Should my hard water affect my H20/grain ratio?

[WeissGuy]

Hi all-

I have pretty hard tap water, and I want to know if this will affect what my water/grain ratio should be. I haven't had time to get a full water report, as I just moved into my current town a week ago. Also, I want to brew on Monday, and the next nearest LHBS is about 1.5 hours away, and ordering any 5.2 stabilizer would be pointless as it won't get here in time anyways (never used the stuff and don't necessarily trust it that much as it is). I am making an Irish Dry Stout, and my usual water/grain ratio is 1.5 qt./lb. Thanks!

PS. Sorry if this reads as one giant rant.

 

[stevo4361]

In the same water situation, interested in answers you get.

 

[Yooper]

Yes, it does affect the pH but not all that much.

I have one recipe (just one!) that I purposely mash thinner so the pH is in target but that is just one recipe out of about 200 that I've done over the years where it has mattered.

It's a stout recipe, and using 1.75 quarts/pound instead of 1.33 quarts/pound keeps my pH in range. Using the thicker mash means my pH is a little bit too low for my tastes.

Again, this is a very small difference and probably not applicable to most situations.

It's good to NOT use the 5.2 stabilizer (read up on expert's opinions in our brewing science forum) but I would recommend a full water report ASAP. It costs $16.50 from Ward Lab, and it's well worth it!

 

[WeissGuy]

Yes, it does affect the pH but not all that much.

I have one recipe (just one!) that I purposely mash thinner so the pH is in target but that is just one recipe out of about 200 that I've done over the years where it has mattered.

It's a stout recipe, and using 1.75 quarts/pound instead of 1.33 quarts/pound keeps my pH in range. Using the thicker mash means my pH is a little bit too low for my tastes.

Again, this is a very small difference and probably not applicable to most situations.

It's good to NOT use the 5.2 stabilizer (read up on expert's opinions in our brewing science forum) but I would recommend a full water report ASAP. It costs $16.50 from Ward Lab, and it's well worth it!

Thanks Yooper! Been a long-time lurker on this site and your wisdom has helped me indirectly many times, pleasure to finally have you answer one of MY questions haha. I'll go with a thinner mash for this one, somewhere in the 1.5-1.7 qt./lb. range.

 

[mabrungard]

As Yooper mentions, hardness has only a minor effect. However, hard water is often alkaline too. Alkalinity has a huge effect on mash pH and the mash pH can be adjusted to a minor degree via the mash thickness. Think of it this way: The malt bill has a certain quantity of acidity, you can vary the quantity of alkalinity in the mash by increasing or decreasing the volume of mashing water. In some cases, a brewer might be able to produce an acceptable mash pH by adjusting the mash thickness. Of course, this should be kept within bounds, say 1 to 2 qts/lb. But if your equipment and methods will allow it, exceeding those bounds is possible.

 

[GenIke]

Yes, it does affect the pH but not all that much.

I have one recipe (just one!) that I purposely mash thinner so the pH is in target but that is just one recipe out of about 200 that I've done over the years where it has mattered.

It's a stout recipe, and using 1.75 quarts/pound instead of 1.33 quarts/pound keeps my pH in range. Using the thicker mash means my pH is a little bit too low for my tastes.

Again, this is a very small difference and probably not applicable to most situations.

It's good to NOT use the 5.2 stabilizer (read up on expert's opinions in our brewing science forum) but I would recommend a full water report ASAP. It costs $16.50 from Ward Lab, and it's well worth it!

Can you expand a little on the water test? I checked out ward labs site and I'm not seeing one for $16.50. They have a brewers water test for $27.

 

[chickypad]

Can you expand a little on the water test? I checked out ward labs site and I'm not seeing one for $16.50. They have a brewers water test for $27.

Looks like they changed the pricing. Until very recently there was a test for 16.50 that had everything you needed, looks like the household mineral test but that's now listed at $21.00.

 

[WeissGuy]

Could I also adjust my pH a little by doing 50/50 between packaged gallons of water and tap water?

 

[Yooper]

Could I also adjust my pH a little by doing 50/50 between packaged gallons of water and tap water?

Yes! But in order to do that, you have to know where you're starting of course and the makeup of purchased water.

I bought reverse osmosis water from the big "water machine" at the grocery store store to dilute my tap water for a long time.

In order to do that, you have to know the makeup of your tap water as well as your purchased water, though!

I didn't realize Ward Lab just raised their prices. The W6 test is now $21.00. Still worth it, but more than when I did it (at $16.00)!

 

[GASoline71]

I moved into a new place last summer, and had been using bottled water since I moved because of the "hardness" of my tap water at the new place. Well... one weekend the wife and I were set to brew, and we forgot to get bottled water. So we said screw it and used our tap water. I mash at 1.25, and I noticed only a marginal ph difference. The mash was good, the sparge was good, and the hop utilization was good. The beer turned out phenominal as well.

So since last November I've been using my "hard" tap water, and not adjusting anything. Beers have been turing out great.

Gary