I am getting ready to get my water analyzed. I inquired with the water company about which of 3 sources my water comes from and they replied that it is usually a mix. One of the treatment plants is currently down so I am likely getting a mix from the 2 other plants or possibly one.
It sounds like the content in my water will not necessarily be stable which causes concern for me when getting my water analyzed. Certain aspects like pH are very similar between each plant however the is a large variance in hardness, alkalinity, and others.
Yep, and the latter of the two is the best option for predictability and consistency. I’d think it would be a total crapshoot to use a mix of water sources, unless the 3 were very similar.
Ok. I was kind of thinking RO water would be my best bet for this circumstance. I am mostly worried about controlling my mash pH and not mimicking certain water profiles.
Since it has taken me so long to get around to addressing water I think I will try my water and see what happens over time. If necessary, I can always switch to RO water…no rush.
Ok so the water company replied with this after I noted this is for brewing:
The mineral content of water is a significant factor in brewing. Denver Water routinely tests for several mineral components in our treated water from each of Denver’s watershed sources.
Most brewers find Denver’s water is well-suited for home-brewing operations.
Concentration (mg/L)
South Platte treated water Moffat treated water Desirable levels *
Total alkalinity (as CaCO3) 30-81 18-35 25-300
Sodium (Na) 15-23 4-8 10-150
Chloride (Cl) 12-33 4-7 Less than 150
Sulfate (SO4 ) 47-78 17-23 10-70
Calcium (Ca) 21-37 9-15 50-150
Magnesium (Mg) 5-10 2-3 10-30
I believe the pH is about 7.74. I am a moron with chemistry and water so I basically only need to learn how to control my pH as alestateyall stated. In this case, I believe I would be Moffat treated water…
Regardless of using local or RO water, I would use Bru’nWater for it - it will accurately help you predict your pH and therefore be able to adjust it PRIOR to the mash, rather than winging it, checking pH on the fly during the mash and then having to react quickly and accurately. I’ve checked my pH against what Bru’nWater predicts and it is very accurate software.
Yep, just be sure to look for the stores with a machine that you fill by the gallon. I make extra sure to look for info on the machine that states that the water is processed using reverse osmosis. To my knowledge, most of those types of machines are.
And if you can find a machine that’s INSIDE the store as people seem intent on messing with them and when they are inside they are less likely to have been messed with.
How do you know what amounts of minerals are in RO water though? If you’re talking Deep Rock water or Aquafina or something like that, most of those water machines are just local water that’s been purified. But even looking at Deep Rocks water quality reports they still contain minerals and their ph can vary depending on the local source they are gathering from. Maybe I’m missing something though with the RO stuff.
For me, my water works best for amber styles of beer. pH almost always checks out spot on with an amberish/reddish type beer. When I want to make dark beers I use a little calcium carbonate in the water. When I want to make light colored beers I either adjust with acid or build from scratch.
My water comes from 3 different sources as well, and every now and then I will dough in and get a really strange pH reading on a beer that normally comes in perfect. But it is really very rare.