All Grain Water Chemistry Brewing Information

Saturday, March 14th, 2009

Understanding water chemistry in brewing is an important step to refining home brewing

skills. It turns out less than a teaspoon of a couple key brewing salts can make a big impact
in a batch of beer. This is mainly applicable to all grain brewing where full control over the
mash chemistry is available. However, the flavor profile is impacted by water chemistry in
all brewing styles.
Tuning water to a particular style of beer adds a lot of fun and satisfaction. Balancing flavor
ions gives absolute control over the final product. Water chemistry is also important for
hitting the correct pH in the mash and can impact efficiency.
The first thing to do is obtain your local water report. Most cities provide this online with
far more information than you will use in brewing. The values to look for are:

Calcium (Ca+2)

Magnesium (Mg+2)

Sulfates (SO4-2)

Sodium (Na+)

Chloride (Cl-)

Bicarbonate / Alkalinity

Brewers living in cities with soft water are the most fortunate because they have complete
control over the mineral levels in their brewing water. For brewers in places with hard
water (high alkalinity and mineral content), dilution with distilled water and then re-adding
depleted minerals is the easiest solution. Well water is a tough one as it will require lab
analysis to be sure what the levels are, but it can be expected to be packed with minerals.
To help navigate all this information, we created the Brewers Friend water chemistry
calculator. It helps you hit target concentrations and advises about minimum and maximum
levels for each ion. Too much of a given salt can ruin the beer and cause side effects to
those who drink it. The calculator also reports how the ion concentrations impact the flavor
and bitterness of the beer.
The Brewing Salts:

Adjusting your source water the target water is done through adding a combination of
brewing salts.

Chalk Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3)

Boosts alkalinity and source of calcium. Good for adding alkalinity to soft water for
brewing dark beers.

Baking soda Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO3),

Boosts alkalinity and source of sodium.

Gypsum Calcium Sulfate (CaSO4 * 2 H20)

Source of calcium, sulfate enhances hop bittering, but must be balanced with
chlorides.

Calcium Chloride (CaCl2 * 2 H20)

Source of calcium for low chloride water.

Epsom salt Magnesium Sulfate (MgSO4 * 7 H20)

Sulfate enhances hop bittering, but must be balanced with chlorides. Magnesium
has a low ppm threshold for being safe (brewing range 0-30ppm), so use this one
sparingly if at all.

Target ranges for mineral levels in beer brewing:

Flavor Ions:

Calcium (Ca+2) target range of 50-150 ppm

Magnesium (Mg+2) target range of 0-30 ppm

Sulfate (SO4-2)- target range 50-150 ppm for normal beers, 150-350ppm for highly
bitter beers.

Sodium (Na+) target range 0-150 ppm

Chloride (Cl-) target range 0-250 ppm.

Harmful levels:
Concentrations above these levels are harmful to the beer, and much beyond they become
harmful to our health!

Calcium (Ca+2) 250 ppm

Magnesium (Mg+2) 50 ppm

Sulfate (SO4-2) above 750 ppm

Sodium (Na+) above 200 ppm

Chloride (Cl-) above 300 ppm

Sulphate and Chloride should be balanced in beer:

2:1 SO4 to Cl is good for bitter beer

1:2 SO4 to Cl for mild ales

1:3 SO4 to Cl for stouts and porters

Chloride and Sodium add the maltiness of a beer.

Sulfate highlights bitterness and reduces malt flavor.

Alkalinity Range:
Alkalinity impacts the pH of the mash, a key factor in efficiency. Bicarbonate (HCO3-)
ppm depends on style of beer, lower for lighter beers, higher for darker beers.

0-50 for pale beers

50-150 for amber beers

150-400 for dark beers

Sources:
Palmer, John, How To Brew, 2006
Daniels, Ray, Designing Great Beers, 1996