Lesson 4 - Brewing Water Composition and Impact
This lesson deals with the influences of water composition on brewing equipment, the brewing process and beer quality. It will cover the positive and negative impacts that the various compounds found in water have on beer. We will explore the recommended water specifications for brewing key beer styles. We will also examine how to correct levels of some of the key salts within water.
Point of reflection – reconvene
Welcome back. So what were your thoughts?
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Calcium promotes yeast flocculation, thus helps to remove yeast suspended within the wort/beer, thus clarifying the beer.
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Calcium and Magnesium improve protein and polyphenol interactions, forming ‘hot break’, which improves wort clarification. More of this to come in the Wort Boiling and Wort Clarification lessons!
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Calcium reacts with oxalate to form calcium oxalate, which is precipitated out. This improves wort clarity and prevents gushing (uncontrolled over-foaming of beer).
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Copper and iron act as an oxidation catalyst, which can negatively affect colloidal stability.
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Silicate can cause haze when bound to calcium. It can also negatively affect wort run-off separation, causing a more turbid wort and ultimately affecting wort clarity.
The minerals table shows that varying mineral levels can impact the taste profile of the beer. Using this information, as well as your knowledge on alkalinity, you should be able to adjust your product water to support the required flavour profile of a particular style.