Soft Water

[Slid]

I live in the shadow of the mighty (if slightly shallow) Winter Hill and the water around here is run-off from the said hill into the local ponds, or "reservoirs". This water has a profile that comes way off the bottom end of the scale for brewing water for all categories except Pilsner. It basically contains zip-all except rain and the residue from sheep-poo that the added Ferric Sulphate and Lime cannot extract. No calcium, magnesium, sulphate or anything else, really. Nearest analysis would perhaps be Tesco's Ashbeck.

Somehow, I am actually really pleased with my beer. All styles, even the pale ales.

Anyone else in the North of England have any water related input?

 

[cushyno]

What a coincidence. I have spent most of this evening wondering how to deal with my uber-hard water.

I must be less than 30 miles down the road from you in Ormskirk yet the water profiles are so different. Manchester water comes from the Lake District and Liverpool water comes from the hills of Wales. I believe our supply comes from the River Dee. If that's near Chester goodness knows why UU choose to pump it right across Merseyside when there is plenty of decent water in the West Pennine hills we could be drinking.

Fancy swapping a few gallons of my hard stuff for your soft stuff???

 

[cushyno]

Thinking again, maybe a beer swap would make more sense. I'll swap you a robust porter for some of your very pale ale?

 

[Cwrw666]

I've got soft water too. Like Slid's it's run-off from the mountain behind our house - rain and sheep sh**. It's from our own supply so it's unfiltered and untreated and the bedrock up there is volcanic and that doesn't filter either. Apparently it's on the limit for drinking water for acidity.
All styles of beer come out fine except for stout. Last time I made stout I bought in Ashbeck water and the difference was amazing.

 

[Martybhoy]

I'm in Ayrshire and our water is very soft. Our 10 year old kettle looks brand new inside.

My stouts are a bit meh, but my pales are decent.

Cwrw666 - did you add anything to the ashbeck water or use as is from the bottle?

 

[foxbat]

Last time I made stout I bought in Ashbeck water and the difference was amazing.

Ashbeck would be an odd choice for a stout because it's soft like your own water. When I did my RIS I bought in some higher alkalinity Morrisons water to balance the acidity from the black malts. Were you happy with how it came out?

 

[MickDundee]

My local microbrewery reckons that Dundee tap water has a similar profile to Bavaria and is perfect for pilsners.

I’ve never done a lager but my pales all come out great!

 

[Cwrw666]

Ashbeck would be an odd choice for a stout because it's soft like your own water. When I did my RIS I bought in some higher alkalinity Morrisons water to balance the acidity from the black malts. Were you happy with how it came out?

It came out lovely. By the way Ashbeck is ph 7.8 which is just on the alkaline side of neutral. Our own water is ph 5 point something and tastes strongly of peat bog.
Martybhoy - yes, straight from the bottle.

By the way, our own water is fine for black IPA's - I assume it's because it's fine with the IPA side of things.

 

[foxbat]

By the way Ashbeck is ph 7.8 which is just on the alkaline side of neutral. Our own water is ph 5 point something and tastes strongly of peat bog.

Where did you get ph 7.8 from? Ashbeck is 6.2.

Your own water at ph 5 is really low!

Edit: Were you thinking of Tesco "Perthshire" by any chance? The packaging is a dead ringer for Ashbeck if you just give it a quick glance and I think Perthshire is the same as "Highland Spring" which is ph 7.8.