With the quarantine going on and all of the water gone from my local grocery store, I’m thinking about brewing with my water out of the faucet. I live in Huntington Beach and I think the water is extremely hard so I’ve always used arrowhead Springwater that I buy from the grocery store which is unavailable. I am completely unfamiliar with how to read a water report and if it’s acceptable for Brewing. If there’s any kind souls out there that would want to take a look at this water report I found online and let me know if it is acceptable for Brewing, it would be much appreciated. I was planning on doing a Munich Dunkel this Sunday with it.
Thanks in advance.
What concerns me most about the report is the detection range. Sulfate from 21 to 200. That’s a range of 10x. Same for chloride. Don’t know how anyone could adjust for a desired profile using that range. I think an independent test would be helpful. Perhaps 2 (or more) tests per year that coincide with your rainy season. That’s probably why there is such a range. Maybe your city water department could provide you with seasonal reports, then no need for independent testing. In either case, you will need to get rid of those chlorinamides. And you will most likely want to draw water upstream of your softener.
The problem is the sheer spread of the water. The document you provided says 7 city wells and 3 other imported groundwater sources are blended. They quote that 77% of the water comes from the 7 city wells and the other 23% from the imported groundwater sources.
You really have no way of knowing what the ion concentrations are at any given time because the numbers you are given are averages of the blend. You’d have to send multiple samples for analysis to get a feel for how consistent the water is, and even then, it’s likely to change based on season, etc.
As an aside, you’d want the water you use, if you use it, to come from a source that bypasses the water softener.
Good news, my friend down the street with the same water as me and also the same water softener me send a sample to ward labs and here are the results. I also have a 3M water filter that I could send the water through if anyone thinks that this is acceptable Water. Another look would be helpful. Thanks.
Ph. 8.3
Total dissolve solids. 204
Electrical conductivity. 0.34
Water chemistry for some reason goes so far over my head. So for my water profile below, if I want to decrease alkalinity by doing a pre-boil (9.5 gallons strike and Sparge total), does anyone have any recommendations on length of boil, or length of cooling, and any post boil additions? I’ve done extensive web searches and everyone seems to do it differently with different opinions. Thanks so much.
Ph. 8.3
Total dissolve solids. 204
Electrical conductivity. 0.34
The Ward report doesn’t address the variability of the water that Big Monk raised and it isn’t for softened water because the calcium is high and the sodium is low. The carbonate and calcium levels are both somewhat high somewhat canceling each other out from a mash pH perspective so I think the water could be useful.
I would call the water department to see how much the water would vary at your house. Your water could be fairly stable if your water is always blended from several sources. I once lived in a town in which the town would run different wells on different days leading to a highly variable water supply. If you water is very variable, I would track down a zymurgy article about a brewery in New Mexico that had a highly variable water supply or I would buy an RO system. If your water isn’t that variable, I would put the average water data and Ward samples in Bru’n water to see what effect different waters would have on your beer. During the pandemic, you might have the time and interest to go down the water chemistry rabbit hole.
