May 2010
Newsletter
Newsletter
Brewing Water
How do Edmonton brewers treat/prepare their water to create the best brewing liquor for the job? What do you use for water (municipal supply, bought, something else)? How do you treat it before brewing (what additives or processes do you undertake)? Where do you get everything/anything that you use in this process (try to keep equipment stuff listed in the equipment forum and put salts and minerals, etc. in this forum)? What do you do differently for different styles you brew - or do you do the same thing all the time?
Check out the December Brewing process manual
http://www.ehg.ca/?q=node/467
Water
According to EPCOR Edmonton City water's profile is:
Edmonton
Calcium 48
Magnisium 14
Sodium 8
Chloride 4
Sulfate 60
Alkalinity 120
PH 7.7
Total Hardness 170
So moderately hard water. Suitable for most beers.
BeerSmith has an excellent tool that lets you plug in your water and your target water and then lets you adjust six brewing additives, Gypsum, Table Salt, Epsom Salt, Baking soda, Chalk and Calcium Carbonate, to build your brewing water.
This is all theory. I've never done it but next up is a British IPA so I'll try and build Burton water as best I can and let you know how that works out. I have made a Czech Pilsner that I watered down 2 to 1 RO to city water. (According to BeerSmith I'd have to water it down alot more than that to get to Pilsn water.)
An other thing to remember is that Edmonton water is "clorinated" with Cloramine. So leaving it out over night or boiling it is not going to cut it. If using city water you have to put it through a charcoal filter or add a campden tablet or get used to the taste of band-aids.
cheers
egilmour
Edmonton Water Profile
Daily water reports can be found here:
http://www.epcor.ca/en-ca/Customers/water-customers/water-quality-report...
In-depth monthly reports can be found here:
http://www.epcor.ca/en-ca/Customers/water-customers/water-quality-report...