National Homebrew Club Ireland

General Discussions => Brewing Communities => Belfast Homebrewers => Topic started by: Roo on February 05, 2020, 10:09:39 PM

Title: Who knows water?
Post by: Roo on February 05, 2020, 10:09:39 PM
Looking into water and how to correct it.....I'll be honest I get drained with the sciencey part of brewing. Here's my Ballymena water profile and what I'd like to get it to (based on pale ale profile). I normal use about 35l water throughout  mash and sparge. Can someone help with what to add and the amounts required?

Ca+2: 47 - need to adjust to 140
Mg+2: 47 - need to adjust to 18
Na+: 20 - need to adjust to 25
Cl-: 25 -  need to adjust to 55
SO4-2: 62 - need to adjust to 300
HCO3-: 153 - need to adjust to 110

Thanks
Title: Re: Who knows water?
Post by: Water_Wolf on February 06, 2020, 10:16:19 AM
Life is easier when the computers do all the thinking for us!

See: https://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/?id=ML8RXX7

I don't have all the information about your beer, but to get the water profile roughly in the area you want, you would add the following to the whole 35 litres:
15g of gypsum
1g of table salt
1g of calcium chloride
4ml of lactic acid

I don't know of any way of lowering the magnesium levels other than using some RO water.
Title: Re: Who knows water?
Post by: Roo on February 06, 2020, 10:33:09 AM
Wow! Thank you
Title: Re: Who knows water?
Post by: nigel_c on February 06, 2020, 10:53:34 AM
Another option is to get a RO filter and start from zero with your water.
Title: Re: Who knows water?
Post by: Tom on February 06, 2020, 06:46:14 PM
I wouldn't worry about your magnesium, to be honest. It's pretty harmless. It's below the 50ppm threshold and will fluctuate anyway.

Your alkalinity: 110 is a little high for my liking. For pale bitters (just pale malt & adj.) I aim for 40ppm, up to 80 for ones with crystal etc in it.