Sorry, water profile newbie here. I understand most of the calcium/sulphate stuff, but alkalinity is still beyond me.
My water company says that alkalinity is 2,98 mmol/l.
Is it correct then that bicarbonate = 181 ppm?
And what values do I then put in the fields carbonate and reported total alkalinity, and, in the sparge acidification tab, in the field water alkalinity?
I believe that you convert mmol/l to mval/l by multiplying by 2 giving 5.96 mval/l.
That is very significant alkalinity roughly equal to 298 total alkalinity as CaCO3 or 363 ppm bicarbonate.
My math might be off… so someone should double check.
The question is mmol/l of what? I’m not sure what the water reporting conventions in Europe are - I seem to remember that homoeccentricus lives in Belgium - so perhaps Martin can help you or you can go back to your water utility for more info.
I do live in Belgium yes, and I asked about hco3 values. The company does not publish them.
Alkalinity is a total of carbonate and bicarbonate ions, the relative amounts dependent on the pH. In the US, the total amount is given as though it were all carbonate, specifically calcium carbonate. We need to know what compound is being used in Belgium for alkalinity, since you need a molecular weight to get from mmol/L to ppm.
If they are using calcium carbonate, your alkalinity would be 298 ppm.
Ah, in the report I did find “total hardness” to be 18.8 °fH (French degrees). This should be equivalent to 18.8 * 10 mg CaCO3, which is then 188 mg/liter, right?
So what do I put in the spreadsheet in those fields?
You live a mostly happy, carefree life. You have a family, friends, a nice job, a nice hobby, but there’s something gnawing at you, deep down in your soul. And then, one day, it smacks you right in the face, and you recognize its monstrous features immediately: it’s Alkalinity.
I hear you. My well water has bicarb 297ppm HCO3, and total alk CaCO3 253ppm. It took a metric ton of lactic acid to drop the PH, and it gave all my beer a serious twang/tartness. I installed RO system and brewing life has been much better.
You can use the hardness value to calculate estimated concentrations of certain ions, but it is not a required field for Bru’n Water. If you look below the Hardness and Alkalinity Results table on the Water Report Input worksheet, you can use the number, converted to PPM as CaCO3 to verify your report inputs… assuming it balances properly. If you are working from municipal water reports, you may find the report doesn’t balance - but it should give you a general idea of the ion composition.
You are correct, the hardness value is about 188 mg as CaCO3. So look for a number close to that in the cell next to Total Hardness.
[quote]I hear you. My well water has bicarb 297ppm HCO3, and total alk CaCO3 253ppm. It took a metric ton of lactic acid to drop the PH, and it gave all my beer a serious twang/tartness. I installed RO system and life brewing life has been much better.
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Same here. I was pretty upset when my report came back with 582 ppm alkalinity and 296 ppm sodium. Martin helped me decide on RO and helped with parameters for a high-flow system - haven’t looked back. Suddenly my beers tasted like - beer and not some strange alien form of beer.
Same here. I was pretty upset when my report came back with 582 ppm alkalinity and 296 ppm sodium. Martin helped me decide on RO and helped with parameters for a high-flow system - haven’t looked back. Suddenly my beers tasted like - beer and not some strange alien form of beer.
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Wow! Are you using the RO for drinking water as well then?
In the house we are using a resin exchange filter that pretty much reduces it to DI water for drinking… but are going through a ton of those little filters. Looking at a whole house solution at some point… that water has wrecked all of our plumbing fixtures… and the rejection water from the high-volume RO system in my brewery will precipitate a chalk-like substance.
Same here. I was pretty upset when my report came back with 582 ppm alkalinity and 296 ppm sodium. Martin helped me decide on RO and helped with parameters for a high-flow system - haven’t looked back. Suddenly my beers tasted like - beer and not some strange alien form of beer.
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I have spent some time in Austin, and the water does not seem that bad. Are you on a well in limestone country?
About 14 miles east of Austin in Bastrop. It’s a rural water supply… and they heavily treat the water for a couple of reasons. You should see it when they do the quarterly chlorine flush… the shower smells like a swimming pool. The RO filter does the trick for brewing, and it is pre-filtered heavily. Basically the water is appears heavily softened, but isn’t a bad feed into the RO. Our feed comes from aquifer and from the Colorado River - but the water passed along is fairly consistent.
For the record, Bastrop’s city municipal water supply is reasonable, but highly variable. I spent a lot of time with the little Bastrop Brewhouse until it closed and monitored the water weekly - alkalinity swings between about 140 ppm all the way to about 350 ppm… It’s a common problem from the Hill Country out to Houston.
Back to our friend in Belgium… really it seems that you have little choice but to either brew only very dark beers or to dilute significantly with RO/DI. At least we can use our tap waters as alternative to alkali additions… (looking for a silver lining).
Heading to the Hill Country soon, then down to the Valley.
I have found that 1 gallon of my tap water and 8 gallons of RO water gets darned close to the profile for treated Munich water that Martin published in Zymurgy not so long ago.
Yeah? I get up close to you every once and a while - you should ping me when you get down to this area. There are far better breweries than Jester King to visit! 
Ford is a customer… so you know… lots of time in Wixom. Always seems to be in the wintertime. My colleague’s son is in school in Anne Arbor - hopefully going to have a trip in the summer and swing up toward the U for a few beers and steaks.
Never been to JK, but if we get in on the Sunday in time, we will stop. Staying in Drippin’. Like the area and really like the Barber Shop.
What breweries do you recommend? Been to Twisted X, not so impressed.
The Wixom plant is leveled, and a big RV dealer and a Menards are going in. Makes you do a double take every time on I-96.
The last time I was in Austin, Jester King was top of the list. Too bad they were in Maine that weekend for a beer fest. Damn you Mainers.
Real Ale for sure over in Blanco - on the Dripping Springs side. It’s a great tour and fascinating given their growth in the past 2 years. I would make sure to to it. Not clear on their hours early in the week.
JK is a nice place, but just overcrowded. I am allergic to hipsters.
In town, there are quite a few, but I would strongly recommend ABGB, and would be happy to be your host there. Maybe could swing a tour, but a brewery is a brewery - usually. They are just south of downtown off Lamar and Oltorf. Another pizza place and sandwiches but the best pils and helles in town (IMHO). Closed on Monday.
Pinthouse Pizza has a solid selection of beers - and a large line up - Pizza is decent. North side of town. Would be a nice day trip up, and work towards the south to some of the breweries.
Uncle Billys has a new brewery system and brewers. Those guys left to start ABGB, but understand the beer is pretty good these days. Don’t count on great BBQ there tho.
South of 71/Ben White there is South Austin Brewing , (512) , Independence and a NXNW location is now South. A little further up 35, there is Whip Inn (Kamala Brewing) which can be hit and miss, but fun. Meridian Hive further north - if you like Mead… and I know the brewers there and maybe could get a private tour setup. It’s lots of tanks… but the mead is sessionable and pretty tasty.
Really hard to not hit a brewery with a good throwing arm. ABGB is my favorite… head brewer has several GABF medals and a real character.
Thanks for the run down.
Been to the Town of Blanco, the brewery was not open for tours that day. We always get a 6-er Hans Pils when in TX.
The niece in Austin likes Pizza Pint. Might stop this time if we are in Austin. We have been to Franklin twice and John Mueller twice. Many other places in the area including Lockhart and Luling.
Will just be in Drippin 2 nights. Might head farther west on some day trips to see more of the Hill country.
OP-sorry for the thread jack!
One other place, if you like WW2 history… Fredricksburg has an amazing WW2 Pacific Theater museum. Worth the ride by itself, along with the old west mainstreet shopping. There is a little microbrewery there that has excellent food and fair beer.
Hope y’all enjoy the trip!