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Edit (by RubberToe).
Latest report for HRM - https://www.halifax.ca/sites/default/fi ... rt2017.pdf

This thread is to discuss the HRM water profile and how it relates to certain beer styles. First off here are the profiles from HRWC site as of 2010-2011:

Pockwock Lake Water Supply (Halifax, Sackville, Bedford, Fall River, Waverley, and Timberlea)
Calcium: 4.20 ppm
Sulfate: 9.00 ppm
Magnesium: 0.46 ppm
Chloride: 9.00 ppm
Sodium: 13.10 ppm
Alkalinity (as CaCO3): 19
Bicarbonate: 23.20 ppm
PH: 7.40

Lake Major Water Supply (Dartmouth, Eastern Passage, Cole Harbour, and Westphal)
Calcium: 6.60 ppm
Sulfate: 16.00 ppm
Magnesium: 0.42 ppm
Chloride: 8.00 ppm
Sodium: 11.80 ppm
Alkalinity (as CaCO3): 14.5
Bicarbonate: 17.70 ppm
PH: 7.30

My first understanding of these water profiles is that they are very soft and tend to make better light colored beers as opposed to dark. I've made most of my beers (light and dark) without any additions to my water and everything turns out well so don't be deterred from brewing a dark beer because of that. I'm starting to manipulate my water to match up a little better to what i'll want in my final produce ie. malty vs. hoppy and also to give my yeasties what they will desire when it comes time to eat

What does everyone else do?

I brew with similar water in NG, and depending on the beer style, I'll so different things. Always add calcium chloride though to get the Ca ppm up to 50 for yeast health purposes. I like to get the sulfates up for IPAs and other hoppy beers.

Do you manipulate just your mash water or do you treat for all your brewing water with kettle additions?

I usually do HLT water for most chemicals, but chalk goes in the MLT.

I actually bought a used RO system recently. It needs the filters replaced, but once I finally get that done I plan to just start building my water from scratch. The most recent Halifax water report is from 2010 that I've been able to find. Plus I've read/heard another thing to consider is the plumbing between the water source and your tap. But I guess it's all close enough really - gives a good idea of how much to add what's needed for a given style.

hmmmm, this is the latest I've found, time for an update request.

http://www.halifax.ca/hrwc/documents/20 ... eMajor.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The headers on the two water supplies should be edited to indicate what communites they supply to reduce confusion:
Pockwock Lake (Halifax, Sackville, Bedford, Fall River, Waverley, and Timberlea)
Lake Major (Dartmouth, Eastern Passage, Cole Harbour, and Westphal)

KMcK wrote:The headers on the two water supplies should be edited to indicate what communites they supply to reduce confusion:
Pockwock Lake (Halifax, Sackville, Bedford, Fall River, Waverley, and Timberlea)
Lake Major (Dartmouth, Eastern Passage, Cole Harbour, and Westphal)

Done.

One thing you should check on - if you are in a modern house without copper pipe, you may find there is a copper deficiency for yeast nutrient in some cases (I cannot recall where I saw that).

There is almost no copper in Halifax water. And if you have plastic piping, none gets in.

With too little copper, you can end up with H2S and mercaptan formation at higher levels than you want. Especially with lagers.

mr x wrote:I usually do HLT water for most chemicals, but chalk goes in the MLT.

Had a conversation with Nash on this last week. For 23l how much do you use and at what steps for an English style.

Sandy

It really depends, there's a few english style beers out there that I would approach differently. I basically determine or find a water profile (internet, beersmith), then plug the numbers into beersmith to get my additions. I don't use any 'set' additions.

I used to try to match the water to the city of the beer style's origin, but I gave up on that awhile ago. Usually I'll add a little gypsum for most beers, more for hoppy beers (although not Burton levels), or precipitated chalk for dark beers (although not Dublin or London levels). I've tried adding as little as 8 ppm calcium for a wheat beer, but I found that the bitterness wouldn't linger at all, leaving no aftertaste. That's probably appropriate for the style, but I'm adding more calcium next time.

I want to start doing some additions to my water when I am brewing. I have been using Beersmith to figure out what quantities of gypsum/salt/Calcium chloride/etc. But the one item that I am not certain about is, that I am using HRM water which has some chlorine in it. Boiling will remove the chlorine gas, but not the chloramines. What does everyone to address this? I do not have a carbon filtration system. Camden tablets is the only thing I have read that can remove chloramines, other than a water filtration system.

Trevor

A good video on water adjustments

So, with my very limited reading on water chemistry I feel like I've got a somewhat basic understanding. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

The two main factors seem to be matching your residual alkalinity with the style of beer you are making and hitting the proper sulphate to chloride ratio.

-Lighter beers should have a lower residual alkalinity (~-50 to 0) and darker beers higher (~0-250).
-Hoppier brews should have a higher sulphate to chloride ratio (2:1), maltier or sweeter brews should have a low sulphate to chloride ratio (1:2), while pale ales would fall in the middle (1:1).

The other minerals of importance seem to be a general range that will work for all styles.

-Calcium in a range of 50-150ppm is good for any style
-Magnesium in a range of 10-30ppm is good for any style (for yeast metabolism)
-Sodium should be inverse to Sulphates: higher sulphates = lower sodium and vice versa.

Does this all seem to make sense, or am I going in a totally wrong direction?

Well...where are the water people? ?

Ive never followed the alkalinity shit

I have a reverse osmosis system for my salt water tank that I am going to use for brewing as well. Just to have a "clean slate (although the R/O doesn't remove everything) to build a proper water profile using these parameters. Great Video Jimmy! That's about what I took from that video as well. I've always tried to build upon the cities water profile but having the R/O water will make it somewhat easier.

Where is the best place to send my well water for chemical profile testing? (not coliform, thats a crappy test !)
cheers ken

TJ Brew wrote:I want to start doing some additions to my water when I am brewing. I have been using Beersmith to figure out what quantities of gypsum/salt/Calcium chloride/etc. But the one item that I am not certain about is, that I am using HRM water which has some chlorine in it. Boiling will remove the chlorine gas, but not the chloramines. What does everyone to address this? I do not have a carbon filtration system. Camden tablets is the only thing I have read that can remove chloramines, other than a water filtration system.

Trevor

A month late, but just noticed this now...

Do you know for sure that Halifax water is treated with chloramine? If it's just chlorine, you can either boil it off, let it sit for a few days open, to let the chlorine evaporate out, or you can use your carbon filtration system.

If its chloramine, yes, you'd have to use campden tablets. They'll work for chlorine as well, but they aren't necessary if you have a water filter, from what I understand.

rhumbatron wrote:Where is the best place to send my well water for chemical profile testing? (not coliform, thats a crappy test !)
cheers ken

http://www.brewnosers.org/forums/viewto ... ing#p37914" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For those that use chalk, do you add it directly to your strike water? Are there any issues with it dissolving on its own?

Some water additions disolve better at lower, some at higher. I usually add all of my water additions as I'm heating my full volume strike water, stirr it a couple of times along the way and it's good.

Sent from the brew timer.

Iirc, chalk won't dissolve, so I add it to the mash.

Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2

I need a course on water chemistry... Every time I feel like it's starting to make sense, something turns everything upside down.