Water For Homebrew

The small coal mining town s golden pale lager.

Water for homebrew.

Water is a big part of the homebrewing process so you want to make sure you are using the right water to get the best beer. From water profiles to brewing salts mastering this most basic ingredient in brewing can take your beer to the next level. Softened water works fine for extract brewing but should be used with caution for all grain brewing. If you constantly brew different beers like us this calculator is your best friend.

The water of west germany s dortmund is very hard and rich in calcium sulfates and chlorides. The types of water i am going to discuss are tap water distilled water ro water filtered water well water and rain water. This is a question we get asked quite often. Depending on the type of beer the mashing process requires a particular balance of minerals in the water that the softening process will remove.

Discussions about water can get complicated fast especially if you aren t familiar with hydrology. The idea is to get the input water for the batch to match the same conditions as the target profile eg as if you were using water from the river trent. The upside is that your water is now a blank slate and you can build up a water profile that is perfectly tuned for the style of beer you are brewing. But there are a few basics that specifically apply to the homebrewer which can set the foundation for further exploration into the realm of brewing water.

Find and enter your source water s mineral levels on line 4 tune target levels as desired line 5. Brewing water profiles water is a deceptively understated and underrated force in the making of any beer. Water is the most common component of beer and one of the greatest influences on the beer s flavor. You should begin your selection for water by determining if you tap water is acceptable for brewing or not.

Add brewing salts as needed so the difference on line 8 reports all green values within. Use this sparge and strike water calculator to determine how much sparge water will be necessary to rinse your mash and get you to the proper pre boil volume. You can find water quality reports online that describe the minerals trace elements and other components in your water. Historically bewers used the water locally available to brew their beer leading to distinct regional flavor profiles emerging around the globe.

Conventional wisdom says you should focus on water chemistry last in your brewing career but we recommend starting much sooner because brewing water chemistry significantly impacts your beer s flavor and mouthfeel. A good bet for your first batch of beer is the bottled water sold in most supermarkets as drinking. Mineral adjustments and water profiles as mentioned your brand new blank slate water could probably use some adjustments to get the best results in your final product.