Water Profile

[Bcarlton74]

So just received my Ward Lab brewing water profile. Still trying to wrap my head around the science behind water. I'm on a well and have been brewing good beer for 5 years now. Just installed a 3 stage whole house filter mainly to help with iron and Manganese as well as flavor. Just curious what the thoughts are on my profile. I've entered the info into the Brewer's Friend calculator and it seems ok to brew hoppy ipa's which is what I typically brew. Any info is greatly appreciated.

 

[hottpeper13]

That looks pretty good. I would boost the Ca to 100 -150 and add some form of acid to bring down the pH of the mash. With a small amount of CaCl and dark grains that profile would make a killer mild or brown ale,maybe without any acid addition.

 

[Pianoman]

Agree with @hottpeper13. Maybe add 2ml of Lactic acid to strike water. To be sure, download free "Brew'n Water" sheet. Takes a bit of time to get used to but worth it.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Note that you have to multiply the Sulfate value on a Wards report by 3 to get the "real" Sulfate value (as they report the value "as Sulfur"). So 41 x 3 = 123 ppm.

Your Sulfate (123) and your Sodium (73) are a little elevated. Your Calcium (27) and Chloride (4) are on the low side. I am sure you can make a lot of great beers with this water, but it might be hard to play around your base water values to get into "ideal" profiles for some styles.

For a West Coast IPA, you might want a little Gypsum and Calcium Chloride to boost your Calcium, Sulfate and Chloride values (with Sulfate in the 150-250 range and Chloride 1/3 to 1/4 that value). For more of an NEIPA your best best might be enough Calcium Chloride to get Chloride up to around 150-200.

 

[hotbeer]

Did you install the filter before or after the water analysis? Though depending on what kind of filter, there may not be much change.

 

[Bcarlton74]

Filter was installed prior to getting the report. It's this filter...
Your friend has shared a link to a Home Depot product they think you would be interested in seeing:

ISPRING 3-Stage Whole House Iron and Manganese Reducing Water Filtration System
https://www.homedepot.com/p/ISPRING...ing-Water-Filtration-System-WGB32BM/206880059SKU# 206880059

 

[dmtaylor]

You've got high alkalinity, and sodium is kind of high. Drop a little acid on yellow colored batches (darker malts are somewhat acidic), and don't add any sodium, and you should be alright for most styles.