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Brewing Water
Water Treatment
Historically, breweries were located on sites with established, consistent water supplies having characteristic mineral compositions. This led to the emergence of regional beer characteristics in locations such as Burton-on-Trent, Dortmund, Pilsen, and Vienna. Water treatment was held to a minimum and, often, recipes were adapted to the shortcomings of the brewing water. For example, dark malts often were used because their natural acidity neutralized the excess alkalinity of high carbonate waters. Water treatments only involved the addition of calcium salts to the brewing water or the wort to precipitate bicarbonate ions in order to reduce alkalinity.
In modern brewing operations, the mineral composition of brewing water can be determined scientifically and adjusted to brew a wider range of products. Consequently, water treatment can be designed to suit the water composition to a particular beer style. In the case of craft breweries, brewing water usually receives minimal in-house treatment.
Methods of Water Treatment
There are five aspects of water treatment: reduction in pH, mineral salt adjustment, dechlorination, removal of particulate matter, and microbiological control. Chemicals used for brewing in the United States must meet appropriate purity specifications in order to be approved by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Chemicals meeting these specifications may be labeled FCC (Food Chemicals Codex).
Click on the following topics for more information on brewing water.