Does the water I use taste good? This is the first question to ask when talking about brewing water. You may have already read that, in general, good water should make good beer. Provided, of course, that the brewer has a good recipe and uses the right techniques.
This advice is totally true. But if we want to progress, we must not limit ourselves to that. Once we have all our brewing processes in place, then it is time to look at the mineral profile of the water.
Often relegated to the background, water is nevertheless one of the 4 essential elements of beer. Knowing and knowing how to modify your mineral profile will allow you to take your brews to the next level. Indeed, the different elements that make up the water will have a major influence on the taste of the beer, its texture, the extraction of sugars and fermentation. Rest assured, even if there will be technique and a little bit of chemistry in this article, I will get to the point and keep it as simple as possible.
The pH of my brewing water
Before even talking about the mineral profile of water, if there was only one element to remember in this article, it is to carefully control its pH! In fact it will have a huge impact on the enzymatic activity of the paste.
The impact of pH on beer
Brewing with the correct pH during mashing ensures optimal enzymatic activity and allows ideal saccharification of the must. Correct pH also ensures good protein flocculation and better extraction of essential oils from hops during boiling. In short, a good pH value makes for better beer.
The ideal pH range
The pH of the brewing water is a very important parameter to take into account when mashing. It is measured once the grain has been placed in water. Above pH 6, the tannins from the malt husks will be extracted and will add astringency to your beer. From 4.5, the activity of the Beta-Amylase enzyme will be greatly reduced. The conversion of sugars will be impacted and inevitably, the fermentability too.
The Beta-Amylase enzyme is most active at a pH of around 5.2 and Alpha-Amylase prefers pHs around 5.7. The goal is to find the right balance between the two depending on the style of beer to be brewed.
The ideal pH range will therefore be 5.2 to 5.6. To start, a pH of 5.3 will be ideal.
Be careful, however, about the temperature at which you are going to measure your pH. On pH strips or inexpensive pH meters, the high temperature disrupts the reading. The pH measured will be 0.3 points lower than the pH taken at room temperature. It is always the pH at room temperature (20/25°C) that we refer to when we talk about pH in beer. With this type of equipment, the ideal measured pH range will therefore be 4.9 to 5.3.
Equip yourself with a good pH meter
The ideal is to get a pH meter that can withstand temperatures above 50°C, so it will automatically correct the reading and give you the correct value. It’s true that it represents a certain investment (between €50 and €150) but that greatly limits the margin for error.
Before going further
You must first know that malt is an acidic product. The darker it is, the more it will acidify your water. Which means, for example, that the pH of the mashing will drop more easily when brewing a stout than when brewing a white.
Depending on the composition of your water, you will need to adjust its pH. In fact, the “harder” the water, the more difficult it will be for the pH to drop, so you will need to give it a little help, especially if you do not plan to brew with black grain. The question of water “hardness” will be addressed a little later.
pH correction
You have several options for correcting the pH of your potting water. We will just look at the simplest ones here.
By the way, I will almost only talk about decreasing pH. Indeed, unless you are brewing with ultra pure water, there is a good chance that you will not be faced with the problem of making it rise. Or, more precisely, to drastically limit its reduction.
First, you will need to obtain lactic or phosphoric acid. At our level, and in order not to overcomplicate this article, we will consider that both will produce the same effect.
Option N°1
The first option will be to correct your water by direct observation. From the start of mashing, you will add (with a pipette) 2 to 3ml of acid to your mash, stir well, take a little must and measure with your pH meter. Repeat the operation as many times as necessary to achieve the desired pH. Make a note of the amount of acid you used; you can use it again when you brew the same recipe again. The word “even” is in bold because as we have seen, the pH will drop more or less easily depending on the type of grain used.
Option N°2
Use the website moneaudebrassage.fr. This site provides the mineral profile of the water of most French municipalities. Once you have entered the name of your city, all you have to do is enter your malt recipe. From there, the site will calculate for you the quantity of acid to use during your brew. This is a very interesting option if you do not have a pH meter or it is not well calibrated.
What if I need to “raise” my pH??
And yes (for the two at the back who live at the top of Canigou), you can have super pure mountain water and want to make a good big stout. The problem is that black malt risks dropping the pH of the water too much. So adding acid will not be an option. Instead, you will need to enrich your water with calcium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate. Refer to the moneaudebrassage website to find out the quantities to use.
Rest assured, there is still a good chance that most of you will not be affected by this problem.
Bonus optimization
Also acidify your rinse water!
You have already acidified your paste water and that is very good. On the other hand, if you do not treat your rinse water, it may not lower its pH enough during this stage which can cause a slight astringency to the finished beer. And it is also not optimal for the extraction of the last sugars (even if most of them have already been extracted). So the trick is to acidify your rinse water to the 5.8-6.0 pH range.
The 6 ions of the brewer
No, it’s not the title of an obscure Z movie. In fact, from the brewer’s point of view, there are mainly 6 ions in the water that will have a major impact on the finished beer.
Calcium (Ca²+)
Magnesium (Mg²+)
Sodium (Na+)
Sulfate (SO42-)
Chloride (Cl-)
Carbonate or bicarbonate (CO32- or HCO3)
Your chemistry teacher’s point of view: Ions are divided into two groups. Cations, positively charged (+) and anions, negatively charged (-). So when you incorporate brewing salts, you are always adding cations and anions. Indeed, salts must always be neutrally charged. The charge of each ion is indicated by superscript (-) or (+). If we take the example of a commonly used salt like calcium chloride (CaCl2), you add 2 parts of chloride for each part of calcium. This salt will therefore primarily increase your chloride levels and secondarily your calcium. We will come back with more
The impact of these ions in beer
Before you start?
Most water ratios are expressed in ppm (parts per million), which equates to the unit: mg/l. For example, 30 ppm sodium = 30 mg/L sodium. More simply, if you boil a liter of water, there will be 30 mg of sodium left in the form of salt at the bottom of the pan. It is these ppm or mg/l which will affect the beer.
I will only talk briefly here about the mineral salts to use to adjust your water profile because a precise point on their use will be made later.
Calcium
Calcium is probably the cation that interests us most here. It is beneficial at most stages of brewing. During mashing, it reacts with phosphate present in the malt to help lower the pH of the water. It also allows better enzymatic activity of alpha-amylase.
During boiling, it promotes protein precipitation. It also constitutes an important nutrient for yeasts and will notably allow better flocculation during fermentation.
Finally, it will contribute to the stability of the beer over time.
In short, its role is essential, so you will have to be attentive to its presence. For brewing, the good calcium concentration range is 30 to 150ppm. Unless you are making a Czech lager (and have very, very pure water) I recommend that you aim for a minimum of 100ppm calcium in your brewing water. On the other hand, it will be necessary to avoid exceeding 250ppm, otherwise it will inhibit magnesium, which would be detrimental to fermentation.
Brewing salts increasing calcium levels:
- Chlorure de calcium
- Sulfate de Calcium (ou Gypse)
- Carbonate de calcium (à éviter si le bicarbonate de votre eau est déjà haut)
Magnesium
The effects of magnesium are, to a lesser extent, similar to those of calcium. It mainly serves as an essential nutrient for yeast. That said, the malt already releases the vital minimum necessary for fermentation. This is why a concentration between 5 and 30ppm will be sufficient in the brewing water. Being on the lower end of this range favors the bitterness of the beer.
It is recommended not to exceed 50ppm of magnesium in the brewing water, as an excess will give astringency to the beer and cause a laxative effect.
Brewing salts increasing magnesium levels:
Sulfate
Sulfate is, along with chloride and sodium, what we call a “taste ion”. Its presence will accentuate the bitterness of the hops and give a fresh, dry and refreshing side to the beer. In excess (>400ppm), this bitterness will transform into harshness and will be detrimental. The desired sulfate level in the brewing water will be between 10 and 250ppm. A high level of sulfate can be appreciable in IPAs where we want to highlight the bitterness of the hops (west coast <3). It will also be effective in the Saison style where the bitterness and dryness that it will accentuate will contribute to the refreshing and thirst-quenching side sought.
This ion is always to be put in relation with the chloride, which will bring roundness. This is called the sulfate/chloride ratio. The brewer will play with this ratio depending on the profile he wants to give to his beer (Bitter/dry, balanced, malty/round).
Brewing salts increasing the sulfate level:
Chloride
As we saw just above, chloride is an ion which will affect the flavor and texture of the beer. In fact, it will accentuate the roundness provided by the malt. It is the best ally for smooth beers like Oatmeal stouts for example. It is also very often highlighted in NEIPA where we are looking more for a round and plump texture than the bitterness of hops. Please note, it is not to be confused with chlorine.
The desired chloride level in beer is 50 to 300ppm. That said, you will rarely need to go beyond 250ppm.
Brewing salts increasing the chloride level:
- Chlorure de calcium
- Sel de table (oui, oui)
Sulfate/chloride ratios
As we have seen, with sulfate and chloride, the brewer will have to do a balancing act to accentuate the good taste and texture of his beer.
100ppm sulfate and 100ppm chloride will give a ratio of 1 (100/100 =1 or 1:1).
100ppm of sulfate and 200ppm of chloride will give a ratio of 0.5 (100/200 = 0.5 we also say ratio of 1:2).
The opposite will give a ratio of 2 (or 2:1) etc… Here is a quick summary of the balance provided by the sulfate/chloride ratio:
- 0-0.4: “too” malty/round (this is indicative because it is very good for NEIPAs and Oatmeal stouts for example)
- 0.4-0.6: very malty/round
- 0.6-0.8: malty/round
- 0.8-1.5: balanced
- 1.5-2.0: quite bitter/dry
- 2-4: bitter/dry
- 4-8: very bitter
- 9+: too bitter
Sodium
It is generally chloride’s best friend because it will also accentuate the roundness of the beer. It is also a very good flavor enhancer. The desired quantity in the brewing water ranges from 10 to 100ppm depending on the roundness you want to provide. It is even possible to go up to 150ppm when you want to bring a saline side (in the case of certain stouts for example.) On the other hand, beyond 200ppm, it will only be beneficial for the Gose style, otherwise, the salty side will be too present. In excess, it can also give an undesirable acidic and metallic side.
Brewing salts increasing sodium levels:
- Table salt
- Sodium bicarbonate (avoid if the bicarbonate in your water is already high)
Carbonate or Bicarbonate
This is what will have the most impact on the pH behavior during brewing. They introduce the notion of water hardness which we will discuss below. Basically, the higher the carbonate (and bicarbonate), the more difficult it will be for the pH to decrease.
In France, many waters are very laden with carbonate. Which means that malt alone will probably not be enough to acidify the water enough to reach the correct pH range. It will therefore be necessary to help it with a little acid (as seen above).
On the other hand, if the bicarbonate level is too low, the malt will cause the pH to drop too much and the mash will be too acidic. But as we said, there is little chance of this happening to you.
There is no ideal bicarbonate level strictly speaking because it depends on the style of beer to be brewed (if you do not want to make a correction to the water). The literature agrees that for pale beers a level of 0 to 50ppm is ideal. 50-150 for darker beers and up to 300 for dark beers. This remains very relative, because you will probably have to correct your water.
Boiling can lower the bicarbonate level (and will also lower the calcium) but we will talk about this more precisely in the passage concerning water correction.
Brewing salts increasing the bicarbonate level
- Baking soda
- Carbonate de calcium
A little swear word about chlorine (#%@!!)
If you are using city water, it is probably treated with chlorine. This is a serious problem because it will be converted to chlorophenol. Chlorophenols give a medicinal flavor to beer, even at very low levels. Fortunately, this problem is very easily treated, even for beginner brewers.
It is best to draw your brewing water the day before brewing, the chlorine will be completely evaporated after a dozen hours at room temperature. You can store it in fermentation buckets for example. Another tip is to get a carbon filter.
The other ions
Other ions such as iron or manganese are present in water and can have a negative influence on beer. That said, you will not face this problem. Most of the time, the quantities present in the water are too low. We will not discuss them here because they are very advanced parameters and the article is already long enough as it is!
Hardness and alkalinity of brewing water
The composition of water in minerals, and more particularly in carbonate, involves two major concepts. Hardness and alkalinity. If pH is the most important element in this article, its “behavior” will be dictated by the alkaline profile of the water. Basically, the more alkaline the water, the more buffering power it will have. Which means that the pH will have more difficulty falling. These concepts are a little complicated so I will try to summarize as much as possible to simplify as much as possible.
Total hardness
Total hardness is essentially the sum of calcium and magnesium ions. When total hardness is reported in a report, it is usually read in ppm of CaCO3 (calcium carbonate). Overall, soft water is generally considered to be 0-60 ppm CaCO3, 61-120 ppm as moderately hard, 121-180 ppm as hard, and 181+ ppm as very hard.
The total hardness of water can be classified into two categories: Temporary hardness and permanent hardness.
Total hardness = temporary hardness + permanent hardness
Water considered hard is rich in ions but the difference between temporary hardness and permanent hardness makes it possible to distinguish which anions are present with calcium and magnesium: carbonate and/or sulfate.
Roughly speaking, temporary hardness measures the ability of water to withstand changes in pH. As the name suggests, it is temporary, meaning it can be circumvented by boiling the water before brewing.
Your chemistry teacher’s point of view: In fact, the CO2 naturally present in water helps keep the calcium carbonate (CaCO3) soluble. Boiling removes the CO2 and thus causes the calcium carbonate to precipitate in the form of salt at the bottom of the tank. Because without CO2 it is no longer soluble. Separated from this salt, the concentration of calcium and carbonate in the water will be reduced. This will allow an easier reduction in pH. We will take a look at this process a little later.
Water with a high permanent hardness corresponds to a high sulfate level. As the name suggests, it really cannot be processed without a reverse osmosis (RO) system or by diluting it with distilled water. That said, we’re talking about very advanced water treatment and you won’t have to worry about it for a very long time.
Alkalinity
I cover this notion because you’ll see it come up a lot, but in reality it’s the same thing as temporary hardness.
For those who are more fussy, alkalinity refers to the amount of acid needed to lower the pH to 4.3. Carbonate [CO32-], bicarbonate [HCO3-], and hydroxide [OH-] ions are three typical ions in water that neutralize an acid. Chemists often use the term “buffer” to talk about this phenomenon. Alkaline water is rich in it. As with total hardness, most water reports provide a total alkalinity value in ppm CaCO3.
Residual alkalinity
Residual alkalinity is the interaction between the brewing water and the malt combination in a recipe. This value helps to better understand how all the key factors combine, or how the addition of darker malts, lactic acid or calcium chloride, can affect the pH as well as the final product. The water pH displayed in a report therefore has no real use, what must be taken into account is the reaction of the pH of the brewing water (depending on its hardness) with the grain and the treatments that can be provided. Which takes us to the heart of the article: how do I treat my brewing water?
What is my brewing water composed of?
Obtain an analysis report?
You can contact your town hall or the water board of your municipality for example… That said, this report may be easy to obtain in places and (much) more difficult in others. Moreover, although they are full of details, the composition of the water with the ions seen above does not always appear. Sometimes it will be necessary to make a specific request in addition. In general if you specify that it is for brewing you will not have any problems.
But frankly, these reports are not pleasant to read. Not everyone has the same standards, the same names or units of measurement… As the article is by far the longest on this blog, I won’t go into all that because it’s not very relevant here.
Indeed, there are sites like Littlebock or moneaudebrassage.fr, which regularly update the composition of the water in almost all municipalities. It’s ultra practical and I can only advise you to get closer to these sites!
How do I tune/adjust my brewing water?
We now know that we will need a good level of calcium in our water. That having a good visual on the carbonate level will be important to control our pH. And also that we will have to play with the sulfate/chloride ratio to influence the taste and texture of our beer. Let’s go !
Boiling the brewing water
Boiling the brewing water the day before brewing will help precipitate the carbonate and calcium ions. Basically, you will need to bring the total volume of brewing water to a boil. Maintain 10/15 minutes then turn off the heat. The goal will then be to create a fairly substantial swirl with the whip to precipitate the calcium carbonate to the bottom of the tank. Finally you will have to manage to separate the liquid from the solid (if the tap of your tank is higher than the bottom then it will be easy). In addition, all the chlorine contained in the water will be evaporated.
For this process you will still need a lot of calcium at the base, otherwise the carbonate will not drop significantly. But if you have a high level of calcium and a lot of carbonate then go for it, the advantages are numerous. Of course it takes time and energy but you will have to use less acid to lower your pH (or even no acid at all depending on your recipe). In addition, by lowering the calcium, you will have greater room to maneuver to modify your sulfate/chloride ratio with the brewing salts that we will see just below.
I won’t add any calculations here. To find out what boiling will do for the minerals in your brewing water, I refer you to the Littlebock calculator
Add brewing salts
Adding brewing salts is a very good option. It allows you to adjust the minerals and modify the sulfate/chloride ratio. Here you will need to know the composition of your water. You will have the choice between:
- Calcium chloride (++ chloride/+calcium)
- Calcium sulfate(++sulfate/+calcium)
- Magnesium sulfate (++sulfate/+magnesium)
- Sodium chloride (table salt) (++chloride/+sodium)
- Calcium carbonate (+carbonate/+calcium)
- Baking soda (+carbonate/+sodium)
Data in parentheses is an approximation only.
From there, you will have to learn to play the apprentice chemist in order to modify your mineral profile according to what you want.
Put into practice
Here is my basic water profile. Knowing that I want to make a very malty Oatmeal stout, I am a little low in calcium and my sulfate chloride ratio is not good. The site moneaudebrassage tells me that I need to correct my brewing water to get to the right ratio.
Yes, but how to arrive at the figures given in the correction? Just scroll a little further down:
In the event that I use such volumes of potting and rinsing, then the site tells me that I would need to use 3.74g of calcium chloride and 1.94g of sodium chloride in the potting water . Then add 1.25g of calcium chloride and 0.65g of sodium chloride to the rinse water.
This treatment will increase my calcium level, my chloride, and bonus, sodium too (it will be a great flavor enhancer). I would then be well on my way to optimizing the brewing of my Oatmeal stout!
Utiliser de l’eau distillée/osmosée ?
Here, we are on the Linux of brewing because you will personalize your water from A to Z. I will not go into too much detail here because it can quickly become complex. And to begin with, I don’t necessarily recommend going in this direction because it is a very experienced brewer’s concept. The goal here is to create your own water profile with water devoid of any minerals. You will therefore need to have plenty of different salts available and be sure of what you are doing! At our level, I think we have plenty of room to have fun with the water we have available and to correct it a little with a few salts.
Bonus: the water profile at the origin of the great styles of beer?
Well, yeah ! Irish Stout, Bitter, Czech pilsner… All come from the mineral profile of the water. At the time (super precise guy), brewers did not have all the knowledge and measurement tools that we have today. They had to adapt. For example, here is the water in the city of Pilsen in the Czech Republic:
This water is ultra soft, you can see that the mineral levels are extremely low. Putting black malt in there would be a disaster if we couldn’t correct the water (it would be too acidic). And that was the case before. The brewers adapted, using only a very light type of malt, which gave the pilsner style.
Conversely, here is Dublin water:
Here, we can see much harder water. Using only pale ale malt would not sufficiently lower the pH of the mash and the beer would be astringent. The brewers didn’t say it like that, but they adapted by adding black malt. In addition, the sulfate/chloride ratio affected the texture, thus favoring the dryness typical of Irish dry stouts.
So I took shortcuts for this bonus part, but you get the idea, the mineral profile of water is a very important parameter in beer brewing.
Conclusion
Well… Vast subject of brewing water. If you’re still here, congratulations, this is by far the longest article on this blog. And, once again, I tried to keep it as simple as possible. I have spared you a lot of numbers and calculations. Brewing water is a fairly complex parameter but I find it super exciting to tinker with all these little parameters, which have the potential to make a good beer, an excellent beer!
If you want to learn more and you read English then read books like How to Brew by John Palmer or Water by Palmer and Kaminski.
