I sent off a water sample to Ward Labs for Manitowoc’s water. This is the same test as what I did for the Kossuth Artesian Well just north of Manitowoc on Hwy Q. With this data you can more accurately know what beer styles will work best with the current water profile and what water adjustments to make for other styles (if necessary). If you remember from the basic water presentation I did last year, this is a troubleshooting and fine tuning aspect of brewing. There is no reason to stress about your water as long as the water tastes good and is free of chlorine. If you don’t want to worry about water, you don’t have to. But water chemistry can affect hop perception in beer as well as affect your mash. So for those who want that data, here it is. Granted it will change slightly year after year, but this will get you solidly in the ballpark. Also, if anyone wants to, it would be nice to gather other water sources from the local area for other brewers. So if you are willing, the tests are affordable and you get your results in a week. If you do get a test, email me the data and I will post it to the website. The cost for the basic test is only $16.50 at Ward Labs. Here are the Manitowoc water results, below that I will provide links to brewing water spreadsheets. The most essential numbers applicable to brewing are in bold.
Manitowoc Water Report 2013
pH: 7.0
Total Dissolved Solids: 156
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm: 0.26
Cations/Anions, me/L: 2.6/2.5
Sodium, Na: 9
Potassium, K: 2
Calcium, Ca: 18
Magnesium, Mg: 15
Total Hardness: 108
Nitrate, NO3-N: 0.4
*Sulfate as SO4-S : 8
*Sulfate as SO4: 24
Chloride, Cl: 15
Carbonate, Co3: <1
Bicarbonate, HC03: 91
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3: 75
*=Some water spreadsheets are looking for Sulfate as either SO4-S or SO4. I provided both numbers. To get the SO4 number you multiply the SO4-S by 3.
Water Spreadsheet Resources: (Bru’n Water, Brukaiser Water Spreadsheet, EZ Water Calculator, Of course you can always use Beersmith’s water tool as well but the spreadsheets provide more detail)
Water Education: (Brukaiser Water, How to Brew’s Chapter on Water, Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers)
Ya’ll might also be interested in a collection of municipal water reports from the State of Wisconsin on the Rackers’ website. Any municipal source in the State can be looked up, and this includes many wells as well. See here: http://www.rackers.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58&Itemid=72