Water Treatment and finings

[ByronMcG]

Hi,

I was going to attempt my first all grain brew today but sorting out equipment has got the better of me and I don't want to rush my first try so I'm delaying until the weekend after next.

This means I can do a dry run setting everything up this afternoon and also get a few more things straight in my head. With that in mind I have a couple of questions.

Liquor Treatment:

Everywhere I read how important this is but I can't actually find any instructions about how to do this and what with. I bought 1l of a liquid "AMS" hoping there would be some instructions but no luck.

Do I add to the HLT or the mash tun?
How much should I add?
I know you can get additions for the grist should I use this as well as this AMS?
In short help!

Finings:

Again lots of reference to this online but struggling to really understand how and when. Got 250ml of "ALLKLEER A" but don't know how much to use or when to add - I'm guessing the end of the boil.

Once I've set up my kit and if I have posted enough I'll post up some pictures and ask for feedback, not sure about some of my setup either.

Byron

 

[NickW]

Regarding the water treatment... a tip Aleman gave me works wonders and I've had no issues with my beer yet.

Simply use Asda smart price water, and add a teaspoon of gypsum (do a Google search it's only a couple of quid) to the strike water, and a teaspoon to the boil. Apparently this is a great all rounder for most beer types.

It's cheap enough at 17p for two litres of water. It also takes the hassle out of water treatment and makes the brewday more enjoyable :thumb: plus it's easy to measure your water out as it's all in 2 litre bottles

In regards to finings someone else may be able to help you as I don't use them.

Don't worry too much about getting everything right first time, you just have to dig in and do it. You'll make a mistake or two, sure. But it's a learning curve. Beer is pretty forgiving so you'll be drinking a decent pint anyway :thumb:

 

[ByronMcG]

Thanks!

What's strike water?

I figured if it tasted no-good then I just wouldn't tell anyone and say it was great which is why I was drinking it all!

 

[NickW]

The water you add to the mash tun. Usually 2.5 times the amount of grain you are using. So for 5kilos of grain you add 15 litres of strike water.

Brewstew has done a great guide you Can see here:

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=31614

 

[mabrungard]

The tip from Aleman is appropriate. That is a known water quality.

However, don't go off and add minerals or acid unless you know what your water already has in it. You could be adding stuff you don't want or need. A water report can be very helpful. As a quick work-around, if you have some trusted brewers around you using the same water as you, you might ask what treatments they employ. This approach would be better than something totally generic.

 

[NickW]

That's some fantastic information

I will get into water chemistry in good time as soon as I can do an AG brew with my eyes closed. I'll have a look at your site over the coming days

 

[adomant]

Ams reduced the hardness of you water, you need to check you water board website to check the hardness (usually calculated as ppm of ca2co3). The amount you add is in the hlt for the total amount of water you will use. For example my water is essex and Suffolk and is 185 so I would use 33ml for 45litres of water. My colleague in Colchester has 290and uses 35ml per 25litres of water. There are calculators available, check out the Murphy and sons website.

As for for alkleer, this added post fermentation to clear the yeast down - do not add to the boiler. If you are bottling, don't use it, if you are casking, there is a formula, but for 20-25 litres, half of that bottle would be a good guess.

Best of luck

 

[Dr Mike]

Ams reduced the hardness of you water, you need to check you water board website to check the hardness (usually calculated as ppm of ca2co3). The amount you add is in the hlt for the total amount of water you will use. For example my water is essex and Suffolk and is 185 so I would use 33ml for 45litres of water. My colleague in Colchester has 290and uses 35ml per 25litres of water. There are calculators available, check out the Murphy and sons website.

That's not quite right. AMS reduces Alkalinity which is not the same as hardness (rather confusingly both can be recorded in CaCO3 equivalent but it's not the same thing). Hardness is a measure of the amount of Calcium and Magnesium in the water whereas alkalinity is a measure of the amount of CO3 and HCO3 (carbonate & bicarbonate). Water can be hard without being alkaline (that is what adding Gypsum acheives). Water board websites usually state hardness but may not give alkalinity. To find your alkalinity you really need a test kit such as the Salifert one (which is only a few quid for 100 tests)

 

[fizz head1982]

I use rain water, filtered and boiled - in the boil... Its free and requires no treatment. I collect it off of a slate shedded roof.

Only downside is you have to wait for it to rain... but it tastes great!

 

[rpt]

For your first brew don't bother with water treatment or finings. Once you've got the AG process sorted and know what sort of beer you are making, then worry about the water. You will need to know what is in your water first - get a report from the water company and test the alkalinity with a Salifert kit.

The instructions for AMS are here.

 

[brewtim]

Some good info on this thread, maybe just 1/2 a campden tablet in 25l of liquor, just to knock out chlorines and chloramines, whilst you are waiting to get your water reports.

 

[rpt]

Yes, I forgot to say that I have always used a Campden tablet to remove chlorine and chloramine.