RO water

[Jay BIB]

Hi
Newbie here. Never used any other brewing software.
Looking for water for dumbies I guess. I have an RO water system (Per I live in FL) and cant seem to find out how to get amount of additives to balance the water. Is there an easy way to see exactly what amounts of what are need to balance 90gal of RO water to a standard profile?

Thank you
Jay

 

[Nosybear]

Hi
Newbie here. Never used any other brewing software.
Looking for water for dumbies I guess. I have an RO water system (Per I live in FL) and cant seem to find out how to get amount of additives to balance the water. Is there an easy way to see exactly what amounts of what are need to balance 90gal of RO water to a standard profile?

Thank you
Jay

Nope, it's all trial and error on the calculator here.

 

[BOB357]

The mineral content will vary depending on what style you're brewing, so it's usually best to just build water for each recipe. If you want just a straight up balanced profile, use the basic water chemistry tool and add Calcium Chloride and Calcium Sulfate until you get at least 50ppm of Calcium and the Sulfates and Chlorides are close to the same.

As @Nosybear said, you'll need to enter the salts manually. The resultant mineral levels will tell you when you've achieved your goal.

 

[Nosybear]

I usually pick an ion, say chloride, and get it close, then start on the others. It's still trial and error (not really, but that's how the calculator is set) but you can reduce the number of trials that way.

 

[Jay BIB]

Thank you.

I'm playing with it now.

 

[Craigerrr]

Thank you.

I'm playing with it now.

Besides Calcium Chloride , and Calcium Sulfate (gypsum), I also add a small amount of Epsom salt, and pickling salt. Don't use table salt it is iodized.
What are you brewing?

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

All possible water profiles are not, and never can be real. Many water profiles are merely idealized mineralization fantasies dreamed up in someones head. If the cations (positively charged ions) and anions (negatively charged ions) of the minerals in a water profile are not in complete charge (or mEq) balance, then in the real world it is impossible to make water that will match such a profile. If anyone merely dreams up an ideal mineralization "profile" out of thin air because it looks good on paper the odds are highly excellent that it will be impossible to actually make.

That said, the limited choices available to us with regard to minerals often make it difficult if not impossible to build even real source water analytical duplicates from scratch.

 

[Craigerrr]

All possible water profiles are not, and never can be real. Many water profiles are merely idealized mineralization fantasies dreamed up in someones head. If the cations (positively charged ions) and anions (negatively charged ions) of the minerals in a water profile are not in complete charge (or mEq) balance, then in the real world it is impossible to make water that will match such a profile. If anyone merely dreams up an ideal mineralization "profile" out of thin air because it looks good on paper the odds are highly excellent that it will be impossible to actually make.

That said, the limited choices available to us with regard to minerals often make it difficult if not impossible to build even real source water analytical duplicates from scratch.

A bit of knowledge, and a bit of experience with "seasoning" our brewing water can take a beer from really good to great.
The goal should never be to create an exact water profile, but to create one that will bring out the desired character of a particular style of beer.

 

[Nosybear]

All possible water profiles are not, and never can be real. Many water profiles are merely idealized mineralization fantasies dreamed up in someones head. If the cations (positively charged ions) and anions (negatively charged ions) of the minerals in a water profile are not in complete charge (or mEq) balance, then in the real world it is impossible to make water that will match such a profile. If anyone merely dreams up an ideal mineralization "profile" out of thin air because it looks good on paper the odds are highly excellent that it will be impossible to actually make.

That said, the limited choices available to us with regard to minerals often make it difficult if not impossible to build even real source water analytical duplicates from scratch.

You are technically correct: I was trying to build decarbonated Burton water last night and without food-grade sodium sulfate was impossible to do. I find I can get close enough. Beyond pH control and providing the yeast enough calcium, the salts are seasoning, anyway, and can be added at packaging.

 

[Pricelessbrewing]

All possible water profiles are not, and never can be real. Many water profiles are merely idealized mineralization fantasies dreamed up in someones head. If the cations (positively charged ions) and anions (negatively charged ions) of the minerals in a water profile are not in complete charge (or mEq) balance, then in the real world it is impossible to make water that will match such a profile. If anyone merely dreams up an ideal mineralization "profile" out of thin air because it looks good on paper the odds are highly excellent that it will be impossible to actually make.

That said, the limited choices available to us with regard to minerals often make it difficult if not impossible to build even real source water analytical duplicates from scratch.

If I could <3 this, I would.
@Yooper

 

[Jay BIB]

Besides Calcium Chloride , and Calcium Sulfate (gypsum), I also add a small amount of Epsom salt, and pickling salt. Don't use table salt it is iodized.
What are you brewing?

Thats pretty much what I'm adding in as well.

I'm just starting to make my first beers in my custom 2bbl nano that isn't opened as of yet. I'm in FL and the water sucks. Reason for the RO system. Back up north I had a spring under my house that was awesome. Never knew how valuable that was until moving here to the sunshine shitty warm water state lol

First beers up: Vienna Lager, German Pilsner, Imperial Choc Van Porter, Oatmeal Stout, Brown Ale, and a couple test seltzers.
It's midnight and I'm whirlpooling an NE IPA right now. DIPA Mosaic and Cascade.

 

[BOB357]

A bit of knowledge, and a bit of experience with "seasoning" our brewing water can take a beer from really good to great.
The goal should never be to create an exact water profile, but to create one that will bring out the desired character of a particular style of beer.

Amen.
Many excellent beers are brewed without exacting water profiles, and have been for many years. Being stuck on perfection is the best way I know to ruin the enjoyment I find in crafting beers. It does away with the creative part of the equation.

 

[Nosybear]

Thats pretty much what I'm adding in as well.

I'm just starting to make my first beers in my custom 2bbl nano that isn't opened as of yet. I'm in FL and the water sucks. Reason for the RO system. Back up north I had a spring under my house that was awesome. Never knew how valuable that was until moving here to the sunshine shitty warm water state lol

First beers up: Vienna Lager, German Pilsner, Imperial Choc Van Porter, Oatmeal Stout, Brown Ale, and a couple test seltzers.
It's midnight and I'm whirlpooling an NE IPA right now. DIPA Mosaic and Cascade.

I live in Denver and have wonderful municipal water. That said, I share your pain: In Delray Beach, I could swear they were pumping the tap water directly out of the swamp. Good luck with the brewery!

The only time I've needed more than gypsum, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, epsom salt and table salt was when trying to emulate Decarbonated Burton water - I could not get to the 700+ ppm of sulfate and keep calcium and magnesium within reasonable limits. Food-grade sodium sulfate would have worked but it's hard to find.