My water profile - stick with it or go with RO?

[Spin711]

Beginner with water understanding here. Ward labs analysis report:

My beer has been tasting different after switching from bottled spring water (hasn’t been for the better). Does anything stand out? I have been using BS to calculate water salt additions and am trying to teach myself Bru’n Water as well. Seems like it is soft water. Would I benefit from installing an RO system and building my profile from there? Or keeping local water and using that to build my profiles? As I understand it, it’s easiest to start with RO water, and many experienced brewers recommend it. Any help is appreciated!

 

[day_trippr]

The sodium is the only thing that would make me hesitate at all about brewing pretty much anything with that water. [edit] For many (most?) styles it'd be a good start...

Cheers!

 

[mabrungard]

Sure, that's a great starting point for brewing water. No problems that can't be surmounted with acids and/or mineral additions.

 

[Big Monk]

The sodium is the only thing that would make me hesitate at all about brewing pretty much anything with that water. [edit] For many (most?) styles it'd be a good start...

Cheers!

19 ppm isn’t that high.

That’s great water for ANY style. A very nice base to build on.

 

[day_trippr]

19 ppm isn’t that high.[...]

[shrug] It's nearly an order of magnitude higher than what I use with pilsner and kolsch brews.
I allowed for what I believe: for the majority of styles it's a good start. Others one has to make allowances/compromises...

Cheers!

[edit] Bottom line, it's a marginal case for an RO system at most. I'd brew with that water.
My well, otoh, runs around 300 tds and 160 alkalinity, so that was a no brainer

 

[Bostrows128]

I don't want to have to make a new thread and I was just going to post about the same subject. Here is my report for my area NOTE This is not for my house but for my area this is just a start to get going.

https://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLib...iles/WaterQualityBasicsforMilwaukeeMakers.pdf

 

[Bostrows128]

I don't want to have to make a new thread and I was just going to post about the same subject. Here is my report for my area NOTE This is not for my house but for my area this is just a start to get going.

https://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLib...iles/WaterQualityBasicsforMilwaukeeMakers.pdf

 

[day_trippr]

Glaring issue with that water is the chloramine. That definitely needs countermeasures, but that can be as easy/simple as a Campden tablet in the brewing liquor on brew day morning. The alkalinity can be managed easily enough...

Cheers!

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I don't want to have to make a new thread and I was just going to post about the same subject. Here is my report for my area NOTE This is not for my house but for my area this is just a start to get going.

https://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLib...iles/WaterQualityBasicsforMilwaukeeMakers.pdf

that's pretty typical water, about the same as mine and good for brewing I might add, once you add acid to lower the ph the hardness will disappear and bump up the calcium it will be very good

 

[Spin711]

Thanks for all the replies! I will scrap the RO idea and concentrate on understanding the brew science associated with water.

A few other questions I had:

I think I should add in a water filter prior to filling my kettle. I brew in the basement where the old laundry machine hookups were and collect water straight out of there, sometimes noticing specks in my kettle when I run full throttle (guessing that’s sediment). Would that help with TDS removal as well?

Municipal report (shown below) notes 0.9 ppm chlorine, no mention of chloramine. I typically use half a crushed campden tablet for 5-10 gallon batches. Is that sufficient for the levels present?

I noticed that ward labs doesn’t test for chlorine. Should that be something I ask them to test to verify the municipal report?

I would like to test multiple times with ward labs to better understand the seasonal differences. Would now be a good time to test for winter brewing? Is my water so soft that it isn’t really necessary? It doesn’t vary much from the municipal report.

Thanks all!

 

[Vale71]

My advice is to get an activated carbon block filter with a rejection level of at least 5 micron. That way you remove the chlorine/chloramine and any sediment you might get from your water.

 

[charliethebum]

Another option is an inline RV carbon filter. It will remove sediment and chlorine/ chloramine. I payed like $15 for a 2 pack on Amazon

 

[Rev2010]

The sodium is the only thing that would make me hesitate at all about brewing pretty much anything with that water.

Coming to this a little late, but when I lived in Bayonne NJ my Ward Labs report had my sodium at 54ppm and I brewed excellent beers with it.


Rev.

 

[Rev2010]

Another option is an inline RV carbon filter.

Another cheap easy option is to buy Campden tablets. One tablets removes chlorine & chloramines in up to 20 gallons of water. So I typically only use a half tablet to treat my strike & sparge water. Simply cut to size and crush the tablet between two spoons and stir into your water. Doesn't affect the taste negatively in any way.


Rev.

 

[Spin711]

Another cheap easy option is to buy Campden tablets. One tablets removes chlorine & chloramines in up to 20 gallons of water. So I typically only use a half tablet to treat my strike & sparge water. Simply cut to size and crush the tablet between two spoons and stir into your water. Doesn't affect the taste negatively in any way.


Rev.

Thanks. I currently crush half a campden tablet to treat any chlorine, but I’m trying to eliminate sediment or any TDS from my tap by adding a filter. I contacted Buckeye hydro, and he said he would be able to build a two stage system for me. First being a sediment filter followed by a carbon block. Not sure if that’s overkill but sounds promising.

 

[couchsending]

[shrug] It's nearly an order of magnitude higher than what I use with pilsner and kolsch brews.
I allowed for what I believe: for the majority of styles it's a good start. Others one has to make allowances/compromises...

Cheers!

[edit] Bottom line, it's a marginal case for an RO system at most. I'd brew with that water.
My well, otoh, runs around 300 tds and 160 alkalinity, so that was a no brainer

Have you brewed a pilsner or a Kolsch with higher Na to see what it adds?

One of the best Pilsners I think made in the US has a Na content of around 90ppm. Malts will most likely add around 40ppm at that gravity.

 

[day_trippr]

No, I haven't diverged from my recipe for the sake of testing higher sodium content.
Why would I? I'm using RO water after all...

Cheers!

 

[couchsending]

No, I haven't diverged from my recipe for the sake of testing higher sodium content.
Why would I? I'm using RO water after all...

Cheers!

So do I.. might want to try sometime.