Water, water, water

[bschaefer66]

Hello HBT!

Been reading all the great threads for a while, and decided it's time that I posted a question

I have quite a few brews under my belt and they always turned out great. However, after moving within the last couple of years my beers have never been the same.

I decided to dive into the world of water chemistry and even after reading many posts on here I have to admit i'm in over my head

Below is my report from Wardlabs.

pH 7.8
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm 248
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.41
Cations / Anions, me/L 3.8 / 3.7
ppm
Sodium, Na 66
Potassium, K 3
Calcium, Ca 13
Magnesium, Mg 3
Total Hardness, CaCO3 45
Nitrate, NO3-N 2.4 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 4
Chloride, Cl 68
Carbonate, CO3 < 1.0
Bicarbonate, HCO3 83
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 68
Total Phosphorus, P 0.10
Total Iron, Fe < 0.01
"<" - Not Detected / Below Detection Limit

I heard lots of good things about Martin B's Bru'n Water spreadsheet, so I made a donation to get the newest version.

I'm looking to make an oktoberfest and below is my first stab at trying to adjust my water.

Profiles (ppm) Exist Mash Finished
Ca 13 49 23
Mg 3 1 1
Na 66 26 26
SO4 4 67 28
Cl 68 56 39
HCO3 83 -17 NA
SO4/Cl Ratio 0.7

Batch Volume 10.0 Gallons
Total Mash 5.8 Gallons
Mash Dilution 3.5 Gallons
Total Sparge 8.5 Gallons
Sparge Dilution 5.1 Gallons
Estimated Mash pH 5.40 SU

Mineral Additions (gm) Mash Sparge
Gypsum 2.6 0.0
Calcium Chloride 1.0 0.0
Epsom Salt 0.0 0.0
Mag Chloride 0.0 0.0
Canning Salt 0.0 0.0
Baking Soda 0.0 Not Recommended
Chalk 0.0 Not Recommended
Pickling Lime 0.0 Not Recommended

Mash Acid Additions
Lactic 88.0 % 1.6 (ml)
0.0 (ml)
Sparge Acid Addtions
Lactic 88.0 % 1.4 (ml)
#N/A (ml)

Just hoping to get some feedback - do those adjustments look right, or am I way off here?

thanks,

-Brian

 

[mabrungard]

Looks reasonable to me. I see that you're diluting the tap water, but the tap water isn't really that bad. The sodium is slightly higher than some may prefer, but it is not likely to create off flavor. That sodium level is fine for darker styles and acceptable in pale styles. Acidifying the mashing and sparging water is the most important aspect to using that tap water.

 

[bschaefer66]

That's great to hear, I was worried about my chloride and sodium levels. Your spreadsheet had me in the red on those so I thought it was necessary.

I've always been in the camp of keeping things simple and minimize what I can. That being said, what if I omit the dilution and bump up my calcium in the mash only (oxalate reasons), then as you said add acidify the mash and sparge water