I'm rubbish at understanding science and chemicals and whatnot. I know I have a soft water profile in Letterkenny. Stouts come out real nice but IPAs, no matter how much I load with hops, all end up with the same (orange peel) sent but none of the other hops are getting through. Here's my most recent water report. What chemicals here do I need to understand as they all have different names.. Would appreciate any help you folks can give me!
Detailed drinking water quality results for your Water
Supply Zone (WSZ)
Water Supply Zone (WSZ): Letterkenny
Date Range: 2018
Report Timestamp: Dec 4, 2018, 10:01 AM
Parameter Unit Tests
Undertaken
Exceedances Pending
Review
Not
Applicable
% of Tests within
Exceedance Limit
Bacteria and Protozoa - 84 0 0 0 100
Clostridium perfringens cfu/100ml 9 0 0 0 100
Colony count no./1ml 17 0 0 0 100
Cryptosporidium Count/No.
per 10 litre
9 0 0 0 100
E.coli MPN/100ml 23 0 0 0 100
Enterococci cfu/100ml 3 0 0 0 100
Total Coliforms MPN/100ml 23 0 0 0 100
Chemicals - 189 2 1 0 98.94
1,2-dichloroethane µg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Ammonium mg/l 19 0 0 0 100
Benzene µg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Benzo(a)pyrene µg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Bromate µg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Chloride mg/l 4 0 0 0 100
Cyanide µg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Fluoride mg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Individual Pesticides µg/l 96 0 0 0 100
Irish Water is a designated activity company, limited by shares. Registered Offce: Colvill House, 24-26 Talbot Street, Dublin 1. Registered in Ireland No.: 530363
Nitrate mg/l 18 0 0 0 100
Nitrite mg/l 18 0 0 0 100
Polycyclic Aromatic
Hydrocarbons
µg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Sulphate mg/l 4 0 0 0 100
Tetrachloroethene and
Trichloroethene
µg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Total Pesticides µg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Trihalomethanes (THMs) µg/l 3 2* 1 0 33.33
Metals - 97 0 0 0 100
Aluminium µg/l 23 0 0 0 100
Antimony µg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Arsenic µg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Boron mg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Cadmium µg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Chromium µg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Copper mg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Iron µg/l 23 0 0 0 100
Lead µg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Manganese µg/l 18 0 0 0 100
Mercury µg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Nickel µg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Selenium µg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Sodium mg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Other - 135 33 0 0 75.56
Irish Water is a designated activity company, limited by shares. Registered Offce: Colvill House, 24-26 Talbot Street, Dublin 1. Registered in Ireland No.: 530363
Colour Hazen 23 0 0 0 100
Conductivity µS/cm 23 0 0 0 100
Free Residual Chlorine mg/l 20 17* 0 0 15.00
Total Organic Carbon
(TOC)
mg/l 3 0 0 0 100
Total Residual Chlorine mg/l 20 16* 0 0 20.00
Turbidity NTU's 23 0 0 0 100
pH pH units 23 0 0 0 100
(the above are taken from the IRish Water website, the three 0s arn't relevant i think only the first number after each chemical)
Stick up a link to the site, there, Ronan.
What yeast do you use?
put that away as there is just confusion and overload there and it is no help to you.
start with a salifert testing kit to get the numbers in your water identified
Just looked at IW (the stuff you posted was just the NUMBER of tests conducted, not the results).
Your Chloride levels is 32ppm (or mg/l), sulphate is a whopping 3ppm, and your pH is 7.2
For the purpose of doctoring your water, assume a blank canvas.
Get a Salifert KH / Alkalinity test kit from ebay. You do have soft water, but you may have some temporary hardness, which this tests. How furry is your kettle?
Previous question remains, what yeast do you use?
Also, temperature, time and oxygen all affect hop aroma, so long primaries in warm rooms are a no-no.
Some yeasts inhibit, others boost hop presence. The salt additions really only affect the perception of bitterness or otherwise. I don't think they affect the aroma or flavour of hops, but someone else might.
Thanks folks,
Ok, I've found a test kit below (i have a prime account). will this do?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Salifert-KH-Alkalinity-Profi-Test-Kit/dp/B001EJ3DOG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1543938562&sr=8-2&keywords=salifert (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Salifert-KH-Alkalinity-Profi-Test-Kit/dp/B001EJ3DOG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1543938562&sr=8-2&keywords=salifert)
For hoppy pale ales i go with us-05 or wlp0001.
I have a brewfridge at 18C for most of them.
Also, kettle is always clean as a whistle never have any limescale issues.
That's the kit. I use mine at least once per brewday, sometimes twice. My alkalinity is at 370ppm, mind.
You might not need it, if your kettle is fine, but for a tenner, it's a cheap way of finding out for sure. I belive up to 100ppm doesn't fur up kettles, but I don't know. Must take my Salifert kit on the road.
You'll need CRS (Carbonate Reducing Solution) or some other acid along with your next malt order, if your alkalinity is above about 20ppm for an all pale malt beer.
Thanks Tom, will put in an order next week, going to brew a dubbel over christmas.
will keep you posted in my watery adventures
Ok so i've got the kit, merging that with water readings I have:
alkilinity - 28.64ppm
chloride -32ppm
suphate - 3ppm
PH 7.2
thats way further than i was two days ago, thanks folks!
so, getting my head around this, i have decent enough water, if I added more calcium, to brew lagers and pilsners? (i don't know what the calcium level is)