PH and water chemistry

[therealthing691]

Does any body in here bother with it . As i am going down that path. RO water then additions

to match a brew thoughts and so on cheers

 

Edited July 30, 2021 by therealthing691

[Otto Von Blotto]

Yep, just about every batch. It does make a difference. Once you get the hang of it it just becomes part of the recipe

[Marty_G]

Yes every batch.  I am on tank water so I have soft water and add salts for the style I want.   I have a spread sheet which has the amounts of addition I need for the 5 general styles I brew.   I used "Brewers Friend" for the calculations.   

 

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

18 hours ago, therealthing691 said:

Does any body in here bother with it . As i am going down that path. RO water then additions

to match a brew thoughts and so on cheers

 

As others have said it does make a difference but the degree of difference depends on the style. Generally light beers soft water. Dark beers hard water. Also you don't necessarily need RO water either. I have both rain water and sydney water. I really only need the rain water for pilsener. Everything else sydney water plus additions  gets the job done. Get a water report from your town water before you spend anything is my advice. 

[jamiek86]

ok so Shamus recently told me if doing coopers kits they would have used this treatment in brew already. I know from recently started using a good caravan carbon filter that small things can make a difference. What are the main water treatments that could be used for making a pilsner or pale ale better for a kit beer?

[kmar92]

2 hours ago, Greeny1525229549 said:

As others have said it does make a difference but the degree of difference depends on the style. Generally light beers soft water. Dark beers hard water. Also you don't necessarily need RO water either. I have both rain water and sydney water. I really only need the rain water for pilsener. Everything else sydney water plus additions  gets the job done. Get a water report from your town water before you spend anything is my advice. 

Sydney water is an excellent H2O, probably the best municipal water in Australia.

[Marty_G]

11 hours ago, jamiek86 said:

ok so Shamus recently told me if doing coopers kits they would have used this treatment in brew already. I know from recently started using a good caravan carbon filter that small things can make a difference. What are the main water treatments that could be used for making a pilsner or pale ale better for a kit beer?

Not sure there is a benefit to doing a water addition for a kit.  Water additions are for "all grain" beers. It is used to develop a water profile and get the desired salt ion levels and pH for the style you are making. Different ion levels create different malt and hop characteristics.  Not sure it would work for a kit as it is dehydrated/concentrated wort.   In simple terms it is about the Sulphur to Chlorine ratio for the wort as it is made. 

 

This may help:

https://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/

[therealthing691]

Thanks guys for the responses .I live close to Kegland and they offer free Reverse Osmosis water byo container when you pick grain or what ever . As the RO basically gives you a clean bill to start with i thought why not. Just got to work it all out  been doing some research  .The link you posted Marty looks like it could be very helpful  cheers i am mainly looking for a profile for  NEIPA"S and HAZY stuff 

[RDT2]

4 hours ago, therealthing691 said:

Thanks guys for the responses .I live close to Kegland and they offer free Reverse Osmosis water byo container when you pick grain or what ever . As the RO basically gives you a clean bill to start with i thought why not. Just got to work it all out  been doing some research  .The link you posted Marty looks like it could be very helpful  cheers i am mainly looking for a profile for  NEIPA"S and HAZY stuff 

That’s bloody awesome that Kegland  do that  

[ben 10]

On 7/31/2021 at 12:06 AM, therealthing691 said:

Does any body in here bother with it .

I did, but don't.
The water here is fine for most beers, I'm a little too lazy.
When I move into the new house and build a shed I might get some scales and go again, probably go with a rain water tank when I do. 2 1/2 metres of rain a year there - should be enough???

[Otto Von Blotto]

3 hours ago, Green Blob said:

I did, but don't.
The water here is fine for most beers, I'm a little too lazy.
When I move into the new house and build a shed I might get some scales and go again, probably go with a rain water tank when I do. 2 1/2 metres of rain a year there - should be enough???

Might need three or four tanks for your brewery..

[therealthing691]

On 7/31/2021 at 8:47 AM, Otto Von Blotto said:

Yep, just about every batch. It does make a difference. Once you get the hang of it it just becomes part of the recipe

yep you are right it does  .I have  only done 3 so far but can tell the difference defaintely from tap and even from just straight RO water

cheers

 

[Pick135]

For those that are modifying their water chemistry, where are you getting your water tested? Is there equipment we can purchase like the portable pH testers, or is it more cost effective to send away. I would love to test a sample of our town water (Re treated Murray river water pumped 700km west) And own caught rain water to see where my levels sit?

[Popo the Reprobate]

22 minutes ago, Pick135 said:

For those that are modifying their water chemistry, where are you getting your water tested?

I saw recently that KegLand have testing available on their website. You send a bottle in and get a report. I have not used this service but it did get me interested to get my own tank water tested.

[Greenyinthewestofsydney]

1 hour ago, Pick135 said:

For those that are modifying their water chemistry, where are you getting your water tested? Is there equipment we can purchase like the portable pH testers, or is it more cost effective to send away. I would love to test a sample of our town water (Re treated Murray river water pumped 700km west) And own caught rain water to see where my levels sit?

Rain water I wouldn't bother testing. It won't be 000000 like RO water but will be close enough to it. Ph will be ~ 5.5 unless you have a coal fired power station next door.