Editing Water report
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See [[Water]]. | |||
MCL stands for "Maximum Contaminant Level", and they are just provided as a reference to safety standards. For our purposes we can ignore these values unless of course the tested value is above the MCL, in which case the water is not even safe to drink. | MCL stands for "Maximum Contaminant Level", and they are just provided as a reference to safety standards. For our purposes we can ignore these values unless of course the tested value is above the MCL, in which case the water is not even safe to drink. | ||
Nitrate (NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>) should to be limited to less than 25 ppm, as otherwise the fermentation may be adversely affected.<ref name=eumann/> | Nitrate (NO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup>) should to be limited to less than 25 ppm, as otherwise the fermentation may be adversely affected.<ref name=eumann/> | ||
The concentration of nitrate in water is restricted to less than 50 mg/L; this can still | The concentration of nitrate in water is restricted to less than 50 mg/L; this can still consti- | ||
tute a risk due to the potential formation of nonvolatile nitrosamines (suspected carcinogens). The | |||
mechanism involves the reduction of nitrate to nitrite (by bacterial nitrate reductase activity) and the | |||
chemical reaction of nitrite with any wort and beer nitrogen compounds, such as amines.39 Water | |||
represents the major source of nitrate in beer; the brewing process can only add to the nitrate content | |||
of the water used for brewing. Whole hops can contain up to 1.0% w/w nitrate.39 | |||
Reduction of the nitrate content to less than 10 mg/L may be desirable, and maintenance of | |||
high hygiene standards will reduce risk of bacterial contamination with nitrate reductase capability, | |||
especially yeast handling procedures.39 The presence of nitrite in water indicates contamination by | |||
wastewater. The concentration is restricted to less than 0.5 mg/L.2<ref name=hob/> | |||
Silica (SiO<sub>2</sub>) is linked to the occurrence of turbidity in the beer and hence should not exceed 25–40 ppm.<ref name=eumann/> | Silica (SiO<sub>2</sub>) is linked to the occurrence of turbidity in the beer and hence should not exceed 25–40 ppm.<ref name=eumann>Eumann, M. and Schildbach, S. [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jib.18 "125<sup>th</sup> Anniversary Review: Water sources and treatment in brewing."] ''J. Inst. Brew.'', 2012, vol. 118, pp. 12-21.</ref> | ||
Trihalomethanes are byproducts from chlorination and hence are often found when domestic water is used as a water source for supplying a brewery. As THMs are regarded as carcinogenic agents, their concentration should be limited to <10 ppb.<ref name=eumann/> | Trihalomethanes are byproducts from chlorination and hence | ||
are often found when domestic water is used as a water source | |||
for supplying a brewery. As THMs are regarded as carcinogenic | |||
agents, their concentration should be limited to <10 ppb.<ref name=eumann/> | |||
"Hardness" (the number of bivalent metal ions like calcium and magnesium) and total alkalinity are often both expressed "as CaCO<sub>3</sub>" so that the levels of these types of ions can be easily compared. This is important for the deeper chemistry theory involved in predicting mash and boil pH. Fortunately, brewers who understand these interactions have designed software for us, so it's not exactly necessary for the average brewer to understand the theory behind it. | "Hardness" (the number of bivalent metal ions like calcium and magnesium) and total alkalinity are often both expressed "as CaCO<sub>3</sub>" so that the levels of these types of ions can be easily compared. This is important for the deeper chemistry theory involved in predicting mash and boil pH. Fortunately, brewers who understand these interactions have designed software for us, so it's not exactly necessary for the average brewer to understand the theory behind it. | ||
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Silicate can be extracted from malt by sparging at a high pH.30 It is associated with Ca2+ and Mg2+ and may cause haze in the beer and scaling of vessels and mains.2<ref name=hob/> | Silicate can be extracted from malt by sparging at a high pH.30 It is associated with Ca2+ and Mg2+ and may cause haze in the beer and scaling of vessels and mains.2<ref name=hob/> | ||
===Validation=== | |||
For a water composition to be valid, the sums of anion and cation charges should be equal (with a small margin of error). The easiest way to evaluate this is by converting the concentrations to milliequivalents per liter.<ref name=water>Palmer, J. and Kaminski, C. ''Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers.'' Brewers Publications, 2013.</ref> | |||
For a water composition to be valid, the sums of anion and cation charges should be equal (with a small margin of error). The easiest way to evaluate this is by converting the concentrations to milliequivalents per liter.<ref name=water>Palmer J, | |||
== References == | ==References== | ||