February 7, 2001 -- Ashville, NC

Most homebrew recipes feature recommendations for the addition of mineral salts. Do you really need to bother with this step? The answer to this question can be found with some basic water chemistry.

Water chemistry may seem daunting to many homebrewers. Relax. This article will tell you in a very simple manner how to treat your water to recreate the water used to produce the world's great beers.

Another objective of this article is to make water analyses understandable. Many homebrewing books and articles suggest contacting your local water department to find out how suitable your water is for brewing. Due to recent regulatory changes implemented by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, this is easier than ever. Every public water system in the United States must compile information for their "Consumer Confidence Report." This report contains information describing the quality of your water. The availability of these reports varies. Some water systems post the results to their webpage, others include an insert with water bills. If you haven't seen one recently, contact your water supplier. If you are served by a private water system, or an individual well, the job is harder.

You'll have to make your own arrangements to complete the analyses. In some areas government agencies (such as the county health department, or the state environmental department) will test your well for a minimal fee. If you don't live in an area like this, you'll have to hire your own lab. Look in the yellow pages under "water."

The water quality information provided by the Consumer Confidence Report can be confusing. This article is intended to shed some light on an otherwise murky subject.

The characteristics of a water source can even influence the development of a classic beer style. One historical example of this process comes to mind. English-Style Pale Ales developed in Burton, an area known for water high in calcium sulfate (gypsum). The high calcium content of the water helps create the body and balance found in this style. The sulfate provides a slight sulfate "bite," and aids the extraction of bitter resins from the hops. Brewers in nearby Yorkshire County later tried to compete against the pale ales produced in high gypsum areas like Burton. The Yorkshire water contains high levels of calcium carbonate (chalk or limestone.) The calcium carbonate tends to add harsh notes to the hops, so beer produced in these areas is light on the hops. Without a strong hop flavor, the brown ales produced in places like Newcastle and Tadcaster have a strong malt flavor and character without excessive hop flavors. Thus, the water characteristics indigenous to a region have influenced the development of many unique beer styles.

One of the biggest challenges in homebrewing is replicating your favorite style of beer. In order for your brew to be authentic, you'll need to select the proper malt, yeast, hops, and water. No, that isn't a mistake, you need to properly select your brewing water. If you're like most homebrewers, you take your water directly from the tap. That makes an excellent start, but to brew authentically, you'll need to adjust your water to match that of the desired style.

Before we get too far into the discussion, a small "warning" is in order. If you are an extract brewer, the effect of your brewing water on the final product is much less significant than if you were an all-grain brewer. Of course, it won't hurt to adjust your water for use with extracts, it's just that the effects will be much less noticeable.

Water analyses typically list a number of parameters, which describe the concentration of various dissolved ions in either parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per liter (mg/L). There is one water chemistry secret that you should keep in mind: ppm's are the EXACT SAME THING as mg/L's. When a mineral dissolves, it separates into whatever ions are present. For example, when calcium carbonate (also known as chalk or limestone) dissolves, it breaks up into the calcium ion and the carbonate ion. If you were to then analyze the sample of dissolved calcium carbonate, you would find no calcium carbonate (remember, it broke up into its constituent ions), some calcium ions, and some carbonate ions. To summarize, when
you dissolve a substance in water (or wort, for that matter) it becomes it's constituent ions. So, if you want to add an ion, all you have to do is pick the proper mineral, but more on that later.

When you read your water analysis (from the Consumer Confidence Report), you may notice a parameter called "total hardness." What does that mean? Simply put, it is just the combined concentration of the dissolved calcium and magnesium. That's all. Now, when you see a total hardness concentration, you can think, "Ahh, so THAT'S how much calcium and magnesium is in this water." But why call that "hardness?" I'm glad you asked. For that, we need a brief history lesson. Before modern cleaners and detergents were invented, people washed with soap. Dissolved calcium and magnesium react with soap and make it very hard to form a good lather. The term "hardness" originated because it is very hard to wash with hard water. At what point is a water considered hard? There is some disagreement as to exactly what numbers to use, but generally anything below 75 mg/l is considered "soft", anything between 75 and 150 mg/l is considered "moderately hard", and between 150 mg/l and 300 mg/l is considered "hard", and anything over 300 mg/l is considered "very hard."

As you may have guessed, each dissolved ion influences the characteristics of the finished product. The following list summarizes the impact of each ion on beer quality:

Calcium helps keep the pH of your mash in the optimal range of 5.0-5.5 (see The Perfect pH). Calcium helps precipitate proteins from the boil, and aids yeast growth during fermentation.

Magnesium acts in a similar manner to calcium, however too much magnesium (over 100 mg/L) may produce a bitter taste.

Sodium enhances the flavor of beer, however too much sodium creates a
"harsh" taste.

Bicarbonate and carbonate raise the pH of your mash.

Sulfate produces a dry taste, and enhances hop flavors.

So, you are convinced! Adjusting water ions is something you'd like to try! Relax, it's easier than you think! First, one obvious question comes to mind: "What do I need to adjust? All of my water, just my sparge water, what?!?!?!" The answer is simple, it's up to you. You can make perfectly good beer without adjusting a single ion. Of course, your mash will be more efficient if you adjust your water. Naturally, if you are trying very hard to recreate a style of beer, it is a good idea to duplicate the water found in the region where the style developed.

If you are interested in adjusting the mineral content of your water, definitely adjust your mash water. This will ensure that exactly the right components are available for the mash enzymes. Adjusting the sparge water and any topping water aren't really necessary, but if you are striving for perfectly recreating a style, you may want to consider it. Generally, I only adjust my sparge water, but that's just me.

So what do you have to do to adjust your water? That's the topic of next
month's column. See you then!