Water mineral adjustment
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Although malt is the main source of minerals extracted into wort, the levels of minerals in water also play a substantial role in beer flavor and the brewing process. The major ions with a direct effect on flavor are sulfate, chloride, sodium, and magnesium. Ions can also affect other as aspects of beer quality, including fermentation, mash enzyme action, haze, and pH control.
The principal ions are the cations – calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium – and the anions – sulfate, nitrate, phosphate, chlorides, and silicate. The minor ions are iron, copper, zinc, and manganese. The level of toxic metals is limited by law. Cereals, water, hops, and adjuncts are the main sources of the minerals present in beer, while yeast, industrial processing and the containers contribute to a lesser extent.[1]
The water profiles of different European cities has influences the development of beer styles suited to achieving the proper mash pH, long before brewers knew of such concepts.[1]
| Ion | Desired level | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Calcium (Ca2+) | 50 to 150 mg/L | Calcium improves mashing enzyme activity, beneficially lowers pH, improves protein coagulation, lowers oxalate, and improves yeast flocculation. Calcium does not provide flavor. |
| Magnesium (Mg2+) | 5 to 40 mg/L | Magnesium beneficially lowers pH, improves fermentation performance, increases hop utilization, and imparts a sour and bitter astringency to beer. |
| Sodium (Na+) | 0 to 120 mg/L | Sodium improves mouthfeel and fullness, rounds out flavors, and accentuates the sweetness of malt. |
| Potassium (K+) | 0 to 200 mg/L | Potassium is required for fermentation, but the malt provides more than enough to support the yeast. Potassium does not provide flavor unless the level is excessive. |
| Chloride (Cl−) | 0 to 250 mg/L | Chloride provides a roundness, fullness, and a sweet quality to the malt character. |
| Sulfate (SO42−) | 10 to 500 mg/L | Sulfate accentuates hop bitterness, and adds dryness and astringency, lending a more crisp finish. |
| Bicarbonate (HCO3−) | Variable, based on pH | Bicarbonate is ion responsible for alkalinity — it raises pH during mashing, etc. Bicarbonate does not provide flavor. |
| Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Manganese (Mn) | None | These transition metals catalyze oxidation and therefore their levels should be as low as possible. |
Most of the salts in beer originate from the barley. A 12°P beer will contribute about 1200mg/L of minerals.[2] However, minerals in the water still have a significant impact on flavor.
Water pH, in and of itself, does not mean anything to brewers.[3] The pH values that matter in wort production are mash pH (pH 5.2–5.4 is the ideal range), wort pH flowing from the mash tun (anything from pH 5.2–5.8 is great, and pH 6.0 for the last runnings is tolerable), and wort pH before the boil (I like pH 5.2–5.4, and nothing greater than pH 5.6). If you find that you need to acidify mash or wort, lactic acid or phosphoric acids are easy to use. You can also add calcium since it reacts with malt phosphates and amino acids to decrease mash and wort pH. And if you need to bump the pH up, baking soda is really the easiest thing to add. Don’t worry about the sodium since you are really not adding much at all.
| Ion | Wort (mg/L) | Beer (mg/L) |
|---|---|---|
| Na+ | 10 | 12 |
| K+ | 380 | 355 |
| Ca2+ | 35 | 33 |
| Mg2+ | 70 | 65 |
| Zn2+ | 0.17 | 0 |
| Cu2+ | 0.15 | 0.12 |
| Fe3+ | 0.11 | 0.07 |
| Cl- | 125 | 130 |
| SO42- | 5 | 15 |
| PO43- (free) | 550 | 389 |
| PO43- (total) | 830 | 604 |
Also see Brewing Science and Practice page 164 for another example of ionic content in beer.
Depending on the malts used, a standard 12°P gravity wort has levels of around 100-270 μg/L iron, 20-400 μg/L copper and 80-150 μg/L manganese with 100-5000 μg/L of the beneficial zinc. Calcium and magnesium - two other beneficial brewing metals found in wort - were not screened in our trials. Neither appear to substantially chelate out of solution (19) and they are also present in wort at concentrations two orders of magnitude higher than the detrimental iron, copper and manganese ions (namely, 50-90 mg/L for Mg and 15-35 mg/L for Ca) (31).[5]
Requirements for brew water[6] Parameter Limits Fe (ppm) <0.1 Mn (ppm) <0.05 Turbidity (NTU) 0.0–0.5 Ca2+ (ppm) 80/70–90 Mg2+ (ppm) 0–10 Na+ (ppm) 0–20 m-Alkalinity (ppm CaCO3) 25/10–50 Residual alkalinity according to Kolbach (ppm CaCO3) <0 Cl- (ppm) 0–50 SO4 2- (ppm) 30–150 NO3- (ppm) 0–25 NO2- (ppm) <0.1 KMnO4 (ppm O2 per L) <5 pH 5.0–9.5 SiO2 (ppm) 0–25 THMs (ppb) <10 Total H2S (ppb) <5
In beer most of the minerals originate from the barley. About 75% derives from the malt, while the remaining 25% originates from the water. The minerals include about 35% phosphates, about 25% silicates, and about 20% potassium salts.[1]
Heavy metals, such as lead (Pb2+) and tin (Sn2+), can be inhibitory to certain yeast enzymes and can induce haze formation.2[7]
Sulfate-to-Cloride ratio
The ratio of sulfate to chloride is said to greatly influence the hoppy-to-malty or dryness-to-fullness balance of the beer. However, the actually amounts of each ion clearly also still play a role.
The useful range of the ratio is 9 to 0.5, mainly for ales. Lagers tend to benefit from low levels of sulfate regardless of the ratio.[4]
Comrie[8] (1967) suggests sulfate to chloride of 2:1 for pale ales and 2:3 for mild ales.
Many authors (e.g., see references 1, 19, 22, 23) refer to the importance of the chloride to sulfate balance. From the previous discussion regarding chloride and sulfate, it can be seen that the relative flavor effects of these ions are somewhat antagonistic. In an attempt to quantify this point, it has been shown16 that increasing the Cl− : SO4 2− ratio from 1:1 to 2:1 (on a mg/L basis) achieved increased taste panel scores for body and sweetness, with a commensurate reduction in drying, bitter, and metallic flavors. In contrast, when the Cl− : SO4 2− ratio was changed from 1:1 to 1:2, the increased sulfate content achieved reduced body and sweetness but increased bitterness and drying flavors. These effects are repeatable at different absolute concentrations of chloride and sulfate. It appears that, in many cases, it is the relative ratio of the two ions that has the major flavor influence, often irrespective of the accompanying cations.[7]
The key influence of chloride on beer flavor is somewhat antagonistic to sulfate, producing smoothness and body effects.[7]
The ratio of chloride to sulfate helps to regulate the saline/bitter character of beer.[9]
The ratio between chloride and sulfate is thought to be important with regard to regulating the palatability of the beer.[10]
Water profiles from famous/historical brewing regions are useless because brewers have been modifying their brewing water for centuries.[4][11]
Inorganic ions are required in enzymic and structural roles. Enzymic functions include the following:[7]
- As the catalytic center of an enzyme (e.g., Zn2+, Mn2+, Cu2+, Co2+)
- As activators of enzyme activity (e.g., Mg2+)
- As metal co-enzymes (e.g., K+)
- As cofactors in redox pigments (e.g., Fe3+, Cu2+)
Structural roles involve neutralization of electrostatic forces present in various cellular anionic molecules. These include:[7]
- K+ and Mg2+ ions bound to DNA, RNA, proteins, and polyphosphates
- Ca2+ and Mg2+ combined with the negatively charged structural membrane
phospholipids
- Ca2+ complexed with cell wall phosphate ions
Arguably, control of wort and beer pH is the single most important feature of the influence of inorganic ions on beer quality and flavor.[7]
Buy a pH meter. Test strips are for amateurs. If you are serious about brewing good beer, then you need to be serious about measuring your results and reaching your goals.
Bench trials for learning flavor effects?
An all-malt pale lager wort (12° P) should contain about 550 mg/1. potassium, 30 mg/1. sodium, 35 mg/1. calcium, 100 mg/1. magnesium, 0.10 mg/1. copper, 0.10 mg/1. iron, 0.15 mg/1. manganese, and 0.15 mg/1. zinc.[12]
See also
References
- ↑ a b c Montanari L, Mayer H, Marconi O, Fantozzi P. Chapter 34: Minerals in beer. In: Preedy VR, ed. Beer in Health and Disease Prevention. Academic Press; 2009:359–365.
- ↑ Kunze W. Hendel O, ed. Technology Brewing & Malting. 6th ed. VBL Berlin; 2019.
- ↑ Lewis A. The low down on water softeners for brewing. Brew Your Own website. 2020. Accessed online 2024.
- ↑ a b c Palmer J, Kaminski C. Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers. Brewers Publications; 2013.
- ↑ Mertens T, Kunz T, Wietstock PC, Methner FJ. Complexation of transition metals by chelators added during mashing and impact on beer stability. J Inst Brew. 2021;127(4):345–357.
- ↑ Eumann M, Schildbach S. 125th Anniversary review: Water sources and treatment in brewing. J Inst Brew. 2012;118:12–21.
- ↑ a b c d e f Taylor DG. Water. In: Stewart GG, Russell I, Anstruther A, eds. Handbook of Brewing. 3rd ed. CRC Press; 2017.
- ↑ Comrie AA. Brewing liquor—a review. J Inst Brew. 1967;73(4):335–346.
- ↑ Briggs DE, Boulton CA, Brookes PA, Stevens R. Brewing Science and Practice. Woodhead Publishing Limited and CRC Press LLC; 2004.
- ↑ Howe S. Raw materials. In: Smart C, ed. The Craft Brewing Handbook. Woodhead Publishing; 2019.
- ↑ Fix G. Principles of Brewing Science. 2nd ed. Brewers Publications; 1999.
- ↑ Holzmann A, Piendl A. Malt modification and mashing conditions as factors influencing the minerals of wort. J Am Soc Brew Chem. 1977;35(1):1–8.