Brisbane Water Chemistry

[discobreakfast]

Hey brewers,

I'm keen to start toying with some water additions but a little reluctant as I've found the information a little confusing. Especially finding the right data to input into Brewfather as my standard water profile.

I emailed SEQ water and asked for the data on the specific data required in Brewfather, they were really helpful but I'm still not 100% confident. They sent me the following link where you can download a pdf report which gives a breakdown for the water in my area (Murarrie 4172).

https://www.seqwater.com.au/sampling-site/wellers-hill-reservoirs
With Brewfather needing the below information this is all I can get from downloading the pdf report. Obviously with the missing info I'm hesitant to play with any additions just yet.

Cations:
- Calcium Ca2+ / ???
- Magnesium Mg2+ / ???
- Sodium Na2+ / 41.0

Anions:
- Chloride CI- / 75.0
- Sulfate SO42- / 40.0 (spelt Sulphate in report)
- Bicarbonate HCO3- / ???

If anyone has used this before and is able to shed some light to something I may not be picking up in the report it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[philrob]

I've also been interested in these data, ( I live in The Gap, so would probably be on a different reservoir than yours) and have studied their website. I don't think it gives us the full picture of what we are looking for.
When I lived in Port Macquarie I wrote to the Council and requested specifically what I was looking for, and they were really helpful giving me exactly what I needed to input into BeerSmith.
The data we need are the following, in ppm or equivalent:
Ca
Mg
Na
SO4
Cl
HC03
Alkalinity
Effective Hardness
Residual Alkalinity

They won't be able to give you exact data, as the water changes somewhat through the course of the year, but they should be able to give you a range. I used the midpoint of the range in my software.

I filter all my water through an activated carbon filter, so chlorine etc is not a concern for me.

Good luck in getting a response from them.

 

[crowmanz]

BABBS ran a bunch of water tests with water from a few members houses in 2022 and 2019, mostly central and South Brisbane locations. You'll see the variation across the area isn't massive and they've included an average.

2022 figures are here
https://babbrewers.com/2022/12/03/brisbane-water-analysis-2022/
Regarding activated charcoal filtering, standard activated charcoal filtering will remove free chlorine but won't remove chloramines which are also used in water chlorination in SEQ.

 

[Timewellspent]

I have only been brewing for about a year so not an expert but I live in your area so would have the same water.

I have filtered water that removes chlorine but I did notice an improvement in my beer when I started using meta bisulphate to treat for chloramine. The disclaimer here is that I made some other changes at the same time so will never know what really made the difference.

When I started using mineral salts I did not notice much improvement in my beer…. However I still continue to use them in recipes especially when the recipe is from hoppy days.

In short if you are not currently using meta bisulphate give it a go and see if it makes a difference. My personal opinion is that mineral salts only make a minor difference…. Or I am just using them wrong