Water Treatment

[JohnSant]

I did some checking on here and HBT about water treatment not much just a quick glance, I know I need to read more to get a better understanding of what I'm doing how treatment affects the results. I am thinking of getting a RV filter to fill my kettle with and using a 1/2 Camden tablet to treat for chloramine. Did the overnight test and I could not detect anything before or after (nose is useless). Just wondering if anyone has any input on the above.

[RickBeer]

I know that you're not supposed to brew beer with water from a water treatment plant unless you're making a stout or porter.



What? He wants to know about treating clean tap water, not using water from a water treatment plant?

Oh.

[Inkleg]

I stir in my crushed Camden tablet as soon as the kettle is full (BIAB). From what I've read, it takes effect as soon as it hits the water. No need to overnight.

[Whamolagan]

I don't know about camden tabs, but I use a filter with carbon filter media. Then before I start heating I through in acsorbic acid. It removes chlorine/chloromines. no need for overnight also

[JohnSant]

Thanks I need to do more reading on this treatment of Brew Water (RickBeer good one).

[Whamolagan]

You can go to your water company and get a free water profile, I would start there. Do you have soft or hard water?

[MadBrewer]

Yup, starting with good water is one of the easiest things to do to making good beer. Start with a carbon filter to filter out chlorine, odors and other impurities. Campden tabs come into play for chloromine which carbon filters will not remove. One tab will treat 20 gals, they say the extra wont hurt anything but I usually split a tablet and then split that half between my mash and sparge water. Add it to the pot of water and crush it to dissolve and stir or vise versa. The reaction is immediate so there's no need to wait to use the treated water. The by products are a few ppm Sulfate and Chloride added to the water but the levels are neglible to effect the beer.

What are your next steps, going to adjust your water or check mash ph?

[JohnSant]

Got a PH meter so next will be adjustment of PH. Need to read more on styles and PH (I think I read somewhere that different styles require different PH) to know what I'm doing.

[JohnSant]

I have Rural water so went to the web sight and got a copy of the last results posted which was done in Dec. 2014. Can't say for sure if the water is hard or soft, but based on my water testing in the Navy I would say it's about middle not to hard and not to soft. Also IAW the tests no chloramine only chlorine and chlorite so maybe no campden tablets are needed, Haloacetic Acid (HAA5) is 60 ppb, Trihalomethanes (TTHm) is 80 ppb and Barium is 2 ppm. Have no idea what HAA5 or TTHm is so have to look them up.

[MadBrewer]

Got a PH meter so next will be adjustment of PH. Need to read more on styles and PH (I think I read somewhere that different styles require different PH) to know what I'm doing.

Not really the ph that is different for different styles but the water profile can impact different styles you brew. You may want more Sulfate and Hardness for a Hoppy beer and more Chloride and or Sodium for a maltier style. There is an ideal mash ph range and different mash ph can alter the beer slightly such as body and fermentability. Slightly higher mash ph can be good for a dark beer and help smooth out the roast character keeping it from being too acodic. Boil ph can impact the hop character and clarity in the wort. So there are things to keep in mind in that aspect.

[mashani]

I keep my brewing water in 1 gallon water jugs that once came with "free spring water".

Since my water comes in through 100 year old pipes and I top up with it - I fill the jugs from my tap, and then treat the water with campden at sterilization levels - not just chloramine removal levels - and then seal them up. I then use them as my brewing water and/or top up cool water. That treatment actually gets my water into a better brewing profile for many things too all on it's own. I add some calcium chloride for some brews or some gypsum for others, but mostly it's good as is.

[MadBrewer]

I have Rural water so went to the web sight and got a copy of the last results posted which was done in Dec. 2014. Can't say for sure if the water is hard or soft, but based on my water testing in the Navy I would say it's about middle not to hard and not to soft. Also IAW the tests no chloramine only chlorine and chlorite so maybe no campden tablets are needed, Haloacetic Acid (HAA5) is 60 ppb, Trihalomethanes (TTHm) is 80 ppb and Barium is 2 ppm. Have no idea what HAA5 or TTHm is so have to look them up.

A local water report can be good but as you see sometimes the info is not very helpful. You might be better off sending a sample off to Ward Labs and for under $20 you can have a full analysis and get the info you need that pertains to brewing. The levels you would be concerned with for brewing are:

Calcium (Ca)
Magnesium (Mg)
Sodium (Na)
Chloride (Cl)
Sulfate ( So4)
Hardness
Alkalinity
Biccarbonate

Those levels are what you would use for water adjustment and input into water calculators. The Ward labs test will also test the water ph but that is not important and they will also test for metals and things you might find on your local report. Usually what the local report indicates is more safety and environmental related. And last local water systems sometimes change up what they add seasonally so Chlorimines might not be out of the picture. They are cheaper for them to use and are much more effective for disinfection and most locals are making the switch as they also hold up better in the system. Campden tablets are cheap insurance. I use one every batch.

[Beer-lord]

I strongly second sending water to Ward Labs. But, some smaller towns offer a free water test if you ask. My local water board use to offer to come out but no longer do that. However, I'm told that most people don't know that may be available to them.
But, if you're not on city water, Ward Labs is the place to go.

[BlackDuck]

I used Ward Labs for a water test. Very easy to do. Order right from their website. They send you a bottle, you fill it with water, then put it in the box and put the return label and postage on it. Within a few days, you get a water report emailed to you. I will say their pricing is a bit misleading though. If you look at their fee schedule, the price for a Brewers Test is $27.25, but when you actually click on their link to order it, the price is $42.00. Not sure exactly why there is a difference, but maybe the $27.25 fee is if you drop it off at their location in Nebraska. And the $42.00 is the mail order kit which accounts for postage to and from. I did this a little over a year ago, and with the results from their test and the use of EZWaterCalculator (which is fee on the net), my beers have improved drastically.

[Dawg LB Steve]

I strongly second sending water to Ward Labs.

Only because you got to use tape on the cap!!!!

Seriously though, water treatment is a big step in making a better product, I have a Brown Ale that has been entered into comps that scored 32.5 w/o treating the water. The last comp it was entered in was the exact same recipe with water treatment scored 42.5! I was able to get my water profile using Brewers Friends water profiles and was confirmed thru LHBS as correct.