This water profile???

[TimCA]

Making JZ's APA what do you think of this water
Calcium (ppm) Magnesium (ppm) Alkalinity as CaCO3 Sodium (ppm) Chloride (ppm) Sulfate (ppm)
123 4 68 17 91 147

Thanks for the input

Tim CA

[BigNastyBrew]

What's the beer color and mash water volume?

Looks like you're good for a 3-8 SRM beer with a bitter profile, as it is.

What I've been noticing on my last few batches is that when I build a sheet for a color range, the closer my beer is to the upper limit of that profile, the lower the pH it is. If I build a 3-8 SRM profile and brew a 4SRM beer, my pH has been in the 5.5-5.6 range. If I brew an 8SRM beer with that same profile, I'm getting down into the 5.2-5.3 range.

[TimCA]

Its a 6.5 SRM for 8.5 G mash in water (11 G batch.)
My well water is (Ward Labs)
Calcium (ppm) Magnesium (ppm) Alkalinity as CaCO3 Sodium (ppm) Chloride (ppm) Sulfate (ppm) Water pH
14 4 49 8 1 8 6.1

I have been working on my water using Palmer's excel sheet. After re-listing to water #1 I have chosen not to change the Mg or Na. and to just focus on the basics. Having a hard time playing with all the additions to get them in the "proper" range for this beer.

[BigNastyBrew]

I love playing with this sheet in my spare time, actually.

When I need to lower the range on my beers in the sheet, I like to play with Gypsum and Calcium Chloride only. I leave everything else alone.

According to the sheet (and YES I know the sheet is designed for a base malt only mash but it has been working great for me), your water looks ideal for 8-13 SRM beers with a Very Bitter profile.

I start putting in grams of Gypsum and Calcium CHloride until for yours, I get to 5 gm of each of those. That gives me a target range of 4-8 SRM and Balanced. If I want it more bitter, I go to 7gm gypsum and 5 gm calcium chloride to give me a 3-8 range and a Bitter profile. I can switch those and get a malty profile ( 4 and 7, respectively).

These calculations are ONLY for your strike water, though. What I do after that is I change the volume of cell C23 to the volume of total sparge water and make a new calculation for the same profile to add to the kettle after sparging. THis ensures a more uniform water profile through out the whole batch, and not just the mash.

This is all just what I do, of course and it has been working.

[TimCA]

Cool thanks for all the tips. I do agree with the liking to tinker with the spreed sheet. What do you think of the Sulfate being 95. Should it be higher for an APA? Or is it the ratio that's more important.
Also I batch sparge and the 8.5 G (1.39 q/lb) is about 1/2 total water, so Ill just pitch the same amounts into the "second mashing". What do you think.

TimCA

[BigNastyBrew]

In perspective, I've only been adjusting water for 7-8 batches so take that for what it's worth too.

In listening to Brew Strong and from my limited experience, it is the chloride to sulfate ratio that is important for the profile you want, not the totals.

I don't add my second salts additions to the mash, I put them into the kettle after sparging.