Search results

Citric acid can be used to acidify the mash...as long as the tap water has fairly low alkalinity. If the alkalinity is higher, you will likely be adding enough acid to create flavor effects in the beer. While the H+ protons from the acid will be neutralized by the alkalinity (or vice versa), the...

Aluminum is not corroded by wort at it's typical pH. There is virtually no chance of aluminum getting in the wort. http://www.pfonline.com/articles/aluminum-surface-finishing-corrosion-causes-and-troubleshooting

Yes, the pH of the starsan solution does need to drop into the sub 3 range. But understand that starsan is phosphoric acid with a surfactant. It will bring the pH down. No need to worry about the water pH. However, you do want to use DI or distilled or RO water when mixing up your batch since...

While the potassium form of the metabisulfite is available. I'm not really sure that it is a better alternative than the sodium form. There is a group of brewers that use elevated doses of metabisulfite to ward off oxidation during the mashing and boiling phases and they say that the beer flavor...

The sulfite added to water and wort from Campden tablet addition will not make it through the boil. Heat degrades the sulfite into sulfur dioxide and it volatilizes into the atmosphere during the boil. This is in stark contrast to wine production since the high sulfite content added to the grape...

I'm assuming this was a Murphy's water test? As most know, they don't provide a sodium content for the water and that actual level in the water could be high or negligible. You just don't know. In the case of most potable water supplies, the primary ions in our water are: Ca, Mg, Na, SO4, Cl...

Given that water quality and its variation, it may be tougher to estimate proper acid and mineral additions. However, you can probably also quiz the supplier as to the more typical values for the ions you cite. That is what I would assume for your starting point. The type of acid you use is...

I very much disagree with this. The sentiment: "If the water tastes fine, you can brew with it", is true to a degree. However the primary thing any brewer needs to contend with AND correct, is excessive alkalinity. EVEN kit brewers! While the mashing is already done with kits, if you add...

That report does not include all the secondary water quality parameters that we brewers are interested in, so you can't make much assessment of the water. The most important missing info is the water's alkalinity. Given that the calcium content was appropriately high for brewing, the...

Lagers such as German Pils do have a significant sulfate content in the brewing water. The Jever water supply used to make Jever Pils has about 75 ppm sulfate. So sulfate is not out of bounds for lager brewing. However, most lager styles tend to have substantially less sulfate. Including...

Water pH is not really a concern in brewing. Its mash pH and water alkalinity that matters in brewing. You do want to measure pH at room temperature since high temperature will cause premature failure of your probe. I do recommend treating your mashing and sparging water separately since their...

By the way, there are plenty of Dublin neighborhoods that do have water quality similar to the above. Its just that the south side of the city where Guinness is, does not. The north and west portions of the city are saddled with that hard and alkaline water.

I understand your concern with sodium and I don't advocate brewing pale beers with levels much higher than yours. However, sodium can be a very nice addition in darker beers. I've found that double or even triple the sodium that you have in your water is OK in porters and stouts. It does sweeten...

Yep, it works. I've tried it. However, its still a foolish effort for the typical brewer. Using a fully water-soluble alkaline salt is a better option for brewing. Both slaked lime and sodium bicarbonate are readily soluble in water and are far better options than chalk.

Your water sounds like the water that Guinness uses in Dublin. The water out of the Wicklow Mountains has very low mineralization. Similar to RO water. They now supplement their water supply with a RO system.

Correct! However the rate at which it dissolves means that it will be hours for it to dissolve and contribute its alkalinity. A mash is not that long and therefore, chalk is not suited for mashing water treatment.

I have a hard time believing that Graham Wheeler says to add only chalk to the mash. Any mineral can be added to the mash. However, chalk is not one of them due to the fact that chalk does not dissolve very quickly in the very weak acids that are present in the mash. Therefore, chalk has no...

Oh, by the way. If your water has much alkalinity (say >25 to 50 ppm as CaCO3), then it is critically important to acidify your sparging water and neutralize that excess alkalinity. Failing to neutralize that alkalinity is likely to create flaws in your beer.

The only acid that will precipitate calcium is phosphoric acid and that reaction will only occur if the calcium content is already high. If its already that high, it certainly doesn't matter that the calcium was lost to precipitation. Bru'n Water doesn't calculate that loss since the...

More than likely, you have found that some of your brews come out better than others. That is often a result of your water character pairing better with the requirements of the grist and resulting beer. That was the genesis of local beer style. However, if you want to improve those other brews...