Water Chemistry!

[mirsultankhan]

Ha! I see you've sussed the 'easy option' and just concentrate on adjusting the alkalinity - which is what I do.

Don't much about the other calculator as I've not used them but if I'm reading you right and understanding things correctly I think you may have got a bit confused about what the old forum calc is telling you to use to adjust alkalinity. It's brupak CRS that you use not any other salts; although I think they lower the alkalinity (and therefore mash PH) incidently but the main factor is the CRS acid

Actually because I have soft water I don't really need the CRS, I have the opposite problem of not having enough carbonate for certain styles of beers. My water is fine for pale ales but the darker I go the more iffy it becomes.

Brupaks CRS (Carbonate Reducing Solution) is an acid blend which, when added to brewing liquor, reduces the level of carbonate without the need to boil. Darker beers can tolerate higher levels of carbonates.

I made the mistake of tasting some of the salts today just out of curiosity, i can tell you that calcium chloride is not very tasty and burns your tongue.

 

[Twostage]

To complicate things further (maybe) I use the calculator spreadsheet from the How to Brew website/book. There's nothing automated about it, you have complete control over all additions. I've just checked the site to get the link and it has been updated and now the links to the spreadsheet don't work :-(

To use the spreadsheet you enter the salt composition of your source water and your target water and the volume of water you are going to treat. It calculates the residual alkalinity of the target water. It's then a process of trial and error entering values for the various additions (gypsum etc.) and seeing what the effect is. With practice its actually quite quick to get very close to your target water profile.

You can use it in a simpler way to just match the balance of the water (bitter or malty).

I've settled on Lidl value water as my source water as it has very few minerals and is a good base for anything I want to brew.

If anyone is interested I'll zip it up and post it.

 

[mirsultankhan]

To complicate things further (maybe) I use the calculator spreadsheet from the How to Brew website/book. There's nothing automated about it, you have complete control over all additions. I've just checked the site to get the link and it has been updated and now the links to the spreadsheet don't work :-(

To use the spreadsheet you enter the salt composition of your source water and your target water and the volume of water you are going to treat. It calculates the residual alkalinity of the target water. It's then a process of trial and error entering values for the various additions (gypsum etc.) and seeing what the effect is. With practice its actually quite quick to get very close to your target water profile.

You can use it in a simpler way to just match the balance of the water (bitter or malty).

I've settled on Lidl value water as my source water as it has very few minerals and is a good base for anything I want to brew.

If anyone is interested I'll zip it up and post it.

yes go for it, your calculator is the same as the brewers friend one, there is nothing automated about it either.

 

[Twostage]

Calculator spreadsheet attached. As used today to match 24 litres of Lidl water to the water that feeds the Caledonian brewery. I was doing Deuchars IPA.

View attachment Lidl to Caledonian24 ltr A.zip

 

[Bunglebrewsbeer]

Can you post not zipped?

 

[mirsultankhan]

Calculator spreadsheet attached. As used today to match 24 litres of Lidl water to the water that feeds the Caledonian brewery. I was doing Deuchars IPA.

That's very interesting the target water is almost exactly the same as my water. Where did you get the water profile from?

 

[MyQul]

Actually because I have soft water I don't really need the CRS, I have the opposite problem of not having enough carbonate for certain styles of beers. My water is fine for pale ales but the darker I go the more iffy it becomes.

Brupaks CRS (Carbonate Reducing Solution) is an acid blend which, when added to brewing liquor, reduces the level of carbonate without the need to boil. Darker beers can tolerate higher levels of carbonates.

I made the mistake of tasting some of the salts today just out of curiosity, i can tell you that calcium chloride is not very tasty and burns your tongue.

Ah, I see. Seeing as I've got the opposite problem to you I've only really done reading about reducing the bicarbonate level to enable me to make bitters. Haven't really done much reading about your soft water 'problem'. Like I say MSK your quickly becoming the forum water treatment exepert

 

[mirsultankhan]

Ah, I see. Seeing as I've got the opposite problem to you I've only really done reading about reducing the bicarbonate level to enable me to make bitters. Haven't really done much reading about your soft water 'problem'. Like I say MSK your quickly becoming the forum water treatment exepert

I am no expert MyQul only very confused and trying to assimilate the data and make sense of it all. I just believe that aiming for profiles of a specific area might not be the correct approach because we have no idea what the brewery does to the water once its inside their plant. Are we really to believe that Guinness don't do anything to their water? If so what is the point of attempting to emulate a Dublin water profile? Surely if you had an alkalinity if 280ppm you would boil your water to reduce the alkalinity or do as you do and add an acidic component to reduce its buffering capacity and yet we are supposed to add carbon carbonate up to the same level as someone who wants desperately to reduce it. It just makes no sense.

 

[MyQul]

I am no expert MyQul only very confused and trying to assimilate the data and make sense of it all. I just believe that aiming for profiles of a specific area might not be the correct approach because we have no idea what the brewery does to the water once its inside their plant. Are we really to believe that Guinness don't do anything to their water? If so what is the point of attempting to emulate a Dublin water profile? Surely if you had an alkalinity if 280ppm you would boil your water to reduce the alkalinity or do as you do and add an acidic component to reduce its buffering capacity and yet we are supposed to add carbon carbonate up to the same level as someone who wants desperately to reduce it. It just makes no sense.

I've read 'don't try to emulate historic water profiles' lots and lots of times on blogs and in articles

 

[mirsultankhan]

I've read 'don't try to emulate historic water profiles' lots and lots of times on blogs and in articles

wow isn't that interesting, Ive found this little site here, its a simple as it gets.

http://www.brewerslair.com/index.php?p=brewhouse&d=calculators&id=cal06&u=eng

 

[mirsultankhan]

Calculator spreadsheet attached. As used today to match 24 litres of Lidl water to the water that feeds the Caledonian brewery. I was doing Deuchars IPA.

The notes on that zip file are well worth reading, possibly a few times.

 

[MyQul]

wow isn't that interesting, Ive found this little site here, its a simple as it gets.

http://www.brewerslair.com/index.php?p=brewhouse&d=calculators&id=cal06&u=eng

All those city water profiles look interesting. I'll have to compare the London one to mine - something to do when I haven't drank quite so much HB though :mrgreen:

 

[mirsultankhan]

All those city water profiles look interesting. I'll have to compare the London one to mine - something to do when I haven't drank quite so much HB though :mrgreen:

yes I am just about to crack a bottle or two open, her indoors is trying to put me on a reduced beer diet cutting down my natural requirements.

 

[MyQul]

yes I am just about to crack a bottle or two open, her indoors is trying to put me on a reduced beer diet cutting down my natural requirements.

Tell her with all the researches you've been doing into water chemistry you've discovered Glasgow water is particularly hazardous and your much safer sticking to beer for your daily fluid intake

 

[Bunglebrewsbeer]

I'm having a dry November!! Grim.

 

[MyQul]

I'm having a dry November!! Grim.

*shudders* Oh, the horror!

 

[Bunglebrewsbeer]

Quit the cigs to. And no caffeine for the month. I'm a real hoot to be around!!

 

[Wardy]

yes I am just about to crack a bottle or two open, her indoors is trying to put me on a reduced beer diet cutting down my natural requirements.

It's been interesting following this. I have A level chemistry but never had the need to adjust the water because of doing kits. I'll be starting AG in the new year so it will be good to look back on this thread as I too have very soft water.
Hope your missus isn't too harsh on you, I've been bad today with 3 bottles of stout and now on 2nd bottle of red wine and total cost £2.10. HB is ace

 

[MyQul]

Quit the cigs to. And no caffeine for the month. I'm a real hoot to be around!!

Puritan Bungle!

What about giving up meat too. Thats supposed to be bad for you as well

 

[Bunglebrewsbeer]

I may as well start building gallows if that were to be done. Just for the month is all apart from the cigs. Got clibits sabbath fermenting away too. Xmas beer that one. Another one on the go soon.