Water quality - does it make a noticeable difference?

[Tricky Micky]

8 hours ago, iBooz2 said:

Do you have tank water at your joint @Mickep ?

Nah. Would the Melbourne water link I've posted here be reasonably accurate? That is a link supplied by Yarra Valley water after requesting a profile report....I guess as you say it won't take into account the waters journey through the pipes.

https://www.melbournewater.com.au/water-and-environment/water-management/water-quality/water-quality-testing

[Spursman]

On 12/29/2022 at 7:23 AM, Marty_G said:

If you want to find your water profile have a play around on this.   https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/water-profiles  It has 100's of profiles.  Depending on where you live on the coast the keyword maybe different. Try phases like unity water.  I know there are profiles for Buderim and Noosa on it possibly more.  Also it depends on the storage facility you get your water from.   The profile will give you  calcium, magnesium, sodium, chloride,  sulphur,  alkalinity and pH.   It probably will not mean a whole lot to you but as mentioned in advanced all grain brewing the balance of those chemicals and the pH will impact the final taste that you are chasing. eg, hopiness and malt character.  

At kit and kilo level removing the chlorines is about as far as you need to go.   

 

I have gone right down the brewing rabbit hole and I adjust my water profile for pretty much every brew.  In all grain brewing there  are advanced calculators you use to put you water profile in verse the desired result you want and it will calculate the additions of compounds like gypsum, calcium chloride,  bi carb, salt and lactic acid you need to get to the water balance you need for the flavour profile you are chasing like very hop driven, bitter, malty or even just balanced.    Beer like a Pilsner will use a very different chemical profile to say an IPA.  

So where on the coast are you?  I am out Woombye way.  

 

Hi Marty,

In Nth Buderim (some call it South Noosa). Thanks for your comments. Seems like just getting chlorine out will do the job.

[Marty_G]

Up where I am I use rain water for my brews as we are not on town supply.   After some investigation and discussions with people who know more than me about it.  The advice was to use the distilled water profile so zero  for all the ion and anions but add 10 points of Alkalinity.   There is little doubt my beer has improved since I started manipulating the profile.  For those of you who use BrewFather it is easy as to do.  

[iBooz2]

2 hours ago, Mickep said:

Nah. Would the Melbourne water link I've posted here be reasonably accurate? That is a link supplied by Yarra Valley water after requesting a profile report....I guess as you say it won't take into account the waters journey through the pipes.

https://www.melbournewater.com.au/water-and-environment/water-management/water-quality/water-quality-testing

Do you have room to fit a small rainwater tank just for brewing supply?

All my water stuff is on another computer so will check and compare later when I fire that one up and let you know.

[iBooz2]

11 hours ago, iBooz2 said:

There is a mob in South Croydon VIC that do water testing,  drop off a 600 ml spring water bottle filled with your home water and then drop $275 to get the scientific results via email.  

That should have said drop $202.50 inc the get stuffed tax.   Sorry about that.

Don't know where the high price came from, probably looked at the wrong water test email and not the one from Chis at Envirolab in South Croydon VIC.

[Tricky Micky]

9 minutes ago, iBooz2 said:

Do you have room to fit a small rainwater tank just for brewing supply?

I don't Al, unfortunately.