Calcium also provides some structure to the beer and is used in that role as well. It also aids in precipitating phosphates and improving the stability of the beer. Calcium (Ca) – Acidifies the mash and drives down the mash pH which is generally a good thing in lighter color beers. Here are the six along with the recommended ranges to use for brewing. These water ions are typically listed in parts per million (ppm) though you may also see them as mg/L which is the same thing. Water Ions and What They Meanīrewers are primarily concerned with six water ions when looking at a water profile. These test kits let you perform multiple tests and can be shared with a small group like your local club or friends, even though they have a higher price point. It is important to use a “Brewing Water Test” and not a generic water test as you want the specific information on the brewing water ions and not a measure of bacteria or other organics.Īnother option is to purchase a test kit from a source such as the Smart Brew test kit or Lamotte BrewLab test kit. The best way to do this is either submitting your sample to a water testing lab like Ward Labs or White Labs. This means measuring the big six water ions mentioned below. Further adding complexity is the fact that some municipalities switch sources several times during the year, so your tap water may actually change over time.Īs a brewer, you need to understand your base water profile for your local water. Surface water has organics which much be treated, but fewer minerals. Groundwater often contains a higher mineral content, but fewer organics (algae, bacteria, etc). Tap water is generally harvested from two major sources: surface water from lakes, rivers and streams and groundwater which comes from underground aquifers. This is why major commercial breweries are often built around a single water source. This is because water makes up 90%+ of most beers, and our senses are well tuned to sense fresh water. In blind tasting tests, changes to the water used in a beer are some of the easiest to detect. While water chemistry is considered by some to be an advanced topic, it makes up 90% of most beers and has a tremendous impact on your finished beer. Note: sorry about the table, but I just cannot seem to get things to space out and line up well.This week I provide an overview of water and its use in beer brewing. Remember that the spreadsheets are just estimates, relax about their exact readings versus yours, and brew on! Learn the way your water source behaves with that spreadsheet and take that into account when making future water adjustments. My advice: Pick one spreadsheet and use it. There were no additions between mash collection and start of boil volume. All batches are designed to produce 11 liters of wort at the end of the boil, approximately 14.1 liters pre-boil volume. PH readings are obtained by sampling 25 cc of wort after 10 minutes of thorough stirring. These results are based upon my well water and may not reflect what you may obtain with your process and water. I don't claim any of the spreadsheets are superior or better to use. Style Predicted Delta Predicted Delta Predicted Delta Msmt Grain bills were entered in each spreadsheet as well as each spreadsheet allows. Only one of the recipes below contained any salt additions (the ESB with 1 gram of Gypsum for 15 liters of water). My water is pretty bland, very similar to spring water. I had been using BrunWater to predict pH and have been doing a minimal of water adjustment using salts. I took some recipes from last spring and entered them into the water adjustment spreadsheets most people use regularly. Below is a post to the BeerSmith forum a couple of years ago when I was first trying out the new water tool and comparing the results with two other water-addition spreadsheets:
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