Water profile - any advice?

[grrickar]

Ok, besides going with a complete RO system and building my brewing water, or moving to a town with better profile, what should I do?

Calcium & Magnesium is total hardness = 45 mg/L
Bicarbonate = N/A
Sodium = 281
Sulfate = 400 mg/L
Chloride = 32 mg/L
PH = 8.0

Is this even enough info, or should I ask more questions or send for a report from Ward's?

 

[mcbar]

I asked this question recently and got some good advice. One suggestion was to mix your tap water with distilled or RO water from the store. The other is to add 1-3 percent acidulated malt to your grain bill depending on what you're brewing.

Here's a really helpful thread:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=198460

Here's a brewing water calculator:
http://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/

 

[Jwood]

you have 400 ppm starting sulfate in your water? Really?

And 281 ppm sodium??

Can you post where you are pulling this info from?

Edit: If these numbers are correct, you need to cut your water with RO water or build up from 100% RO water. Those number are unacceptable.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Yeah, I wouldn't use that. That high sulfate plus that high sodium is a recipe for not pleasant. Even for extract beers, I'd be either RO filtering it myself or just buying water.

 

[grrickar]

you have 400 ppm starting sulfate in your water? Really?

And 281 ppm sodium??

Can you post where you are pulling this info from?

Edit: If these numbers are correct, you need to cut your water with RO water or build up from 100% RO water. Those number are unacceptable.

Email from the water dept was where that came from.

I filter the water and never drink it straight. I do make tea and stuff with it. I have been using those 5 gallon green jugs of water from Menards at 100%, which is probably RO or close to it. I have never tested it to see.

I have done two batches with tap water, one without Campden and one with. The first batch was meh. Second batch is pending...

I may get a Ward's report, just to see exactly what I am getting. I can send a Menard's bottled water sample too and see how close to RO it is.