new town water supply

[abweatherley]

Hi all

So just moved to junction city, and apart from the fact that A) the water comes from multiple sources and B) I can't determine if the water is treated with Chloramine or Chlorine.

Does this water look good for brewing with.

We also have lindyspring bottled water, but I can't get a mineral content on that water from Lindyspring.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Since the report mentions "Chlorine/Chloramines" I would assume they use both and treat the water as such.

It is nice that they provide the info needed for brewing. The level of several ions is a little high, but not too bad. I think you could make plenty of styles with this water (with some salt additions as needed) or you could dilute with Distille/RO to lower the levels as needed.

It looks like that report is just one reading. If they provide other dates, it would be good to check how much readings vary.

Water pH is not that important, but I am not sure if your pH of 8.7 points at anything to worry about.

 

[cire]

Well, I can see only one set of values that determine brewing liquor, so if it is multi-sourced. those can't be of any value.

However that's all you have and those suggest it is good enough to use as is with added calcium salts until you get yourself familiar with water treatment and decide for yourself how it is best treated for what you will brew.

Calcium 25 ppm
Magnesium 17 ppm
Sodium 41 ppm
Sulfate 82 ppm
Chloride 59 ppm
Alkalinity as CaCO3 55 ppm.

Now that profile is balanced, which gives some credence.

Good luck.

 

[abweatherley]

Got the report from lindyspring, so this seems like a blank template like distilled water. So what do I need to add to make this good brewing liquor. I do extract brewing, ales, IPAS, and stouts

 

[VikeMan]

Got the report from lindyspring, so this seems like a blank template like distilled water. So what do I need to add to make this good brewing liquor. I do extract brewing, ales, IPAS, and stouts

From a mash pH perspective, you'll need to tailor salt/acid additions depending on the grain bill. Software helps with that. From a flavor perspective, style matters, but so does personal preference. Maybe give this Intro to Brewing Water Treatment a read to get your feet wet:

http://sonsofalchemy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Intro-to-Brewing-Water-Treatment.pdf
Also, slide 9 gives one approach to building from distilled (or near distilled) water.

ETA: I just re-read your post and now realize you are extract brewing. Please disregard from a pH perspective. But the flavor related content would still apply.

 

[Bobby_M]

Nothing beats RO. You know exactly what's in it every single time.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Does this water look good for brewing with.

With DME/LME, they take just the water out and leave all the minerals behind. So putting back just the water is a good approach.

HowToBrew 4e, chapter 1 suggests that "low mineral" water also works. Chapter 8, p 131, offers a definition of "low mineral" water. FWIW, when I brew with DME, distilled/RO, and some brewing salt flavor additions, I don't exceed those PPM values.

With that water report, I would be cautious about adding additional minerals.

eta: A while back, there were a couple of topics where the idea of adding brewing salts in the glass to adjust recipes was briefly discussed. The technique is relatively simple, although the best approach was probably posted in a different forum. If you can't find an approach, let me know and I'll check my notes.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

eta: A while back, there were a couple of topics where the idea of adding brewing salts in the glass to adjust recipes was briefly discussed. The technique is relatively simple, although the best approach was probably posted in a different forum. If you can't find an approach, let me know and I'll check my notes.

This video on the topic seems pretty good:

I have done something similar. I found that adding a small amount of Table Salt (Sodium Chloride) or Epsom Salt (Magnesium Sulfate) was easily detectable. I struggled to tell the difference when adding Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) or Calcium Chloride. I have been meaning to double check my amounts with what Matt used. I also think he may have used a beer made with RO or Distilled water, where I brew my beers with tap water and almost always adjust these days.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

This video on the topic seems pretty good:

I listened to the first five minutes (dropped out at the start of the "blind sampling"). Good video, but not quite the same approach as I mentioned.

For flavor salt additions, I work with either CaCl & CaSO4 (Briess) or NaCl, CaCl, & CaSO4 (Muntons). Check the Bru'n Water spreadsheet for a reason for not adding NaCl in some brands of DME/LME. When I was experimenting with these salts, it was typically in 0.25g / gallon increments of either CaCl or CaS04. I adjusted some recipes based on these values and the results were good - so I've 'paused' doing much additional at this time.