Water Treatment Questions - Bicarbonate vs Alkalinity

[peebee]

... They did have flaked sea salt but there were no details about iodine content.

That's something that puzzles me. We are bombarded with warnings not to use iodized salt, but the amount of iodine it would add is nearly off-the-scale miniscule. Yet people suggest using Iodophor or the like as no-rinse sterilisers.

I know the iodine in Iodophor, etc., is complexed into some organic compound or other. But the iodine is still being used as a killer.

Doesn't add up?

 

[phildo79]

Hmm, still probably better to stick with the recommended. For the sake of a potentially spoiled batch, it just doesn't seem worth it.

 

[marshbrewer]

I doubt anyone at Westlab will say its okay to ingest

My pack of Westlab Epsom salts actually says it's food grade in the small print, funnily enough. It also says it's medical grade, although I don't know what that implies. However, food grade is food grade, so I'm happy using it.

 

[bobukbrewer]

first find the desired alkalinity for the style of beer you plan to brew. Then look up tables that show how much AMS to use to reduce alkalinity to that level. How complicated is that. And quoting alkalinity as 135 .97 is just silly.

 

[Neale]

RE Westlab Epsom Salts

On the topic of messing around with water, I bought this earlier today. It says it's 100% natural so I assume it's ok to use?

I've been using this for while and I'm not dead yet, like others have said it claims to be food grade. My wife and daughter use it in the bath, (the lavender free version thankfully), so I just nicked some out of a new pack one time, put it in a sealed jar and add when needed.

 

[Begbie]

Afternoon all. Resurrecting this thread rather than starting a new one...

For my next brew day, I'll be delving into the rabbit hole of water treatment. After doing a lot of research (and not wanting to pay delivery costs for one packet of Epsom Salt), I decided that I'd buy Westlab Reviving Bath Salt, as it says it's 100% natural and the ingredients listed are simply Magnesium Sulfate. However, the fact that there was no statement about it being food grade, I thought I'd approach Westlab and got this reply today:

"We do not recommend you adding our Epsom bath salts or any other Bath salts we sell as they are not suitable to be consumed."

So, are they just covering themselves, by saying they do not recommend, and has anyone else used this same brand...

 

[Northern_Brewer]

The usual problem with bath salts is that they have perfume, I guess you'll just have to sniff....

 

[Cheshire Cat]

If the manufacturer says do not consume then don’t.

 

[Begbie]

Thanks @Northern_Brewer and @Cheshire Cat

As much as I'd like to think that Westlab are just covering their backsides, and all will be OK, I think I'll just need to buy from a HBS to be safe. I'll use that as an excuse to buy ingredients for another brew, therefore justifying the postage cost (even though I'd be spending more money! ).

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I’m sure my gran used to take Epsom salts for indigestion. Try Amazon.

 

[phildo79]

Thanks @Northern_Brewer and @Cheshire Cat

As much as I'd like to think that Westlab are just covering their backsides, and all will be OK, I think I'll just need to buy from a HBS to be safe. I'll use that as an excuse to buy ingredients for another brew, therefore justifying the postage cost (even though I'd be spending more money! ).

Hmmm, I have the same stuff and have been using it for the past few months (at least), when needed. I have been having issues with hoppy beers of late, i.e. they not being very good. I am now wondering if this stuff is to blame. However, I recently made a Pliny the Elder clone and added 2.5g of epsom to the mash. That beer turned out well so don't think I can blame the epsom.

But I don't think I will use it again in my brews, just to be on the safe side. And for £1.50 for 100g, it hardly seems worth the risk.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Ps yes they do just type Epsom salts food grade.

 

[Neale]

I have been using it for a couple of years.

The back of the pack, at the top states that it is 'Pharmaceutical Grade Magnesium Sulphate'. And the website states '100% natural, pharmaceutical grade and responsibly sourced'.

I took that as meaning that it would be ok to use, and I'm not dead yet. But I'm definitely not saying anyone else should use it off my suggestion, it might just be slowly killing me.

 

[Begbie]

I've replied to Westlab, asking what the difference is between their 100% natural Magnesium Sulfate and my home brew store's version. I'm interested to know what makes it not suitable for consumption.

 

[marshbrewer]

The Westlab Epson salts I have actually say food grade in the blurb on the pack. I'm intrigued how something that is food grade isn't safe to be consumed.

 

[Begbie]

The Westlab Epson salts I have actually say food grade in the blurb on the pack. I'm intrigued how something that is food grade isn't safe to be consumed.

It's maybe an older pack that you have because there is nothing on mines that says food grade and I only bought it yesterday.

 

[marshbrewer]

Aye, I've had it a while; takes ages to get through a kg of the stuff.

I've just googled food grade Epsom salts and you can get stuff that is advertised for use as a supplement for about £6 for 500g so I might give my stuff to the wife for the bath, and get some of that just to be sure.

 

[An Ankoù]

I went looking for kosher salt yesterday (or rock salt) as a source of sodium chloride. No joy at the supermarket. They did have flaked sea salt but there were no details about iodine content.

Kosher salt sounds like a racket to me. Why should any food grade salt not be kosher? I should just use ordinary table salt.

 

[foxy]

I would be looking at how much Mg is in the water before adding more, plus you have 97mg of Mg per 100g of malted barley.

 

[Agentgonzo]

Kosher salt sounds like a racket to me. Why should any food grade salt not be kosher? I should just use ordinary table salt.

Kosher salt is a weird American name. It basically means "uniodised". All our salt in the UK is uniodised (ie, iodine is not added to the salt) and thus "kosher salt". Just use normal table salt.

I don't have any idea whether kosher salt actually relates to the kosher method of food prep