Thanks MBTB & AJ. I'm curious as well as to why no sulfate reported-this is directly from Cleveland Water Dept. I filter, so perhaps a sampling to Wards is in order.
They are not required to test it and may not for no more subtle a reason than that. Also, I estimated 22 mg/L based on the electrical imbalance of what you did report but it may in fact be much less than that.
I have to admit though, I'm fundamentally opposed to RO and would prefer not to go that route, if possible. I know for a fact the pro brewers here in town ( Great Lakes, Fat Heads, Market Garden-Andy Tveekrem's new-ish place) do not RO the water.
RO is one of the 4 technologies that has revolutionized brewing. People are able to brew in places where they could not brew before. It grants infinite flexibilty. It transformed by beers from good to excellent. I really think it's a godsend but that doesn't mean you have to.
I find the process extremely wasteful,
Home Depot systems have recoveries of less than 20% so if you take 10 gallons of water to brew 5 gallons of beer you waste 40 gallons of water. That's extremely wasteful? 40 gallons of beer down the drain is extremely wasteful but 40 gal of water? We are not in the center of the Australian ouback. Actually, I didn't look at your location. Maybe you are in Victoria Downs.
plus it removes the "terroir" if you will, from the brewer. (Merroir?)
I think
terroir is a stretch in brewing. Yes, it is, WRT, at least partially responsible for the styles as we know them but we don't brew only 1 style. We want to brew lots of beers. Remember that it is possible to make a Burton ale or a Bohemian pilsner that is appreciably better than the originals because you are not forced to use the water as presented to the original brewers of those beers.
Is there another avenue I could pursue to combat alkalinity?
Yes, there are several but if you use and of them you are, IMO, violating the
terroir concept as surely as if you use RO.
I'm suggesting a 1:1 dilution to combat alkalinity. That means half the water in the beer is your original water. Does this violate
terroir? How about a 10% dilution?
I'm not trying to sell RO nor discourage you from pursuing the
terroir mantra. It is really up to you to decide what you want to do. The reason I advocate RO for people starting out is that it can simplify their lives a lot and get them to better beer faster.
