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Finally going to water adjustments

Northern Brewer General
#1

So I recently moved into a new house and the couple of batches that I have done here have not been quite as good as I am used to despite using the same equipment and process. I am thinking that it has to be the water, so I am finally going to take the plunge into water chemistry.

I downloaded the Bru’n water spreadsheet and read through the intro which gave me some pretty good insight but is obviously just a start. What else should I be reading or what tips can you guys give me here?

I am going planning on sending in a sample to ward labs this weekend, is it worth getting the w-5 complete household testing or should i save the 10 bucks and just get w-6.

Also what salts/finings should I plan on having around? Or should I wait until I get my water analysis to see what will actually get used so I dont spend money on something that is just going to be unused.

Thanks

#2

I think the w-6 will be plenty sufficient. Salts I keep around are gypsum, epsom, canning salt, calcium chloride, and baking soda. I rarely use all of them. Bru’n water is a pretty good spread sheet. One of the best. I assume you use camden also to remove chlorine? I just use a whole tablet in my strike water and another in my sparge water. Throw it in when I start to heat it up.
Water chemistry is a good thing to get into if you want to improve your beer. I’m still learning about it too, it’s hard stuff.

#3

Palmer and JZ have 4 Brew Strong episodes devoted to water chemistry. I think they’re worth listening to. I download the episodes of interest from the archives and listen to them driving to and from work rather than trying to find time at home.

http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/Brew ... arch/water

:cheers:

#4

Calcium Hydroxide (Pickling Lime) should be an essential part of your chemistry set.

#5

Only if the alkalinity is high though. He may have, say, 50 ppm CaCO3 total alkalinity, in which case he’ll never need to lower it.

#6

It’s good to have around for adjustments since it doesn’t effect the Sodium, Magnesium, Sulfate, or Chloride count and dissolves better than Chalk which make the results more predictable.
I found that since I started using it I’ve come to rely on it more and more. It’s just another tool in my water chemistry arsenal.
P.S. My water alkalinity is 63.

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