Water treatment (again)

[LLBrewer]

I've seen this asked in a few places but I haven't seen a good answer. I use local tap water for my beers, I've never treated it in any way. But I have noticed that my darker beers are much better than the paler brews. I simply have no inclination to bother my local water department for a detailed report and the details on-line are not helpful for brewing purposes. So... Are there any SIMPLE general guidelines/recipes that one can use to brew different styles when starting from a known point such as DI or RO water? C'mon water geeks, since I'm brewing all styles from a municipal source there must be a good bit of leeway! TBH, I surprised there aren't recipes that start with RO water and a list of salts/water additions along with the grain and hop bill. Now THAT would be useful.

 

[KeninMN]

Check out the Water Chemistry Primer in the Brewing Science forum. It's a sticky thread, so it's always near the top...

 

[LLBrewer]

Check out the Water Chemistry Primer in the Brewing Science forum. It's a sticky thread, so it's always near the top...

Thank you! This is exactly what I was hoping to find! I guess I didn't look hard enough after all...

Baseline: Add 1 tsp of calcium chloride dihydrate (what your LHBS sells) to each 5 gallons of water treated. Add 2% sauermalz to the grist.

Deviate from the baseline as follows:

For soft water beers (i.e Pils, Helles). Use half the baseline amount of calcium chloride and increase the sauermalz to 3%

For beers that use roast malt (Stout, porter): Skip the sauermalz.

For British beers: Add 1 tsp gypsum as well as 1 tsp calcium chloride

For very minerally beers (Export, Burton ale): Double the calcium chloride and the gypsum.

These recommendations should get you a good beer if not the best beer. To get the best you should vary the amounts of the added salts noting carefully whether a change benefits or detriments your enjoyment of the beer. Additional sulfate will sharpen the perceived hops bitterness. Additional chloride will round, smooth and sweeten the beer. Add or decrease these in small amounts.

 

[Testudoed]

This maybe about as simple as it gets, link to the water primer post

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=198460

 

[brewfarmDan]

"I simply have no inclination to bother my local water department for a detailed report"...... FYI when I was on City Water I called the number on the monthly bill and they faxed a copy of detailed water analysis for free in a few minutes

 

[bigdongsr94]

Your mash thickness and lovibond of the grains you are using is key. Using Brewnwater, just select 100% RO and then add minerals to match the profile selected. With a 1.5qt thickness an IPA with a pound or so of 40 you can get close with a tsp of CaCl and 1-2 of CaSO. I go full volume so i add lactic to get there.

 

[rdkopp0153]

Most water supply sources will at least list an average water chemistry report. This doesn't include the chemistry changes as it goes through all the piping to your faucet, but it's a good start.
The "WATER book: A comprehensive guide for brewers" is also an excellent resource. Well worth the $10.
By the sounds of it, you may have very alkaline water. In your darker beers, the dark malts will help bring your pH down naturally. In a lighter beer, you will need some assistance from salts and lactic acid to bring your pH down to the right mash pH range. So with your light beers, your mash pH is probably too high without any additions, while your dark beers may be hitting close to the right mash pH.
What part of the country do you live in?
I'm thinking somewhere in a "red" coded region of this map?
http://water.usgs.gov/owq/map1.jpeg

 

[GreenSpyder]

Water results from local water boards don't take into account localized issues, like when the fire department flush hydrants (increases rust, sludge, etc) or the seasonal source (summer reservoir vs winter ground water).

Water testers are available online (well water testers) and will be more accurate than a month old water report.

 

[LLBrewer]

Water results from local water boards don't take into account localized issues, like when the fire department flush hydrants (increases rust, sludge, etc) or the seasonal source (summer reservoir vs winter ground water).

Water testers are available online (well water testers) and will be more accurate than a month old water report.

I'm thinking I'll just buy RO water when I brew light beers and add the appropriate salts.