At first we have to store the original status. --You should get the values for A, B, C, D and F from your water supplier. The values are automatically entered into the calculations when you leave an input-field.

Now consider if the level of flavor relevant Chlorid and Sulfat should be rised or adjusted to fit a certain brewing water. Dave Draper lists water analyses from all around the world on his website. If no addition of mineral salts is desired, then enter the same values as in C and D.

If adding Calcium salts, the RA will be further reduced because of the acidifying effect of the Calcium ions. Salt additions are limited however and thus the remaining RA will still be too high for some beerstyles, if water rich in carbonates is used. If you want to avoid time consuming water treatment methods, you simply can neutralize the carbonates with lactic acid! This is done in German breweries with wort that has been fermented at about 45C with lactic bacteria from the malt (goes with Reinheitsgebot!). Homebrewers can use conventional food grade lactic acid or so called acid-malt. With a typical lactic acid level of 3% you need about 4% acid-malt per grain-bill to reduce RA by 10°dH.