I suddenly find myself able to brew tomorrow, so need to get crackin. Making an Old Ale (1.088 OG) base of Maris Otter with some Medium Crystal and Molasses Brown Sugar bringing the color to 18-20 SRM. Below is my current water - what should I adjust?
Calcium: 26.7
Magnesium = 0.37
Sodium: 0.95
Chloride: 2.6
Sulfate: 1.2
Alkalinity as CaCO3: 18.9
Thanks in advance, all!
EDIT: updated color to a bit darker
There is something seriously in error with the concentrations that you’ve listed. The profile does not balance and I can’t decipher what the problem might be.
The strongest recommendations I can provide is that the calcium content is a little low. I recommend an absolute minimum of 40 ppm Ca and a preferred minimum of 50 ppm.
The alkalinity (bicarbonate content) is too low for a beer that will end up in the 18 to 20 SRM range. Baking soda and pickling lime are best for adding the needed alkalinity since they are very soluble. Chalk is not.
Thanks Martin - yeah, I reviewed the printed report from my utility and those the numbers that were given. I’ll try posting the document later to show where I got them - maybe I grabbed a value from the wrong column or mis-calculated something else.
Anyway, thanks for the general pointers for treatment - seems that I’d be safe tweaking Calcium and Alkalinity a bit.