![]() ![]() The pH of your source water isn’t really of interest to brewers as long as it’s somewhere between 5.5 to 8. 7.0 being neutral, below 7.0 being acidic, and above 7.0 being basic. PH is the measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a liquid. Use the following formula to convert, as needed:Īlkalinity (as CaCO 3) x 1.22 = Bicarbonate (as HCO3-) pH However, many water reports give a value of alkalinity as CaCO 3. Most brewing water software uses an input value of bicarbonate as HCO 3. For brewing, you really only need to focus on a few key components: Ion Just add it to your strike water or hot liquor tank (HLT) when you start your brew day. You can easily crush a tablet to add the quantity you need to brew. Another easy solution is to use a campden tablet (potassium metabisulfite). To remove chloramines and chlorine, filter your water through a carbon filter. ![]() Unfortunately for brewers, they cause a medicinal or plastic-like taste in beer. Many municipal water supplies use these chemicals to kill bacteria. One of the major causes of off-flavors in homebrew are chlorine and chloramine in water. What’s in my water and why is it important? Chlorine and Chloramine From there, you can add in the salts you need to make an accurate adjustment. Generally, bottled water with low minerality is preferred. Not all bottled waters are equal and some may not be suitable for brewing if they’re too high in salts. Mineral water will have the water composition listed on the side of the bottle or website. Similarly, you can start with distilled water which has no ion concentration at all. This leaves you with an excellent base to build any water profile for brewing. RO is a filtering process that removes almost all contaminants, chemicals, and ions from water. If you have a reverse osmosis (RO) system at home, this is a great option for brewing. With a very neutral water, you can add the exact brewing salts you need to match any desired profile. It’s always a smart idea to build your water profile from a clean slate. ![]() Start with Reverse Osmosis, distilled water, or bottled mineral water They’ll provide all the details you need to accurately adjust your water using any brewing water software. They have a lot of experience testing water for brewing purposes and you can trust in their report. The most popular water analysis lab for homebrewers is called Ward Labs. Get it lab testedįor the most accurate water data, send a sample of your tap water to a lab. The more local and the more recent, the more accurate. Search online or call your water company to find a recent water report for your neighborhood. If you get your water from a municipal supply – like most city dwellers – you should be able to find your local water report. How do I know what’s in my water?īefore you can even begin to think about adjusting your water for brewing, you need to know what’s in the water that you brew with! There are a few ways to know what’s in your water: Local water report Homebrewers have the benefit of tweaking water chemistry to obtain precise profiles to brew any style. Pilsners, on the other hand, benefited from the soft, neutral local water supply of Pilsen, Czech Republic. Sulphate rich water in Burton upon Trent – famous for bitter, hoppy ale – helped accentuate hop bitterness to make amazing IPA. Traditional beer styles were historically developed in part due to the local water source. What’s most important is that you know the constitution of your brewing water, and how you can adjust it to suit the particular beer style you’re brewing. Certain styles benefit from certain water profiles. Ion concentrations in water affect the taste of finished beer, but also the pH, mouthfeel, clarity, and stability. That said, for brewing, there is more to it than simply flavor. If you have good tasting water, you can use it for homebrewing beer. If you’ve ever tasted different bottles of mineral water, you might have a favorite – but unless one is overly high in salts – they mainly taste the same. The flavor of water is obviously very subtle. Great tasting water is a prerequisite for great tasting beer. For most homebrewers, a basic understanding of how water affects beer is all they need to consistently brew world-class beer. Once you’ve got the basics, you can always dive deeper into the science. Brewing software takes care of the calculations so you can be confident with your adjustments.įollow our step-by-step guide to start adjusting your brewing water. By starting with good tasting water and adding the right brewing salts, you’ll be able to dial in your recipes to make award winning homebrew. You don’t need a degree in chemistry to make practical changes to your brewing water. Water adjustment for homebrewing is easier than it seems. A little attention to detail and a bit of applied chemistry can really make the difference. Adjusting your water for homebrewing can take your beer from good to great. ![]()
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