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Horners

Horners

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So with a paler brew planned for the weekend and a long and boring day at work ahead, I thought I would start to immerse myself in the world of water treatment.

First page of the Thames Water report for my area and I thought blimey this is bloomin thoughtful of them. First time round, actually read this as the Thames Water actually being considerate enough to treat the water before it got to my taps to make it more suitable for brewing!

wtaer report.jpg
 
I'm with Thames Water, the other day I downloaded a water report for my area, I was quite impressed.
 
I want to make a Czech pils and was looking at conditioning water, apparently I can't condition my water for a pils
 
Good ole TW are one of my main customers.

I wouldn’t say they make sure your water is perfectly balanced with magnesium for you. But more they’ve dropped that in there to show a “personal” side to what I a dry subject.

Always good practise to get your local water report tho
 
Hoddy said:
Good ole TW are one of my main customers.

I wouldn’t say they make sure your water is perfectly balanced with magnesium for you. But more they’ve dropped that in there to show a “personal” side to what I a dry subject.

Always good practise to get your local water report tho
Click to expand...

Yes I realise they havent undertaken any special treatment for the brewer - that was just how I read it at a first glance. Still fair enough that they have included the data for our benefit. Mind you I am on a meter and the way I go about things with the immersion chiller they must be coining it. They should be encouraging all households to take up AG.
 
Horners said:
Yes I realise they havent undertaken any special treatment for the brewer - that was just how I read it at a first glance. Still fair enough that they have included the data for our benefit. Mind you I am on a meter and the way I go about things with the immersion chiller they must be coining it. They should be encouraging all households to take up AG.
Click to expand...

I vaguely remember someone with a watermeter working out how much it cost them to use their chiller and them saying it wasnt much - pennies
 
MyQul said:
I vaguely remember someone with a watermeter working out how much it cost them to use their chiller and them saying it wasnt much - pennies
Click to expand...

Aye but they maybe dont leave it p@ssing away like a water cannon for a couple of hours.
 
Please remember a report from your water company is a generic report that will cover a large area and the water coming out of your tap may not match what is on the report. The only way is to have your own water tested. Iget mine done once a year from Phoenix analytical.
 
trueblue said:
Please remember a report from your water company is a generic report that will cover a large area and the water coming out of your tap may not match what is on the report. The only way is to have your own water tested. Iget mine done once a year from Phoenix analytical.
Click to expand...

Get that also - but a. Serves as a starter and b. Beckenham the area covered by report is about a mile across.
 
I have a friend who brewed near to me and we draw water from the same reservoir. We decided to get reports from phoenix at the same time and there were significant differences. He had got a water company report a few weeks previous and the differences were even greater. Start by buying a Salifert kit and test our alkalinity.
 
trueblue said:
I have a friend who brewed near to me and we draw water from the same reservoir. We decided to get reports from phoenix at the same time and there were significant differences. He had got a water company report a few weeks previous and the differences were even greater. Start by buying a Salifert kit and test our alkalinity.
Click to expand...

I think the only way you can be sure is to test your own water with Salifert kits. I only do Alkalinity testing (as I find the rest of water treatment too complicated so dont bother with testing/doing anthing else) and the Alkalinty of my water will change from time to time
 
Yep the Salifert kit is a better first step than a generic report. I also test the calcium myself along with the Phoenix report then use decent calculator, I use Graham Wheelers one on Jim's.
 
I had one of those water testing kits and there's a point where you have to slowly inject a solution drop by drop into water, give it a shake and note when it changes colour (or something to that effect). Mine rarely changed colour. Anyway, it became a bit of a faff so I stopped doing it.
 
Yeah you’ve got to remember that your water sources will alter and the mix will change slightly time to time. Just like the water will itself through natural changes in rain fall and aquifer behaviour will change content and alkalinity.

But those reports are the “average” so along with doing periodic salifert tests your not far wrong going by what the water company says.
 
jceg316 said:
I had one of those water testing kits and there's a point where you have to slowly inject a solution drop by drop into water, give it a shake and note when it changes colour (or something to that effect). Mine rarely changed colour. Anyway, it became a bit of a faff so I stopped doing it.
Click to expand...

Although it changes from time to time my water seemed to stay within a 'range' of alkalinity (iirc about 180ppm - about 220ppm). I've found that if I add 0.85ml/L of CRS it seems covers this range. Tbh I havent tested my water for ages as the 0.85ml/L seems to do the trick. I only do it for pale beersand just use the water straight out the tap for dark beers
 
Hoddy said:
Yeah you’ve got to remember that your water sources will alter and the mix will change slightly time to time. Just like the water will itself through natural changes in rain fall and aquifer behaviour will change content and alkalinity.

But those reports are the “average” so along with doing periodic salifert tests your not far wrong going by what the water company says.
Click to expand...

My alkalinity was constant for a long while but changed this summer which was no surprise but my calcium also dropped dramatically as well so any generic report would be a lot different to what I was using. I would never use a starting point that is based on "not far wrong". Although it has been constant for a few months I always do a Salifert check every brew.
 
MyQul said:
Although it changes from time to time my water seemed to stay within a 'range' of alkalinity (iirc about 180ppm - about 220ppm). I've found that if I add 0.85ml/L of CRS it seems covers this range. Tbh I havent tested my water for ages as the 0.85ml/L seems to do the trick. I only do it for pale beersand just use the water straight out the tap for dark beers
Click to expand...
I do something similar, but for me I put in 1.4ml /L for pale beers and use the water as is for dark, this seems to work. When I make hoppy IPAs I also add a pinch of Epsom salts.
 
I'm a Thames Water Customer too.
I use narrow range (4.8 - 6.2) indicator strips to test the mash.
Untreated my water is always up near the 6.2. I need to use about 4ml of lactic acid to get it in the 5.2 range ! Plus I use about 4ml for sparge.
It's not the most scientific approach, I know that and I'm working on it ...... but my brewing has improved massively since adding acid.
Granted dark beers are much easier and I've often wondered if that why, traditionally, London brewed great Porter?
 

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