Purely Scottish water

[matt.]

Any thoughts on this 10 litre bag of Scottish water?
I live in Aberdeen and like to make 10 litre Bitter SMASH stove top brews.
I usually add some calcium water treatment but have been using tap water so far.

This will be the first time using the Purely Scottish water.
Thanks folks.

 

[Sadfield]

Needs Defuddling.

Enough calcium but will have high alkalinity. My guess is around 150ppm.

 

[matt.]

Needs Defuddling.

Enough calcium but will have high alkalinity. My guess is around 150ppm.

What would you suggest?
Defuddling a little beyond me.

 

[Sadfield]

Brewing specific mash pH strips for quick easy measurement of mash pH at around 5-10 minutes after mashing in. Then if you need to lower the pH, incremental additions of either (or a combination of) gypsum, calcium carbonate, lactic or phosporic acid. After of few brews you'll get a feel for where your water is at and how judge additions.

There's a number of ways to approach water treatment, but having pH strips and lactic on hand is always useful.

 

[peebee]

You live in Aberdeen! There's nowt much in your tap water. What are you wasting your money on bottled water for? Get an analysis for your tap water, your water company will publish them free on I'net.


(BTW: I used to live in Aberdeen during the 1980s ... Acid Rain scare in full swing. Tap water, having no "buffering" capability, was pH 3.).

 

[peebee]

That bottled water: Look at that Nitrate level ... 17.7mg/l! That's mostly agricultural pollution. My own tap water in Wales is 2.57mg/l.

Someone is pulling a fast one! Use your tap!!!

 

[peebee]

Oh aye ... The "Defuddler" has only been updated very recently. Does a lot more for you so much less to wrap your 'ead round.

Link in my signature below.

 

[peebee]

Needs Defuddling. ...

I got curious, so took a peek.

...

Thanks very much!!!

 

[MashBag]

Brewing specific mash pH strips

Is pH different is beer then? Genuine question

 

[MashBag]

I live in Aberdeen

Share the postcode of a local shop or something and we can get a water analysis and give you some sensible suggestions.

I am with @peebee tho... Why waste your money until you know what's in the tap.

 

[Sadfield]

Is pH different is beer then? Genuine question

No. The strips just have a more suitable range for mash measurements. Johnstons ones are 4.8-6.2 pH.

 

[MashBag]

Gotcha.

 

[peebee]

Share the postcode of a local shop or something and we can get a water analysis and give you some sensible suggestions.

I am with @peebee tho... Why waste your money until you know what's in the tap.

Just noticed ... been there:

My local Tesco, 1 mile away is AB51 4SR.

Well, having trashed any idea of using that water, I guess the purchase of it is a done deal. So, we'd better aim any assistance at using it? I came down hard on the nitrate level, but it's still half the legal limit. Calcium is USA okay (i.e. well low for the UK). Alkalinity would be a cinch if I ran it through me "Deffuddler", but it relies on a report covering anything significant ... and that label has "total dissolved solids" of 235mg/l which is double the individual entries so ... what can you do with it?

Err? I've got it! How about ... I go to bed. Over to you.

 

[Sadfield]

https://www.thewellwater.com/our-water

Our Water Composition​

Composition Mg/Litre
Calcium 46.4
Sodium 12.6
Chloride 17.4
Sulphate 14.2
Nitrate 17.7
Nitrite <0.05
Magnesium 18.8
Hydrogen Carbonate 226
TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) 270
Suitable for a low sodium diet PH level 7.71 – refreshing slightly alkaline water

Mislabelling by the looks of things.

 

[MashBag]

You could just throw some DWB at it.

Source: https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/-/m...Water-Quality/060623WaterHardnessData2022.pdf

 

[MashBag]

PS love the "Lomond Hill Borehole mix"

 

[Twostage]

Putting in the postcode I got :-

Calcium can’t find it. Could be my eyes.
Chloride 18.17
Sulphate 4.72
Ph 7.52
Nitrate 2.33
Sodium 8.2

 

[matt.]

View attachment 100658

You could just throw some DWB at it.

Source: https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/-/m...Water-Quality/060623WaterHardnessData2022.pdf

Thanks. I was given it free so nothing to loose if, as you say, I pop some DWB into it.

Many thanks folk for all your comments.

 

[peebee]

Mannofield is a district in the south of Aberdeen, miles from Inverurie to the North. Probably just a name for the treatment works? Mannofield West supply most of Inverurie and south of it. All within a mile of that Tesco, so need a bit more instruction from @matt.

The "Craigie" zone supplies the North of Inverurie. Also within a mile of Tesco.

The rivers aren't at all as mucky as down here, so probably both river extraction. They have very similar analysis. Scottish water split the desired credentials across two documents, a "Hardness" one, but it includes real ion analysis for Calcium and Magnesium, so you don't need "Hardness" (which is probably the Ca and Mg analyses converted to "as CaCO3" and added together). Let me just check ... this for the Craigie zone (2.497x11.15)+(4.118x1.75)=27.84+7.21=35.05 (Show Off ... Shut up you!) documented hardness is 35.02, so yes, just Ca and Mg. Rest is in the "full" document.

I know, I'll stick it in the new, shiny, "Defuddler:

The "Alkalinity will likely be less than that (the dosed Lime will be consumed on route). The "Defuddler" will "adapt" to a local (tap in house) "Alkalinity" reading. For example say local analysis was 15 mg/l as HCO3. The "miscellaneous ions" is 2.96mg/l NO3 (Nitrate):

Only relevant for very soft water dosed with Lime. It pulls this off with some dirty tricks played on the cations.

Good i'n'it!



I''m getting depressed now. This used to be my home surroundings . Still, it isn't so bad living here (with 100's of sheep!).

 

[peebee]

... You could just throw some DWB at it. ...

I want to look into this DWB/AMS caper. As an added feature for my "Defuddler" (what else?). It can be considered a "pre-mash" treatment (before chucking in the malt and making it complicated ... that's why the "Defuddler" is a "pre-processor", I don't want to dive into the tricky stuff yet ... leave that to the other calculators, all of which can't be bothered to do the "pre-process" bit).

There seems to be some interaction with DWB and AMS such that it can be used with Stout through to Pale Ale. Not like ordinary "Burtonizing" salts. The AWS is a mix of acids such that it dumps varying amounts of Sulphides and Chlorides depending on amount used.

Well. I find it an interesting conundrum! Perhaps it takes a good bang on the head to see it like that?