Poor water quality can ruin your brew

As a brewer you want one thing – consistent great taste from batch to batch. But with today’s water conditions, it’s not easy to achieve.

Great-tasting beer starts with clean, reliable water. After all, beer is over 90% water, but it can’t just be any water. The alkalinity, mineral content and pH levels all must be adjusted to desired levels. This can be extremely difficult if the water coming into your facility is inconsistent and laden with off-flavor producing contaminants. Among the worst culprits are chlorine, chloramines and iron. These contaminants can vary widely from day to day, depending on your local water utility or well. They can also inhibit fermentation and impact flavor.

Poor water quality can ruin your equipment

Your beer requires the right amount of hardness, but hard water generally exceeds the desired level. Not only that, it leaves scale deposits in water-using equipment like bottle rinsers. This scale builds and builds until your equipment needs repair or replacement. A water softener may remove hardness, but exchanges minerals for salt…which does nothing good for your beer.

What’s a brewer to do?

So, how can brewers get the pH below 5.6, provide the right amount of calcium for clarity and stability, and dial in hardness correctly when the water they use is high in alkalinity? What do they do when their water is low in chlorine one day, but smells like a swimming pool the next? By choosing the right water treatment system

Choose the right water treatment system