CRS and Campden Tablet Water Treatment

1 year ago | simonb_13 (Member)

I've read a few posts and just wanted to check something.

I need to add a Campden to the total amount of water I'm going to use and I have the figures for the correct amount of CRS. Now do I add this the day before the brewing or just before I start?

Cheers

Planning: PJ Clone
Fermenting:
Condtioning: Twibute Clone
Drinking: 100% wheat, Fixby Gold

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Responses

Greg:

Posted 1 year ago by Admin

Just before is fine although I often get my water ready the night before to make life easier on the day.

Planning:Maybe a lager.
Fermenting:
Conditioning:Pale with Styrians
Drinking:Cascade Pale Ale, Summer Lightning

Nath:

Posted 1 year ago by Moderator

+1, night before. Anything that saves time on the day is a bonus, even overnight mashing is a good thing some times.

Conditionin'/Drinkin' - OPA Pale
Conditionin' - LEB Pale
Conditionin' - Thwaits Nutty Black
Plannin' - A user upper!

simonb_13:

Posted 1 year ago by Member

Thanks y'all. It's the first time I've used tap water instead of bottled.

Planning: PJ Clone
Fermenting:
Condtioning: Twibute Clone
Drinking: 100% wheat, Fixby Gold

Nath:

Posted 1 year ago by Moderator

Is it the first time you have used it on a tried and tested recipe? It would be nice to see if the taste differs a lot.

Conditionin'/Drinkin' - OPA Pale
Conditionin' - LEB Pale
Conditionin' - Thwaits Nutty Black
Plannin' - A user upper!

C2H5OH:

Posted 1 year ago by Member

could someone explain this one to me a bit clearer please, I only brew beer from kits but I use tap water and have never added any campden tablets or anything to it. I've read some where that it's to remove chlorine but don't understand why. I've not got any empty containers that can store that amount of water could I add the tablet/tablets to the fermenter after water has been mixed with beer kit? or should I just carry on not using them????

Drinking - woodfords wherry, brewmaker northumberland brown ale.
Conditioning - Woodfords Great eastern ale, Parsnip wine, Rhubarb wine.
Brewing - nothing at the minute
Planing - Coopers ginger beer, 5L turbo peach thanks to bmsleight, maybe beetroot wine if there enough spare on the alotment,

Varnish:

Posted 1 year ago by Member

http://www.byo.com/stories/wizard/article/section/121-mr-wizard/475-clearing-chloramine-a-historical-hopping-mr-wizard

Could you treat the water in the fermenter before added the syrup from the kit?

C2H5OH:

Posted 1 year ago by Member

This would make it very hard to dissolve the syrup. I'm guessing that there isn't much chlorine in the water around hear as I've not noticed any bad tastes in the brews I've made so far.

Nath:

Posted 1 year ago by Moderator

You could sterilise a small (say kitchen) container that could fit both cans and 1.5-2ltr water to dissolve it and then pour it into the fv with the treated water in that would work if you wanted to try it to see if there is any noticable difference as 90% of the water would be treated.

Conditionin'/Drinkin' - OPA Pale
Conditionin' - LEB Pale
Conditionin' - Thwaits Nutty Black
Plannin' - A user upper!

simonb_13:

Posted 1 year ago by Member

Nath

I'll be brewing Tony's Tribute. I did an extract version of it earlier this year and will be comparing. However, this is also my first AG attempt (albeit BIAB) so I'm changing the water and brewing technique. Not very scientific I'm afraid.

It did occur to me that even with bottled water I maybe could have use some of the water treatments. I put the water quality details from Sainsbury's (other supermarkets are available) spring water into a treatment calculator and it came back with the require additions base on the desired beer type.

C2H5OH - If you like how your beer tastes using your tap water then just carry doing so.If you feel like a bit of experimenting then buy another FV and use that to hold your brew water and add the treatments. The reason I'm trying this approach is that I'm moving to AG brewing and this requires more water. I don't want to buy 30 litres of bottled water each time and I know my tap water is c**p (very hard and strong chlorine taste).

Planning: PJ Clone
Fermenting:
Condtioning: Twibute Clone
Drinking: 100% wheat, Fixby Gold

Plopleuk:

Posted 1 year ago by Member

I was recently at a brew day and it was run by a chap and his wife who judge brews.
they said two interesting things.
leaving water for an hour or more means the chlorine evaporates out.
a Camden tablet will also achieve this (also suggested by Greg to me in an older post).
the other was that the chemicals in a kit are already made so very rarely react to the chlorine but the chemicals you extract in grains react to the chlorine and produce a TCP off flavor and i know this is true as i have 40 pints of TCP IPA.
they also said some bottled water contains chlorine to give longer shelf life.
my 40 pints of TCP IPA was from bottled water from lidle :cry:

Hamish:

Posted 1 year ago by Moderator

I read somewhere (unfortunately I can't find it agian) that some competition judges can tell beers that are made with Campden tablets from those made without, because those with taste better.

For the next brew I think I'm going to add Campden tablets to the mash & the boil, as well as the water.

Planning: Vienna lager, Wheat beer fermented with Gutmann yeast, ESB
Fermenting: Wheat beer
Maturing/Conditioning:
Drinking: Pseudo-Lager, Oatmeal stout & Shop bought stuff

Nath:

Posted 1 year ago by Moderator

For the next brew I think I'm going to add Campden tablets to the mash & the boil, as well as the water

Hamish, what do you mean adding tablets to the mash boil and weater? Normal practice is to get the required amount of water in a container and treat the whole lot.

Conditionin'/Drinkin' - OPA Pale
Conditionin' - LEB Pale
Conditionin' - Thwaits Nutty Black
Plannin' - A user upper!

simonb_13:

Posted 1 year ago by Member

I used an online calculator. I inputted the chemical makeup of the local water and it came back with the recommended additions:

CRS and Campden tablets in the total amount of water to be used
Gypsum in the Mash
Epsom salts in the boil

I've not looked into why this is the case. I'm just following blindly at the moment. :roll:

Planning: PJ Clone
Fermenting:
Condtioning: Twibute Clone
Drinking: 100% wheat, Fixby Gold

Hamish:

Posted 1 year ago by Moderator

I'm going to treat the water as normal, I use the Wheeler method, then in addition use Campden tablets in the mash & the boil. No idea whether it will make any noticable difference or not but they're as chaeap as chips so I may as well use them.

Planning: Vienna lager, Wheat beer fermented with Gutmann yeast, ESB
Fermenting: Wheat beer
Maturing/Conditioning:
Drinking: Pseudo-Lager, Oatmeal stout & Shop bought stuff

Nath:

Posted 1 year ago by Moderator

Cool, I'm gonna have to read that book again. Wheeler you guru!

Conditionin'/Drinkin' - OPA Pale
Conditionin' - LEB Pale
Conditionin' - Thwaits Nutty Black
Plannin' - A user upper!

Hamish:

Posted 1 year ago by Moderator

Campden in the mash & the boil maybe isn't a Wheeler tip, read it on t'internet but can't find it again.

Planning: Vienna lager, Wheat beer fermented with Gutmann yeast, ESB
Fermenting: Wheat beer
Maturing/Conditioning:
Drinking: Pseudo-Lager, Oatmeal stout & Shop bought stuff

Plopleuk:

Posted 1 year ago by Member

i have been told our soft water in the northwest is great for lagers but needs treatment for bitters.
i think a more in depth look at this is required.
also i thought the campden treatment was to get the water sorted before use not during?

Hamish:

Posted 1 year ago by Moderator

also i thought the campden treatment was to get the water sorted before use not during?

Yes, before.

Planning: Vienna lager, Wheat beer fermented with Gutmann yeast, ESB
Fermenting: Wheat beer
Maturing/Conditioning:
Drinking: Pseudo-Lager, Oatmeal stout & Shop bought stuff

Hamish:

Posted 1 year ago by Moderator

Campden in the mash & the boil maybe isn't a Wheeler tip, read it on t'internet but can't find it again.

Found it!, I knew I'd read it somewhere.

click me

Something to do with Fairies at the bottom of the garden, the Loch Ness Monster, the Big Grey Man of Ben MacDhui, the Yeti & little green men from outer space...

Oh no, its not, its about HSA.

Actually I'm open minded about little green men from outer space.

Planning: Vienna lager, Wheat beer fermented with Gutmann yeast, ESB
Fermenting: Wheat beer
Maturing/Conditioning:
Drinking: Pseudo-Lager, Oatmeal stout & Shop bought stuff

simonb_13:

Posted 1 year ago by Member

One of the links from that site takes you to Brewing Aids

Pretty much comprehensive.

Any water treatment calculator will give you a selection of beer types to choose from and this will alter the treatments recommended.

I'll see if any of this has made a difference to my latest beer and will use it for an extract brew some time soon. I've got Amarillos so may do the IPA again which I've done in the past with bottled water and no water treatments.

Planning: PJ Clone
Fermenting:
Condtioning: Twibute Clone
Drinking: 100% wheat, Fixby Gold

Tony:

Posted 1 year ago by Member

Just a comment on leaving water overnight (to lose the chlorine)...

This does work, the chlorine will disappear... but the chloramine won't... you'll need a campden tab to do this.

Beer will get you through the times of no money better than money will get you through the times of no beer
(with grateful thanks to the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and slightly adapted)

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