Water Additions

[Peter Smith]

I am just starting to get into water additions, my beers have been improving but I have been asking other brewers who have been kind enough to give me beers, how do you get that smoothness, how do you get the body....   and they all mention there is not one trick , pass me recipes similar to mine BUT they do water additions..

So lets start a thread based on what needs to be done by style etc etc...

[Jamie McQuillan]

Small temperature shifts impact the measurement of pH with a meter for sure. In the lab we always calibrate pH meters to temperature. I currently use strips for mash pH and take a tiny mash sample, just enough to wet a pH strip, and it cools very fast. Having said that, if I use a pH strip strait away it doesn't make any detectable difference. To be honest it is cool as soon as it hits the strip. If you can't afford a meter with temp control a combination of strips and meter should let you know if you are on the right track before the lager sample need for a meter cools. 

[Jamie McQuillan]

Great subject for discussion. The feedback I had from last years SOBA NHC made me look at a number of things I was not paying attention to and adjusting my water profile (depending on the style as well) is probably the best thing I could have done to improve my brews. It is not all about pH either, John Palmer talks about how Calcium is also good for the yeast, and promotes flavour, clarity and stability. Chloride accentuates flavour and fullness.  The pH from my council water report was on average 7.5, but they didn't give a proper analysis. I was lucky to be on the same water supply as Emersons and  they gave me a copy of their report :Ca – 19 SO4 – 4.7 Mg – 3.6 Na – 7.5 Cl – 15 CO3 – 67 Hardness – 59 Alkalinity – 55. I had looked into getting my own analysis done and would do it if I moved to another source. There few companies that will do the required analysis for you, including Hill Laboratories 

I base my water profiles on the guidelines in Palmer and use Brewer's Friend for all my brewing calculations. It predicts the mash pH based on water profile and grist composition and also provides a bunch of profiles to select for different beers. Yeasty Boys Digital IPA profile was also a good guideline for an IPA. I use gypsum and calcium chloride mostly, but also baking soda to bring up the bicarbonate in dark beers. You really need sensitive scales to be accurate. I measure more than once to be sure. So far it has worked well for me. My mash pH is typically in the low 5s (5-5.2) I use pH strips (4-7 range with 0.2 intervals) which give a good ball park estimate of mash pH (I know from years of working in a lab they come pretty close to a pH meter) but will invest in a good meter before too long. Brewshop.co.nz has a couple available. I can't claim to have nailed it yet, waiting to see how this year SOBA NHC goes :-). Keen to hear more discussion. 

[Peter Smith]

Where is everyone buying their water addition chemicals?  what exactly are you using (brands etc)?

[Sam DT]

I'm using brewshops unbranded tubs - apart from being a good price the tubs are handy for storage. 

Calcium Chloride was the hardest to come by (although brewshop have it now), I picked mine up from Brewers Coop a few months back. You can get CaCl2 in a liquid form (mixed with 50% or so water) more easily but it's diluted and costs more (apparently it's used a lot in cheese making).

There are branded pH stabilisers and salt additions but the chances are that unless you're using RO water it's not going to match up with your local profile. From what I've read on-line they have a bad rep & you're better to crunch the numbers and develop your own additions.

Also - not an issue in Chch but I understand you have to be careful if your water has added chlorine as this can have a big impact on you final product. Thread on removal here

[Jamie McQuillan]

Dunedin Malt house for the gypsum, Brewers Coop for the Calcium Chloride. Baking Soda straight of the super market shelf.  Brewshop.co.nz also have a good range now. Just make sure you but a brand packaged for brewers and it should be "food grade". 

[Matt Poff]

Went on a big hunting mission for larger (cheaper) quantities of CaCl2 in NZ and found nothing (that was classified food safe). Closest was 500g for $55 from curdsandwhey - they are the sole distributor for broken down packs from G&A Adhesives who deal in 25kg sacks or above. Even asked the local pharmacist whether they still sell that sort of stuff over the counter - apparently not. So, short of finding 50 odd people to split a 25kg sack into half kilo lots it looks like one or two brews shops are the only solution in NZ. I'd be dubious about anything popping up on TradeMe as it could just be repackaged pool technical grade stuff - in itself at doses of a few grams not going to kill you (you swim in it after all) but its the traces of whatever other chemical the plant manufactured and the heavy metal impurities that are a bit off-putting.

[Chris]

Do you happen to work in otago hophound? your links for email point to otago staff email.

Might want to edit them, they give session info etc away

[Jamie McQuillan]

Yes, thanks dude, re-posted without links. 

[Darren Wood]

I've just finished listening to the 3 part 'Waterganza' Brew Strong episodes. Well worth a listen:

http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/497

http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/500

http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/508

and a bonus: http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/513

If there's someone who knows about water it's John Palmer... 

[Samuel Loader]

The water book by John Palmer and Colin K is also really good as a deeper understanding