based on this very valid comment, the SRM information will be dropped and the green cell indicators for bicarbonate will be dropped in future versions.  That should help avoid this confusion on a very critical aspect of Bru'n Water.

Thanks for the comment.

[tygo]

So, based on this very valid comment, the SRM information will be dropped and the green cell indicators for bicarbonate will be dropped in future versions.  That should help avoid this confusion on a very critical aspect of Bru'n Water.

It's not critical but it is nice to have the SRM calculation from a check perspective to ensure that you've input grist weights and volumes correctly into the spreadsheet (provided you're using the same formula I guess). 

I was playing around with it last night and noticed that the SRM per the spreadsheet didn't match up with what Beersmith was telling me.  And that's because I typed 39 lbs of base malt instead of 29 lbs like it should have been.

Just something to consider.

[Pawtucket Patriot]

So, based on this very valid comment, the SRM information will be dropped and the green cell indicators for bicarbonate will be dropped in future versions.  That should help avoid this confusion on a very critical aspect of Bru'n Water.

It's not critical but it is nice to have the SRM calculation from a check perspective to ensure that you've input grist weights and volumes correctly into the spreadsheet (provided you're using the same formula I guess). 

I was playing around with it last night and noticed that the SRM per the spreadsheet didn't match up with what Beersmith was telling me.  And that's because I typed 39 lbs of base malt instead of 29 lbs like it should have been.

Just something to consider.

+1 I find the SRM feature helpful for the reasons stated by Tygo.

[mabrungard]

The SRM calc on the Mash Acidification sheet is going to stay.  Although its not integral to the grain acidity calculation, I agree that having that backup calculation for beer color is a good double check that the Brewer entered the grain bill in correctly.

Its the SRM Needed column on the Water Adjustment sheet that I'm going to take out.  That value was an estimate anyhow and I don't want users getting confused by it in the future.

[mabrungard]

Version 1.8 has been uploaded.  I've incorporated the changes discussed above and have also included a handy Summary sheet so that you can see all the recommended changes in one place and have something you can print out and take into the brewery. 

It keeps getting better.  Thanks to all of you that support Bru'n Water.

[mabrungard]

We found an error on the Sparge Acidification sheet that was created when the water volume was changed from liters to gallons.  The corrected file is now on the download site.  If you downloaded version 1.8 prior to 1:28 eastern time on 4/4/11, you will need to visit the site and download the corrected version.