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KES
Joined: 13 May 2011 Posts: 472 Location: Iowa
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Link Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 2:22 am Post subject: Water Test from Ward Labs |
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Here's my results from Ward Labs. I've been reading in 'How to Brew' that I may need to dilute with distilled water to get the Bicarbonate down to below 50 for the Electric APA I plan to brew. Looking for input. Am I on the right track, or am I missing something?
pH 8.8
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm 148
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.25
Cations / Anions, me/L 2.4 / 2.6
ppm
Sodium, Na 54
Potassium, K < 1
Calcium, Ca 1
Magnesium, Mg < 1
Total Hardness, CaCO3 3
Nitrate, NO3-N 0.2 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 7
Chloride, Cl 7
Carbonate, CO3 9
Bicarbonate, HCO3 97
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 95
Total Phosphorus, P 0.50
Total Iron, Fe < 0.01
"<" - Not Detected / Below Detection Limit
_________________ “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” B. Franklin
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Ben58
Joined: 14 Aug 2011 Posts: 409 Location: Hamilton, Ontario
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Link Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 9:44 am Post subject: |
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Actually, that is pretty soft water. The first thing to do is download ez-water calculator from http://www.ezwatercalculator.com/ and plug in the values from your water report. Enter your volume of water and your grain. After that, adjust your water with the addition of brewing salts to meet the profile you intend to use. Make sure you check the boxes for boil/sparge additions. You will see your Ph change as well as your mineral profile. The only thing I see in your report that may be of a concern is the Na ( sodium ) may be a bit high. Was this sample taken downstream of a water softener?
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kal Forum Administrator
Joined: 12 Dec 2010 Posts: 11116 Location: Ottawa, Canada
Drinking: Pub Ale, Electric Creamsicle, Mild, Pliny the Younger, Belgian Dark Strong, Weizen, Russian Imperial Stout, Black Butte Porter
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huaco
Joined: 05 Apr 2012 Posts: 1506 Location: Burleson Texas
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Link Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 1:35 pm Post subject: |
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So how does one go about getting this test done? I checked with my water department and they did not have the report I needed. They could give me the "Safety" report that lists all the levels of bad crap in the water, but not a dissolved solids list like this... How much does a test cost? I assume since you said you sent it to a lab, it will be pricy...
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mvakoc
Joined: 19 Sep 2011 Posts: 152 Location: Evergreen, CO
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Link Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 4:53 pm Post subject: |
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huaco wrote: | So how does one go about getting this test done? I checked with my water department and they did not have the report I needed. They could give me the "Safety" report that lists all the levels of bad crap in the water, but not a dissolved solids list like this... How much does a test cost? I assume since you said you sent it to a lab, it will be pricy... |
http://www.wardlab.com/
$20-36 depending on the test chosen.
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huaco
Joined: 05 Apr 2012 Posts: 1506 Location: Burleson Texas
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Link Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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And which test would be best to perform for our needs?
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mvakoc
Joined: 19 Sep 2011 Posts: 152 Location: Evergreen, CO
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Link Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 8:28 pm Post subject: |
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When in doubt go with their homebrewer's option.
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huaco
Joined: 05 Apr 2012 Posts: 1506 Location: Burleson Texas
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Link Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 8:36 pm Post subject: |
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mvakoc wrote: | When in doubt go with their homebrewer's option. |
Ahh...
I was looking under their "Test packages / pricing" page and saw nothing specific to homebrewers... After looking at other pages on their site, I now see the "homebrewer" test! Thanks for the tip...
boy, I feel like an internet NOOB right about now! haha!
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mvakoc
Joined: 19 Sep 2011 Posts: 152 Location: Evergreen, CO
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Link Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 9:30 pm Post subject: |
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huaco wrote: | mvakoc wrote: | When in doubt go with their homebrewer's option. |
Ahh...
I was looking under their "Test packages / pricing" page and saw nothing specific to homebrewers... After looking at other pages on their site, I now see the "homebrewer" test! Thanks for the tip...
boy, I feel like an internet NOOB right about now! haha! |
No worries. If you are going to use the EZ water calculator spreadsheet as Kal recommends you will notice that it does not require all that the beer test provides so there may be a cheaper option. That said I did the beer test. In fact I plan to do it several times a year as I have well water that can change seasonally.
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KES
Joined: 13 May 2011 Posts: 472 Location: Iowa
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Link Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 11:56 pm Post subject: |
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at Ben58 & kal: Was this sample taken downstream of a water softener? Answer = yes Will that be a problem?
I've been playing with the ezwatercalculator. Can't say I understand it all that well.
_________________ “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” B. Franklin
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Ben58
Joined: 14 Aug 2011 Posts: 409 Location: Hamilton, Ontario
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Link Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 12:25 am Post subject: |
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In reality no. You would only notice the sodium above a certain level, as we all have different thresholds for certain tastes. If you notice, on EZ, Palmers recommendations for sodium is up to 150 ppm so you are a third of Palmers threshold, to which I would hold stock to. As to your other mineral contents, they are easily adjusted to give you a very good shot at different water profiles for a multitude of beer styles.
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KES
Joined: 13 May 2011 Posts: 472 Location: Iowa
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Link Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 1:47 am Post subject: |
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OK, punched my water report numbers into ezwatercalculator. Punched in grain bill numbers. What numbers do I use for mash and sparge water volumes? I used 13.25 and 20. Steps 4a and 4b show all zero's. Step 5 shows sodium and chloride in the green and the others in the red. Would be nice if there were instructions with ezwater!
_________________ “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” B. Franklin
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Ben58
Joined: 14 Aug 2011 Posts: 409 Location: Hamilton, Ontario
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Link Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 9:43 am Post subject: |
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How big of a batch? Step 4a is for adding typical brewing salts and bringing your mash ph down. Step 4b is for bringing your mash ph up. With your water report, you will probably need to lower your ph. We will need to know what calculations were used to determine the water volumes you are using, as the numbers you posted are pushing the boundaries for what even my 30 gal boil kettle will hold.
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KES
Joined: 13 May 2011 Posts: 472 Location: Iowa
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Link Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 10:24 am Post subject: |
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Looking for a final 12 gallon batch size. Thanks Ben
_________________ “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” B. Franklin
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Ben58
Joined: 14 Aug 2011 Posts: 409 Location: Hamilton, Ontario
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Link Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 9:22 pm Post subject: |
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From Beersmith. Note these numbers are from my profile, which is all Blichmann pots. These volumes include cold break, trub and bottling losses. Salts to follow this post.
Recipe: Electric Pale Ale
Brewer: Ben and Heather
Asst Brewer:
Style: American Amber Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)
Recipe Specifications
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Boil Size: 14.92 gal
Post Boil Volume: 13.00 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 12.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 11.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.055 SG
Estimated Color: 5.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 38.7 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 92.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 95.8 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes
Ingredients:
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Amt Name Type # %/IBU
15 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 78.5 %
3 lbs 8.0 oz Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 2 17.7 %
12.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 3 3.8 %
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 4 8.1 IBUs
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min Hop 5 9.5 IBUs
2.40 Items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 mins) Fining 6 -
2.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 7 9.7 IBUs
2.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 8 11.4 IBUs
2.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 9 0.0 IBUs
2.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 10 0.0 IBUs
Mash Schedule: Temperature Mash, 1 Step, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 19 lbs 12.0 oz
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Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Saccharification Add 6.39 gal of water at 163.3 F 152.0 F 60 min
Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 30 min 168.0 F 10 min
Sparge: Fly sparge with 11.12 gal water at 168.0 F
Notes:
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Ben58
Joined: 14 Aug 2011 Posts: 409 Location: Hamilton, Ontario
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Link Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 9:46 pm Post subject: |
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The following mineral additions are for a ph of 5.39
Mash Salts
CaSO4 - 9 mg
CaCl - 2.2 mg
MgSO4 - 4.5 mg
Lactic acid - 4ml. Careful here add a ml at atime and check the ph after a good stir / short rest
Sparge Water Salts - I find this works best here as the HLT is circulating mixing in the salts.
CaSO4 - 15.7 mg
CaCl - 3.8 mg
MgSO4 - 7.8 mg
This will give you the following mineral profile in ppm.
Ca - 110, Mg - 18, Na - 54, Cl - 51, SO4 - 301
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KES
Joined: 13 May 2011 Posts: 472 Location: Iowa
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Link Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 10:04 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks Ben! I'll try those additions on the first brew day.
_________________ “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” B. Franklin
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