Topic: Water
Calibrating a pH Meter With Distilled Water
FREEOn paper, using distilled water as a pH 7.0 makes sense because the ionization constant is 1 x 10-14 and the concentration of hydrogen ions is 1 x 10-7 molar at 77
Brewing Water Treatments
Nano+ Members OnlyWater is the least understood ingredient when making great beer. John Palmer, who literally wrote the book on the subject, will help take the mystery out of water’s role in brewing and how to make better beer as a result. You’ll learn how to adjust your brewing water, understand water reports, and other vital skills
Brewing Water Adjustments Workshop
Plus Members OnlyWater is a critical brewing ingredient and yet is one of the least understood. John Palmer, who wrote the definitive book on the subject, Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers, will take the mystery out of your approach to handling water in your brewery during this four-hour workshop. You’ll learn not only the chemistry but
Using Water Profile for Brewing
Digital and Plus Members OnlyRick, water chemistry can indeed be confusing. I think one of the reasons that the topic is so frustrating to read about is partly due to the number of different units that are used to express the concentration of ions in water. The analysis you sent from Ward Laboratories is typical of modern water lab
Pre-Boil vs. Post-Boil Water Ion Concentrations
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThis is a really good question. Water chemistry is discussed in terms of pre-mash concentrations with minimal attention given to the concentration of ions following mashing (and boil). Perhaps the primary reason for this view is that water chemistry’s greatest influence on beer is through its effect on mash and wort pH. Malt enzymes, protein
Dial In Your Brewing Water No Matter The Source
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThanks for the great question about water. I will jump into the middle of the pool here and try not to stray towards the deep end where the abyss of things not relevant to homebrewing lies. The crux of your question is how does one determine the starting point with water, and like most things
Adjusting Flavor Using Brewing Salts
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThe Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) training material outlines a sensory training process for brewers and clubs using ingredients found around the home or the brewery. As Education Chair for the Aurora City Brew Club in Aurora, Colorado, I’ve expanded this test to include other flavors and particularly, solutions of brewing salts. In the past,
Brewing Water Tweaks
Digital and Plus Members OnlyGrain bill, grist ratio (mash thickness), and salt additions all affect mash pH. I am not going to address specific how-to details related to the EZ Water Calculator in this answer, but after playing around with this spreadsheet I can verify that the tool does not “suggest” salt additions to balance the pH; you need
Water Adjustments: Tips from the Pros
FREEJust because water is safe to drink doesn’t mean it is ideal for making great beer. Changing the chemistry of water is the first step great brewers take when creating a recipe,
Brewing with Reverse Osmosis Water
Digital and Plus Members OnlyYou can’t trust water: Even a straight stick turns crooked in it.” – W.C. Fields. Over the years, I’ve probably had more discussions, debates, and arguments with other brewers over water than just about any other topic. And I think I know why. It’s a fairly advanced topic that requires some scientific understanding, but also
Combating Chloramine
Digital and Plus Members OnlyAs far as chloramine removal goes, your “belt and suspenders” method is more than capable of removing chloramines from water. Just to very briefly hit this topic, carbon filtration is a great method that can be used to adsorb a wide range of compounds from water. One of the most common uses of carbon filtration
Shifting Water: Understanding brewing water additions
FREEWater continues to be one of the leading topics homebrewers want to learn about. Get some high-level pointers from the man who literally co-authored the book on the topic.