Water test results.......

Wrightforthbrew

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I just received my results from ward labs I'm new to the water part but have about 10 all grain batches under my belt.
Just wondering if any one can tell me if this is a good water base or if I should be adding anything.

Ph-7.2
TDS-286
Sodium,Na-40
Potassium,K-2
Calcium,Ca-45
Magnesium,Mg-9
Total hardness, CaCO3-150
Nitrate,NO3-N-.7
Sulfate,SO4-S-7
Chloride,Cl-67
Carbonate,CO3-<1.0
Bicarbonate,HCO3-147
Total alkalinity-CaCO3-121
Total phosphorus-P-.34
Total Iron,Fe-<.01
 
I will let others dive in deep, but I started with graphing it out on the chart found
http://howtobrew.com/book/section-3/understanding-the-mash-ph/residual-alkalinity-and-mash-ph

If John Palmer is correct (which I have used this with success), your ideal styles are darker (red lines). If you want to brew lighter ales (blue lines), you need to add Ca (green line), roughly 85ppm per gallon. Read more on the link above.

HTB4-RA-Nomograph2.png
 
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Changes you make to your water largely depends of style. That said, I think most people will agree that calcium chloride and gypsum are the two most important salts that you can use to change your water profile.
 
I mostly brew IPA and Pale Ales.....Brewing a pale malt SMaSh with galaxy hops this weekend
 
I primarily just brew pale ales and ipas. I just use distilled water and 1 g/gal of gypsum.
 
If you want to brew lighter ales (blue lines), you need to add Ca (green line), roughly 85ppm per gallon.
That's not really what the graph means. Palmer is using wort color as a rough approximation of the acidity added by a roasted malt to offset high alkalinity and achieve an ideal mash pH. There are several ways to reduce pH to the ideal range if that's important to your recipe. Abandoning all styles that don't contain roast malt is not an approach I would endorse.
 
I just received my results from ward labs I'm new to the water part but have about 10 all grain batches under my belt.
Just wondering if any one can tell me if this is a good water base or if I should be adding anything.

Ph-7.2
TDS-286
Sodium,Na-40
Potassium,K-2
Calcium,Ca-45
Magnesium,Mg-9
Total hardness, CaCO3-150
Nitrate,NO3-N-.7
Sulfate,SO4-S-7
Chloride,Cl-67
Carbonate,CO3-<1.0
Bicarbonate,HCO3-147
Total alkalinity-CaCO3-121
Total phosphorus-P-.34
Total Iron,Fe-<.01
Should work wonderfully for mid-to dark-amber ales. You're about 5 ppm (mg/l) light on Calcium and quite a bit light on Sulfate. Adding gypsum (calcium sulfate) might be a good idea and would add lighter amber beers to your color palette. Key is you have about 10 all-grain batches under your belt. That being the case, brew with it. When you feel really confident with your results and want to start brewing classic styles, then it's time to take another look at your water. Until then, what you have should be fine, maybe add a half-teaspoon of gypsum.
 
You can also use ro water or distilled water and build it up with brewing salts to the profile you want based on the beer your brewing, but, do your home work before starting, water building can be confusing don't be afraid to ask lots of questions.
 
Your water profile does suit maltier beers, as the chlorides (67) are much higher than the sulfates ( If your water report gives Sulfate as Sulfur (SO4-S) such as a Ward Lab's report, multiply by that by 3 to get SO4 --- meaning SO4 is 21 for your water ). Sodium is also very high, but you should be able to adjust the water for most beer styles, by adding small salts additions.

If I were you and planning on using that water, I would do a few very small batches of beer, approaching different styles with no treatment or addition to the water whatsoever, in order to get a clear picture, of how it affects your brews.
 

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