179 replies to this topic

[positiveContact]

last water report i have is pretty old, 2008 but the water source is still the same.

 

copper is 0.052 ppm

iron is < 0.01 ppm

[dmtaylor]

There's got to be some seasonal water treatment thing going on.  This doesn't just happen randomly.

 

We may need a Martin type guy to help decipher the particulars and support or refute hypotheses.  I studied chemistry a loooong time ago in college but don't consider myself an expert by any means.

Edited by dmtaylor, 04 November 2016 - 10:47 AM.

[Brauer]

I wasn't able to find reference for the color of a solution of copper & tannic acid. Zinc and tannic acid is apparently red-brown and iron plus tannic acid is dark green, which is apparently a common test for tannins. It does sound like that should precipitate out.

Edited by Brauer, 04 November 2016 - 10:57 AM.

[Big Nake]

I looked at my report again and my copper shows <0.3ppm and "desirable" and my iron shows <1.0ppm and also "desirable". But I agree that it has to be something temporary or new. Hopefully the beer is not impacted.

[dmtaylor]

I've found a few references that say that copper tannate (copper + tannic acid) produces a yellow-brown, brown, or khaki color, and is insoluble in water.  Google "copper tannate color".

 

The same sort of search confirmed that iron tannate can be a black or very deep green color.

 

So......... it's iron.  It's got to be iron.

[positiveContact]

huh.  probably in my water right?

[denny]

so what will happen to my beer if there is increased iron or copper content?

 

virtually nothing AFAIK, unless there's huge amounts

[positiveContact]

virtually nothing AFAIK, unless there's huge amounts

 

would I be able to taste it in the water itself?  I drink my tap water (unfiltered) pretty much every day.  I make coffee with it.  My wife drinks a lot of it as well.  It tastes fine to me.

[neddles]

I can't taste the iron in my water but it tests as there (not sure how much) and the pex leading into my calcite filter is orange-stained. the pex coming out of the filter is opaque white and unstained. Post-filter Ward Labs detected 0.03 ppm total Fe.

[dmtaylor]

My parents' house has a well, and their water has a significant amount of iron.  You can't really taste it in the water, but for some reason if they make ice and your pour your drink into an ice-filled glass then it tastes strongly of iron.  For that reason they have been buying all of their ice at the gas station for about 20 years.

[positiveContact]

so could a flushing of the pipes cause a temporary uptick in iron?

[neddles]

so could a flushing of the pipes cause a temporary uptick in iron?

No idea.

[denny]

so could a flushing of the pipes cause a temporary uptick in iron?

 

Maybe. Do you have galvanized pipes?

[positiveContact]

Maybe. Do you have galvanized pipes?

 

in my house no way!  all copper and pex.  not sure what is out in the municipal system. 

[denny]

in my house no way!  all copper and pex.  not sure what is out in the municipal system. 

 

Well, at least Joe said no problem.

[positiveContact]

indeed.  here is a cut and paste.  I have seen pinkish/purpleish foam as well.

 

Your strike water looks completely normal from my experience. The brown tint might be from iron, but another good indicator of iron is a purple tinted foam that develops on top of the mash. 
No worries!!!

 

 

[HVB]

That is good.
Crisis averted!

[neddles]

 

 

Your strike water looks completely normal from my experience. The brown tint might be from iron, but another good indicator of iron is a purple tinted foam that develops on top of the mash. 
No worries!!!

Wait what? Green strike water is normal?

 

Also, this explains why I haven't seen the pink foam.

[Brauer]

so could a flushing of the pipes cause a temporary uptick in iron?

We'll sometimes get rusty water after they work on the water main.

[neddles]

The day this went down I filled a bucket with 2 gallons of untreated well water known to have iron in it. Then I dropped in a a solid pinch of Brewtan B. Waited several hours and it was still clear. I forgot all about it until last night when I went to dump it and it looked like this. Maybe a slow reaction at room temp?