Water treatment for kits

[phildo79]

Possibly a daft question but should you treat tap water when making a basic kit beer? Obviously use a Camden tablet to remove disinfectants but is there any need/benefit/problems with adding gypsum, magnesium sulphate etc.?

I haven't made a kit in a very long time and never treated the water when I did. Perhaps this was a reason why I never really thought kits were that great. Any advice from experienced kit brewers appreciated.

Cheers

 

[Chippy_Tea]

This may be of some use -


So let's get started:

The treatment of water for brewing can be broken down into 3 simple parts:

1. Removal of chlorine and chloramine
2. Adjustment of alkalinity
3. Addition of calcium salts and flavour ions

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...ore-advanced-water-treatment-in-post-1.64822/

 

[phildo79]

This may be of some use -


So let's get started:

The treatment of water for brewing can be broken down into 3 simple parts:

1. Removal of chlorine and chloramine
2. Adjustment of alkalinity
3. Addition of calcium salts and flavour ions

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...ore-advanced-water-treatment-in-post-1.64822/

Is that not just for AG brewing?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Is that not just for AG brewing?

Wouldn't adjusting the water as you would for AG also help kit brewers.

 

[RichardM]

Wouldn't adjusting the water as you would for AG also help kit brewers.

No, the mash has been done by the manufacturer of the kit.
Treat the water with a Campden tablet but nothing else is needed.

 

[clib]

Chris Colby writing for Brew Your Own says...

"Malt extract is condensed wort and it contains everything that wort contains, including dissolved minerals. Any minerals in your dilution water are added to the (unknown) amount of minerals in the extract. Unless you have a good reason not to, always use soft water (or even distilled water) for extract brewing. A little bit of calcium in the boil — under 1/2 tsp of gypsum or calcium chloride — might be a good thing in some circumstances. However, if you’re trying to add salts to your brewing water to make “Burton water,” you are ending up with “Burton plus” water due to the minerals already found in your malt extract."

 

[Sadfield]

I don't see any reason why you couldn't add sulphate (gypsum), chloride or sodium (Calcium Chloride or Sodium Chloride) . Kits are designed to be palatable to the widest market. Adjustments for personal taste is a quite reasonable idea.

 

[RichardM]

I don't see any reason why you couldn't add sulphate (gypsum), chloride or sodium (Calcium Chloride or Sodium Chloride) . Kits are designed to be palatable to the widest market. Adjustments for personal taste is a quite reasonable idea.

You can do what you want, you are the head brewer,but given that the extract already contains minerals of unknown quantities how will you know how much of anything to add?

 

[Jim Brewster]

I've made kits with very hard Anglian water, they're drinkable but the minerality does come through.

 

[Sadfield]

You can do what you want, you are the head brewer,but given that the extract already contains minerals of unknown quantities how will you know how much of anything to add?

The same as adding seasoning to food, experimentation and tasting.

https://www.brunwater.com/articles/beer-adjustments-in-your-glass

 

[Fazzer]

I use tap water and only do kits. I use half a Campden tablet and between 3 and 10ml of CRS, depending on the brew, as my tap water is very hard.
I got the CRS figure from a water calculator somewhere.
If I'm totally honest, I don't see any difference using the crs against not using it though.

 

[phildo79]

Thanks guys. Some food for thought. My water pH is about 7.5 and the rest is; Ca 51, Mg 8, Cl 22, S04 68, Alkalinity 88 CaC03, Hardness 160, Bicarbonate 105.6 HC03

 

[samale]

What kits are you using

 

[phildo79]

Not exactly sure yet. But possibly a stout kit, if that's what you mean? Or do you mean the brand?

 

[samale]

Sorry what brand, I haven't brewed a kit beer in a long time. I see rod brewed one with fresh wort. He's impressed with them but they are expensive

 

[gyurmaember]

I never brewed kits, my method is for water treatment is campden for the tap water and cut it down with spotless to around tds:100ppm, which in my case 1 part tap to 2parts of spotless.
I have better results than the bottled water, and much easier than measuring salts.