learning about water

[Vallka]

Ok I want to learn a bit more about how the water calculator works. I have my towns water profile(way down below) setup on this site (did I input it right?) and bring up the water calculator page via the recipe I have, with a target water profile.
Update the calculations and get this.............now what? What dose all the Delta #'s mean?

This is my water profile

 

[oliver]

you have to scroll down to the next tab below where it says Salt Additions,

you'll need Gypsum (CaSO4) and Calcium Chloride (CaCl) only it looks like to me. Maybe a little bit of Table Salt (NaCl)

Notice that Gypsum and Calcium Chloride both contribute Calcium (Ca), while Gypsum contributes Sulfates (SO4) and Calcium Chloride contributes chloride (Cl).

Add salts to the calculator until you start hitting your numbers in the Water Target Selection tab.

edit: so. start with your water base, whatever it may be. Choose your target text, which you've done. And then adjust with salts until you get green numbers with no Deltas

 

[GFHomebrew]

Bloody near RO water mate lol. Very low nice soft water profile great to build off. Ph is quite high you'll need a fair bit of acid for light coloured beers like Pilsner.

As Oliver said add your calcium sulphate and chloride to bring your numbers up to the water profile you selected.

Are these the average reading/ mean readings. Remember it fluctuates over time your water.

Gypsum calcium chloride calcium carbonate or chalk are my brewing salts and add lactic acid 88% to drop ph to 5.3 ish. Good luck​

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

look at this as a reference, look at the very bottom for the actual evaluation, it says balanced but I use 88% phosphoric acid which most people don't but you can see I have it in both the mash and sparge

https://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/?id=NM1NR0H

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

some info about water
http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/water-adjustment?page=3

 

[jmcnamara]

thats some good info i'll have to read through later, thanks OMB

 

[Vallka]

That water info from the electric brewing company is fantastic ! Thanks @Ozarks Mountain Brew

 

[Vallka]

How dose this look?

 

[GFHomebrew]

Looks the goods vallka . I've taken Ozarks advise and left the magnesium additions out to f my water adjustments plus barley has magnesium in it I've herd. Now you just gotta brew with that water and taste the difference.

 

[oliver]

looks fine. you can skip Epsom Salt in favor of gypsum if you want.

I don't use Epsom or Table at all anymore, personal choice though. Up to you.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

personally I would lose the Epsom salt and baking soda but thats just me

 

[Nosybear]

personally I would lose the Epsom salt and baking soda but thats just me

I'd lose the baking soda unless I absolutely needed alkalinity, say, for a very dark beer. Epsom salt is really a good source of sulfate if you are pushing the upper limit of alkalinity or have all the calcium you need and still need sulfate. Gram for gram, magnesium increases residual alkalinity about 1/7th of calcium so for certain applications, it's a good option. Just not too much, without looking I believe 40 ppm is the upper limit for Mg.

 

[Vallka]

Ok now I think I have this water thing figured out, so when do I add all this, do I add it all to the Strike water as I heat it up for the mash?

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I add mine to the mash but I recirculate so it mixes up on its own, you can do it either way its up to you, some salts don't mix very fast

 

[GFHomebrew]

Add it to mash add a smidgin of acid to sparge. Great question vallka ive been curious about this.

 

[oliver]

I add my salts before anything else goes in, including water. it stirs itself up and dissolves easier when I add water on top of salts. then start the fire, add grains, check pH and adjust if need be.