After years of assuming I was close with my water ion levels derived from inter-web searching, blog posts, and local water reports from adjacent towns; I broke down and sent a sample to Ward Labs. #feelsgood The results are in and WOW my estimates were way off base Estimate Ca-152 Mg-11 Na-29 Cl-2 SO4-110 HCO-55 Reality --- Ca-23 Mg-7 Na-155 Cl-37 SO4-21 HCO-334 Now looking back I should have waited to brew the NEIPA thats in the fermentors! LOL Cl/SO4 ratio is a total dumpster fire. Prost
I'd call the water works. That big of a discrepancy pretty much indicates you're getting water from different sources at different times of the year. The lab analysis looks a lot like ours - pretty typical surface water. The report's values look like well water.
No water softener here @Ozarks Mountain Brew ... that is straight out of my tap ... ran water for 30 seconds to clear pex line then triple rinsed container, filled and sealed with electrical tape.
your dark beers should be very good. pale beers not so much until you reduce the sodium to at least 50 ppm 25 is even better
our town has its own well the numbers i had listed for my "assumptions" came from the home brew club blog in Ames only 8 miles away. funny how much water can differ depending on treatment facility
I thought I had read the effect of Na+ went undetected in flavor in levels <200 ppm. Im open to other opinions or conflicting information. Afterall the whole point of analysis is to make improvements in my beer quality
it's just like food, a little is good too much and high blood pressure can happen, it doesn't really change the flavor much but I can tell my feel swell up but that's just me
Plan on talking with the water dept this week to see if maybe they find that tested level of Na+ shocking or have an explanation for that measured value
What was the pH on that water? That is pretty unusual water. Really high bicarb. A little calcium chloride and pH correction and you will probably have pretty good results.
Yep way off there imagine how much better them beers are going to taste with a better start point I'm guessing going by the high calcium levels you wouldn't have been making a lot of salt additions? This will change everything for you now. Good luck with the NA.
