We all know beer is mostly water, but did you know your water can make or break your brew? At our July meeting, we dove deep into water chemistry and adjustments—here’s a recap for anyone looking to up their game.
💧 Why Water Matters
It’s not just H₂O. The minerals dissolved in your water can seriously impact:
- Mash pH – affects enzyme activity and finished beer quality.
- Yeast health – strong, happy fermentations need the right nutrients.
- Flavor expression – water chemistry shapes whether your beer tastes crisp and dry or soft and full.
🧪 What’s in Your Water?
In Utah, we’ve got hard water by default. That means lots of minerals, which can be both good and tricky depending on what you’re brewing. Options include:
- Distilled water or RO water (for a blank slate).
- Adjusting tap water with salts and acids.
A big red flag? Chlorine. If it’s in your water, it can react with yeast and create nasty band-aid off-flavors (chlorophenols). Luckily, you can remove it with:
- Boiling or letting water stand out overnight
- Carbon filtration
- Campden tablets (sodium/potassium metabisulfite)
⚖️ The Big Players in Brewing Water
- Calcium – stabilizes mash pH, helps with clarity, flocculation, and hot break.
- Magnesium – good in small doses (<40 ppm), harsh or even a laxative in excess.
- Chloride – softens and rounds out mouthfeel.
- Sulfate – sharpens hop bitterness and dries out the finish.
📊 Sulfate-to-Chloride Ratio
Want to tweak your beer’s balance? Adjust the sulfate:chloride ratio:
- 0.8–1.5 → Balanced
- 1.5–2.0 → Slightly bitter
- 2–4 → Bitter (great for IPAs)
- 0.4–0.6 → Malty
- 9+ → Don’t do it—too bitter!
⚙️ Adjusting Water for Brewing
- Measure your pH with a meter (aim for <5.8 in final runnings).
- Acidify darker beers less (dark malts are naturally acidic).
- Acidify lighter beers more (they need help lowering mash pH).
- Use common tools:
- Calcium Chloride (CaCl₂)
- Gypsum/Calcium Sulfate (CaSO₄)
- Epsom Salt (MgSO₄)
- Lactic Acid or Phosphoric Acid
💡 Pro tip: Don’t go overboard—“minerally” beer is rarely a compliment.
🥼 Final Tips
- Make water adjustments on a recipe you brew often so you can taste the difference.
- Add salts to your strike water at ~100°F for max solubility.
- Experiment with splitting additions between strike and sparge.
- Remember: less is more.
Dialing in your water chemistry might sound geeky, but it’s one of the fastest ways to take your beer from good to great. Next time you brew, don’t just think about your malt and hops—show your water some love too. 🍺