Beer has four simple ingredients: hops, malt, yeast, and water. Each of these affects the flavor of the beer. Among them, some people think that water is just water and will not affect the flavor of the beer. But in fact, this is not the case. The content of water in beer accounts for 90-95%, which is also great for the flavor of the beer. The quality of brewing water will affect the enzyme activity in the mash, the solubility of minerals, the taste, and the quality of the beer. The quality of the water will also affect the condition of the brewing equipment. In the past, different regions of water produced different styles of craft beer.
Type of water
Tap water
Distilled water
RO water or reverse osmosis water
Filtered water
Well water
Rainwater
Which substances in the water affect the flavor of beer?
- Calcium: One of the main minerals that affect water hardness. Calcium can lower the PH value of wort during the saccharification process. It can also promote the clarity and stability of the final beer. Generally speaking, a content range of 50 mg/L to 150 mg/L is preferable.
- Magnesium: Another major mineral that affects water hardness. It does not affect pH like calcium. Both calcium and magnesium are important yeast nutrients. 10 to 30mg/L of magnesium is needed to help the yeast during brewing, but too much may cause bitterness.
- Carbonate and bicarbonate (CO3 and HCO3): affect the alkalinity of the brewing water and the acidity of the mash. When the content is too low, the mash will be too sour, and when the content is too high, the efficiency of the mash will below. The carbonate content required depends on the type of beer being brewed. According to beersmith.com, the content of light beer should be 25 to 50 mg/L, and the content of dark malt with higher acidity should be 100 to 300 mg/L.
- Sodium: When there is a small amount of sodium, it has little effect on beer flavor. It also helps maintain the health of the body and the taste of beer. But, too much sodium can produce a metallic taste in beer. This is why demineralized water should not be used to brew beer. The sodium content is acceptable in the range of 10-70mg/L.
- Chloride: Like sodium, it affects the taste and complexity of the beer. It can make the beer taste fuller or sweeter. But, chlorine is not a chemical substance used in brewing water. Chlorine is often used to treat urban water or disinfect brewing equipment. Also, chlorine can negatively affect the flavor of the finished beer.
- Sulfate: It helps to exude the taste of hops, and it can also lower the pH of the water. It has the opposite effect of chloride.
Accurately calculate the PH of the water
A smart brewer can calculate how much grain is needed to offset the pH based on the color that the beer needs. They can then determine what adjustments need to be made. When brewing dark beers (such as Munich Dunkel, Porter, and Stout) they work well with hard alkaline water. This is because colored malt is more acidic and offsets the higher alkalinity, thereby reducing the pH to the desired range.
Conversely, light malt may not add enough acid to reach the desired pH. So, brewers may need to add lactic acid, use acid in the mashing process, use acidified malt, or add gypsum or other salts to it. For bitter beer styles like IPA, mash with a higher PH is not ideal. Because alkalinity can amplify the bitterness of hops and become irritating or astringent. You can get softer water in many ways, such as diluting hard water by adding distilled water.
So, use hard water or soft water to start brewing, which is better? It depends on the style of beer you brew. The less you need to adjust, the better.
When you deal with water problems, almost any action plan will cause a chain reaction. For example, when alkaline substances are removed from hard water, they will take away too much calcium. But all beers need a certain amount of calcium for the mash to play a good role. So, it may be necessary to re-add a certain amount of calcium. In the case of soft water, it may be necessary to add trace minerals, such as zinc and copper, so that the yeast can chew. But excessive minerals may also oxidize beer or produce an unpleasant taste.
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