Moderately hard water!

[Wekslap]

According to the website for my water company, Northumberland water, my water is moderately hard. I don't understand it all but it says:

Calcium 64mg per litre
Calcium carbonate 160mg per litre
11.2 Clarke
8.96 German.

What does this mean as regards me brewing bitters, pales, browns, milds, lagers etc?
What do I need to add to treat my water for some or all of these styles?

Thank-you

[orlando]

According to the website for my water company, Northumberland water, my water is moderately hard. I don't understand it all but it says:

Calcium 64mg per litre
Calcium carbonate 160mg per litre
11.2 Clarke
8.96 German.

What does this mean as regards me brewing bitters, pales, browns, milds, lagers etc?
What do I need to add to treat my water for some or all of these styles?

Thank-you

What you really need is a proper water report dedicated to brewing. Get in touch with Wallybrew on here, once you have the results then post them.

[Wekslap]

Is this any use?

[Jim]

Eric is almost certainly on the same supply as you - the water in Sunderland is quite hard and isn't suitable for brewing the majority of beer styles without treatment (mostly carbonate reduction). Hopefully he'll chime in on this thread as he has his water treatment sussed.

[Eric]

I was going to say it might be if I could read it, but S109 rang a bell.
Hardness is a measure of calcium and magnesium in the water, the harder it is the more it contains.
Calcium and magnesium have significant influences in brewing, but when too much is in an alkaline form, that can cause problems.

I read you are about to start all grain brewing and as Jim says, that water needs treatment for best results.
Our waters will be similar but not identical on any given day (mine's S107 Jim).

If you've not already done so, order a Salfert kit and a TDS Meter, then when you get to grips with all grain brewing, get your water tested by WallyBrew. Meanwhile PM me when we might arrange a get together to demonstrate how simple treatment is.

[Wekslap]

Thanks Eric.

I have the report in a pdf but the site wouldn't allow me to upload it as that and I'm not very up on how to copy and paste and convert and printscreen etc so sorry if it was unreadable. I'll look into what you suggested.

Thanks

[Wekslap]

The pdf report says something like Ph is A006 6.5 lower and 9.5 upper. I think that's what it means.

[Eric]

It's OK about the report, I've got it now. just came back from somewhere near where you live, your water coming from the pumping station at Stoneygate. pH of the water has no relevance whatsoever.

Apart from hardness, there are just three measurements given of any use to a brewer, those for chloride, sodium and sulphate. However they vary enormously day to day as I learned the hard way such that the given values are of almost no practical value.

Each of those minerals was measured eight times in a year when chloride was found between 13 and 50ppm, sodium between 8.5 and 58ppm and sulphate between 47 and 220ppm, not consistent, particularly when they seem to have tested only once every 45 days and there were likely many days when levels would be higher and lower than those recorded. With this amount of variation demands that the amount of minerals, and alkalinity in particular, in your water should be assessed each brew day. This isn't difficult to do, takes just a few minutes and costs little in equipment and materials to make full compensation for all such differences, but because of our proximity and the complexity of the water it would be easier to do this face to face rather than via keyboards. What say?

[Wekslap]

Yeah. Okay with me. Thanks Eric.