If I use RO and the recipe advises the base water is CA 21ppm, MG 12ppm, Na 15ppm, SO4 4ppm, Cl 4ppm, HCO3 128ppm how do I adjust the RO to get to the base water? Sorry if this is a simple question but this is my second time all grin brewing.
-
Welcome to the new forum! We upgraded our forum software with a host of new boards, capabilities and features. It is also more secure.
Jump in and join the conversation! You can learn more about the upgrade and new features here.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Using RO Water
- Thread starter brett11
- Start date
I have been brewing a while, but new to water chemistry. If I am understanding you correctly, you are trying to get your WATER dialed in .... when from what I know, your salts / additions are going to be based a lot on your grain bill taking in account you are using RO or distilled water. I brewed with a friend of mine yesterday and he uses Brew Father and he adds the salts into the crushed grain and stirs it up and adds to the mash tun. In his case, he is doing a brew in bag, so my questions regarding sparge water are still left unanswered. I'll be following your post ... I have one as well that is unanswered.
I am probably misunderstanding the issue, but the recipe includes all of the grains etc., but it also calls for those measurements in base water. So if I use RO water, which is basically zero, how much of the salts/additions do I have to add into water, and is there a tool that I can use on the site, that calculates those measurements?
GigaFemto
Grandmaster Brewer
BeerSmith3 has a water profile tool (Tools --> Water Profile) that should help you with this. Start with a base profile of Distilled Water, which has no minerals in it. Then add Gypsum, CaCl, etc on the left and see the results on the bottom. Ca, SO4 and Cl are the most important, with Mg and Na being less important and HCO3 least important. If you want it a bit more automated, create and save the water profile you want to match. Then select that as the Target Profile in the Water Profile Tool, push the Match Target Profile button and BeerSmith3 will do its best to match your target.
You will find out that it is impossible to match the profile you listed using BeerSmith's water additions. You can't get that amount of Ca and Mg without getting more SO4 or Cl than you listed. The concentrations for all are very low, though, so excess SO4 and Cl don't matter as long as their ratio is close to the ratio in your target profile. Calcium is generally recommended to be at least 50 ppm for yeast health and avoidance of beerstone formation.
--GF
You will find out that it is impossible to match the profile you listed using BeerSmith's water additions. You can't get that amount of Ca and Mg without getting more SO4 or Cl than you listed. The concentrations for all are very low, though, so excess SO4 and Cl don't matter as long as their ratio is close to the ratio in your target profile. Calcium is generally recommended to be at least 50 ppm for yeast health and avoidance of beerstone formation.
--GF