All the focus now seems to be on hops, barley malts and yeast. But if beer is 95% water, shouldn’t we also think about the impact water has on flavors, aromas, and mouthfeel? If you’ve ever tasted nasty water, it’s probably not an ingredient you want in making a craft beer. Quite frankly, water is one of the cheapest ingredients in beer, so make it the best. You want the right water chemistry for the right style of beer.
Now is probably not the time for complicated discussions of atoms, ions, and the periodic table, so the focus here is to discuss the importance of water chemistry in achieving optimal flavor in your beer. Frankly, there are plenty of tools online to make this process simple and fun. By understanding some basic principles of water chemistry, homebrewers will know what to consider about water chemistry as it relates to the next brew day.
When I was young, I spent summers on my grandparents’ farm. The property was dotted with open pits where someone had explored the feasibility of acquiring iron ore mining rights; obviously, there was a presence of iron in the ground. It wasn’t much of a secret because of a bitter metallic taste in everyone’s well water. The high concentration of iron minerals in the soil gave the well water a bad taste and aroma. Now, imagine the impact such raw water would have had on brewing! But even today, municipal water can have problems beyond its inherent mineral composition.
Water chemistry is important because the water we use in brewing interacts with wort, hop esters/oils, barley malts, and especially yeast. All of this also explains why brewing temperatures are important; everything in brewing interacts when in solution.
Having spent time as a home brewer I now appreciate how sensitive people’s tastes are to minerals/ions and chemicals in water, I’m thinking lactic acid for example. The water used in brewing affects the performance of the yeast, malts, and hops, which will affect flavors and mouthfeel. Chemists who do research and analysis of water talk about ions (extremely small particles) in water that can have a significant impact on taste. Unmodified water has a taste, and even the taste of bottled water is manipulated by chemists to achieve the desired flavor profile.
So how important is water to beer? One authority on beer is John J. Palmer. Here are a couple of comments, from the book about him”how to brew“, on the importance of water: “The best way to explain this is to describe two of the most famous beers in the world and their brewing waters. The Pilsen region of the Czech Republic was the birthplace of the Pilsener style of beer. A Pilsner is a clear, golden, crisp lager with exceptionally clean hop flavor. Pilsen water is incredibly soft, free of most minerals and very low in bicarbonates.”
Palmer goes further: “The fact is that dark ales cannot be brewed in Pilsen, and light lagers cannot be brewed in Dublin, Ireland, without adding the right type and amount of buffer salts. And roasted malts like Munich and Vienna, can be used successfully in areas where the water is alkaline (i.e., pH greater than 7.5 and carbonate level greater than 200 parts per million) to produce good mashing conditions.”
Detailed water analysis can be time consuming and expensive if done through a commercial analysis company. But there may be some comfort in the adage: If your water tastes good to drink, it’s probably good enough for your beer.
Hard water contains total dissolved solids which are mineral ions suspended in solution. For example: calcium, magnesium, iron and copper; the latter two leave a metallic aftertaste that is described as lacking a balanced pleasant taste. Conversely, soft water can be of equally poor quality; it all depends on the style of beer you are trying to produce. For example, a higher pH produces a milder mouthfeel and flavor.
I appreciate the mouthfeel and malt flavors in craft beers. In general, I like the finish (I call it after the taste) that lasts a few seconds without acid effects. For me, I’ve focused on five minerals in beers that seem to impact the most in my favorite styles: calcium, magnesium, chloride, sodium, and bicarbonate. I lean towards light, not acidity, the malt flavors come through and offer good ‘head’ character/retention. So, I have come to appreciate the impact that water brings when making beer. But nothing is simple, now I am beginning to understand how the chemistry of the water reacts with the temperature of the wort.
Dan Norris, in 2018 wrote in black Hops, “The terms ‘hardness’ (the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium) and ‘alkalinity’ (the amount of carbonate and bicarbonate) are two of the most important considerations when trying to get the chemistry of water right.”
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The pH of the water is important because it complements the style of the beer and allows the malts to work and the proteins to do their work. Also, yeast is like a non-harsh pH environment.
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Sulfates, chloride and magnesium, in balance, will give a great mouthfeel.
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As mentioned above, iron and copper do not give off good flavors or aromas.
Of my top five minerals from water chemistry, here is a rundown of some of the impacts these minerals can have on beer:
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The calcium adds to a friendly yeast environment and that helps improve flavor. The calcium chloride will add a smoother texture to the beer.
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Magnesium can increase yeast productivity and increases mouthfeel.
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Sodium adds to the ‘body’ of a beer. Think of it as an upgrade. Be careful when using this mineral as it will add a salty taste. (As an aside, I remember drinking beer in college and many of my friends adding table salt directly to a pint of beer. I thought it flattened the flavor, but to each their own.)
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Sulfates affect hops and bitterness in beers. If you like crisp and hoppy flavors, this is your mineral option. Automated methods and management in chemistry notes that “an excess of sulfate gives a sharp, dry touch to well-hopped beers.
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Chloride directly affects the body and texture of the beer, especially if you like malty flavors.
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Bicarbonate and carbonate affect the inherent pH of water.
Regardless of what a water analysis indicates, most brewing supply stores will have supplies to modify your water: gypsum, carbonates, chalks, chloride, magnesium, etc.
My local water company gets our water from surface sources: lakes and rivers. Below is the summary of some of the water chemistry reported by my water district. Offering this as a point of reference, it illustrates how important it is to have good water chemistry and what needs to be done to use it to make good beer. These numbers are generally high and dictate some amendments for brewing – this water is required to be modified.
Mineral mg/l or PPM
Iron 0.6
pH 6.5 to 8.5
Magnesium-15
Nitrite (as N) 1
Nitrate (as N) 10
Total dissolved solids 1000
sulfate 500
Chloride 400
If you want to start brewing from scratch, Scott Janish of Sapwood Cellars takes the approach that reverse osmosis is the best water to build on. “Besides temperature controlled fermentations, starting with reverse osmosis water and rebuilding minerals has made the biggest difference in the quality and consistency of my beers.”
Depending on what your brewing goals are, there are any number of sources for help. If your water comes from a municipality, get that water chemistry analysis directly from them. However, be careful because these numbers are not constant and can change throughout the year, especially with environmental events like rain, snow, drought, and fire. Said events will impact the water that emanates from the surface water sources-reservoirs.
For DIY testing, LaMotte has a line of test kits that can be purchased through Amazon or at retailers. These come highly recommended by John Palmer and Scott Janish. The costs are a little high, but if you’re going to be doing frequent water testing, it’s worth the expense.
Brewers Friend is one of many sources online that have calculation tables that will tell you precisely how to adjust/modify your water source to brew a particular style. Pro Brewer is another company that offers a ‘Chemical Water Modifier Calculator’. But keep in mind that you need specific test results to plug that data into the online calculator.
Because the style of the four basic ingredients (water, barley, hops, and yeast) you plan to brew with interacts with each other, you always compromise. By adjusting the recipe a little, you will be impacting something else. The minerals in the source water chemistry will probably need to be adjusted, that’s part of the art of brewing. The final chemistry of the water will affect the yeast, which is another reason why the pH of the mash is important. Water may not be glamorous, but it will affect hop aroma, mouthfeel, malt performance character, and how well the yeast will perform to get to the final product.
Water, yeast, hops, and barley malts all work together to make a great beer, but don’t forget the water. David Ackley, has a General Certificate in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, summarizes why water chemistry is important: “It’s a fact (good chemistry) that it will prevent spoilage. But on top of that, the concentration of minerals in brewing water can affect not only taste, but performance as well.” mash, acidity, hop bitterness, yeast health, body, mouthfeel, and other factors.” Ackley says that the minerals in brewing water can have a profound effect on the flavor of the finished beer. I would also add head/foam.
Health!