water treatment required?

[luke976]

Morning guys. Yet another question!

As mentioned in previous posts I am about to undertake my first AG brew.

I know I won't get it just as I want it on my first brew, but, I'm not sure what to add to my water (if anything) to get the mash liquor to ideal standards. I've been reading David Line's homebrew book and the AG guide on here. Both of which are superb.

The water here is very soft indeed, we get little, if any scale in kettles etc. My first AG brew will be a basic mild recipe. I don't have any detailed information on our water supply. I just wondered if a campden tablet will suffice for water treatment or if I should add gypsum and epsom salts as Line's book suggests? :hmm:

Any thoughts? Thanks again guys.

Luke

 

[Aleman]

If it is very soft water then a spoonful of gypsum in the mash and another in the boiler is all you need to do in addition to campden tablet for chlorine removal.

TBH until you have a sound brewing practice and are producing good beers then you ain't going to notice that much difference.

 

[luke976]

Thanks Aleman,

The sooner I get AG brewing the better I think

 

[phettebs]

I concur with AM. There are plenty of other things to worry about when starting AG than water treatment. Get your procedures down first and worry about water treatment once those are solid.

 

[paulpj26]

I have soft water where I live and all I do (for most styles of beer) is add gypsum like AM said. Getting a good recipe along with good ingredients and the right brewing procedure is more important than water treatment, especially for your first AG.

Have fun! :thumb:

 

[Lammatron2000]

I too live in a VERY soft water area and currently brew with no water treatment other than a camden tablet to remove the Chlorides.

I've brewed a variety of different beers from stouts to pale ale.

I've been wondering recently about water treatments to enhance my paler beers and would welcome advice on this thread from anyone who lives with similar (south Wales) soft water.

One thing to note is that cetain types of beer like different types of water. Darker beers and Stouts prefer softer water whereas best bitters and pale ales like harder water. Although I've tried them all to a good standard, but I'd love to know more to see what difference it really makes.

 

[Aleman]

Darker beers and Stouts prefer softer water whereas best bitters and pale ales like harder water.

NO!

ALL beers require a certain level of calcium (Hardness - min 100mg/l Calcium), Pale beers require a low level of alkalinity (bicarbonate - maximum 30mg/l) and darker beers will tolerate a higher level of alkalinity (bicarbonate - up to 100-150mg/l)

 

[Lammatron2000]

Darker beers and Stouts prefer softer water whereas best bitters and pale ales like harder water.

NO!

ALL beers require a certain level of calcium (Hardness - min 100mg/l Calcium), Pale beers require a low level of alkalinity (bicarbonate - maximum 30mg/l) and darker beers will tolerate a higher level of alkalinity (bicarbonate - up to 100-150mg/l)

and how does this translate into what we need to add to the water for what types of beers?

 

[Aleman]

Darker beers and Stouts prefer softer water whereas best bitters and pale ales like harder water.

NO!

ALL beers require a certain level of calcium (Hardness - min 100mg/l Calcium), Pale beers require a low level of alkalinity (bicarbonate - maximum 30mg/l) and darker beers will tolerate a higher level of alkalinity (bicarbonate - up to 100-150mg/l)

and how does this translate into what we need to add to the water for what types of beers?

1) Adjust the alkalinity to take into account the grist you are using (Dark Grist More alkalinity, up to 100-150mg/l, Pale Grist Less Alkalinity, ideally 30 but up to 50mg/l)
2) Supplement the calcium to at least 100mg/l if not 150mg/l
3) Use gypsum for hoppy beers and calcium chloride for malty beers (or the mix of the two depending on how I wanted to bias the flavour profile)

 

[Lammatron2000]

Thanks Aleman!

I also found this link http://www.beersmith.com/blog/2008/10/05/beer-ph-hard-water-treatment-for-brewing/ :thumb:

 

[Aleman]

That link is not completely accurate,

Plus it is a fallacy that you need to adjust your liquor to the profile of the water the brewers brew with / Beer being brewed.

You don't need to hit pH 5.2 it's actually a range of pH (from 5.1 to 5.7) and as long as the mash pH is in that range that's OK . . . . and the optimum is pH 5.3 not 5.2 . . . . just so happens that is what the pH 5.2 Buffer product achieves (cynical Moi?)

 

[alby]

I am in a soft water area and use gypsum to adjust mash and kettle.

Just a tip, if you have a local chinese supermarket they also stock it, I had trouble finding it without resorting to mail order madness for a single item.

90p for 500g,.... that should last a few years then !

 

[Bru4u]

Or if your really, really stuck, break up a bit of your drywall from one of the partition walls in your house, be sure to ask the grown up's permision. That has gypsum in it, don't it !
Sorry, just in one of those moods