Beer and Loafing NHC 2004 Las Vegas, NV Brewing Water, Residual Alkalinity, and Mash pH.

Beer and LoafingNHC 2004

Las Vegas, NV

Brewing Water, Residual

Alkalinity, and Mash pH

The First RuleKnow what your local

water chemistry is!

The Second RuleKnow WHY you want to adjust your water!

The Third Rule

If it’s not broken, Don’t Fix It!

Local Water And Beer

Beer Styles came from local brewing water

Burton Ale came from hard, high carbonate water

Guinness Stout came from medium hard, high carbonate water

Vienna Lager came from hard, medium carbonate water

Oktoberfest came from medium hard, medium carbonate water.

Pilsner came from very soft, low carbonate water

Hard vs. Soft Water“Hard water” refers to the scale

that forms on pipes, and being “hard” for soap to lather.

“Hardness” is a function of Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Mangenese, etc.“Soft” just means that there is low Calcium and Magnesium.

Hard and Soft are only half the story, the other half is the Alkalinity.

Reading a Water Analysis Table 1 - Water Report for

Las Vegas Valley WD (2003) (All values, except pH, in parts per million (ppm)

(1 ppm = 1 mg/l) 17 ppm = 1 grain of hardness/gallon (gpg)

Parameter Measurement

Alkalinity as CaCO3 133

Arsenic .002

Cadmium ND

Bicarbonate 162

Calcium 72

Chloride 87

Chromium .002

Copper 1.120 (2-5 RDA)

Hardness (as gpg) 17

Hardness as CaCO3 290

Iron ND

Lead .003

Magnesium 26

Manganese ND

Nitrate 458

pH 7.6

Zinc .145

Sodium 88

Sulfate 230

Moderate Bicarbonate Moderate Hardness High Sulfate Moderate Sodium Moderate Chloride

Famous Brewing Waters

Water Profiles From Notable Brewing CitiesCity Calcium Magnesium Bicarbonate Sulfate Sodium Chloride Beer Style

(Ca+2) (Mg+2) (HCO3-) SO4-2 Na+1 Cl-1

Pilsen 10 3 3 4 3 4 Pilsener

Dortmund 225 40 220 120 60 60 ExportLager

Vienna 163 68 243 216 8 39 ViennaLager

Munich 109 21 171 79 2 36 Oktoberfest

London 52 32 104 32 86 34 British Bitter

Edinburgh 100 18 160 105 20 45 Scottish Ale

Burton 352 24 320 820 44 16 India PaleAle

Dublin 118 4 319 54 12 19 Dry Stout

Numbers are given in parts per million (ppm).These numbers are ANNUAL AVERAGES

These Numbers are Annual AVERAGES!

The averages are probably not representative of real

ratios.

Mash pH IonsCalcium (Ca): 50-150 ppm

Important for most brewing biochemical reactions.

Magnesium (Mg) 10-30 ppmAn essential nutrient, but usually not deficient. Acts similar to calcium.

Bicarbonate/Carbonate 0-50 ppm for pale beers50-150 for amber beers150-250 for dark beers

Balances the natural acidity of the malt.

Flavor IonsSodium (Na) 0-150 ppm

Accentuates the sweetness of the malt. Excess can cause harsh bitterness w/sulfate.

Chloride (Cl) 0-250 ppmRounds out the maltiness.

Sulfate (SO4) 50-150 ppmAccentuates the hop bitterness, makes it crispier. Excess causes harsh bitterness.

Water Adjustment for Extract BrewingPre-treatment

Odors/tastes: Chlorine, Iron, Sulfur, metallic, etc.

Carbon Filters, Campden Tablets, Water Softeners, Green Sand

Flavor TweakingSulfate for hop bitternessSodium/Chloride for Malt accentuation

Fermentation Issues (Rare) Zn, Ca, Mn, Mg = Yeast Nutrition, Beer Haze30 Years ago, malt extract was for bakingNow, mineral levels for mash chemistry

fermentability have been done for you.

Water Adjustment for Steeping

(Na, Cl, SO4) Same as for Extract

(Ca, Mg, HCO3) Steeping pHIf your water is very high in bicarbonate,

you may need calcium.Use a steeping ratio similar to mash

2-4 qts/lb.Ratio can be more dilute with darker

maltsAstringency is usually due to being too

hot.

Water Adjustment for All-Grain

(Ca, Mg, HCO3) Mash pHCalcium, Magnesium, and Bicarbonate

control the Residual Alkalinity.Residual Alkalinity combines with the

grain bill to determine the mash pHMash pH determines fermentability,

clarity, flavor, etc.

(Na, Cl, SO4) Same as for Extract Brewing

Residual Alkalinity

Mash pH is the net effect of the hardness, alkalinity, and the grainbill.Residual Alkalinity = alkalinity - (Ca/3.5 +

Mg/7)

High RA means you should brew dark beers

Low RA means you should brew light beers

Residual Alkalinity NomographDetermine your Base Malt Mash

pH

UsageNotes:1.Assume anerrorof +/- .1pHdue toindividual mashchemistry.2.Theactual pHofthe mashat mashtemperature (~150°F)is typically.35pHlessthan it measuresat roomtemperature.

[Mg](ppm)

[Ca] (ppm)

Effective HardnessNote:This isnot thesameas

Total HardnessasCaCO3

Residual AlkalinityasCaCO3(ppm)

MashpH(@roomtemp)

AlkalinityasCaCO3(ppm) 0 50 100 200 250150 300 350 400 450

[HCO3](ppm)0 50 100 200 250 350150 300 400 450 500 550

5010 20 30 40 60 70 800 10090

50 100 150 200 250 3000 350

100 150 200 250 300 3505010 20 30 400 400

0 50-50-100-150-200-250-300 100 150 200 250 300-350

5.7 5.8 5.9 6.0 6.1 6.25.65.55.45.35.25.1

SuggestedBeerColor/Style GuideforResidual AlkalinityMashpH

Raising RA with Bicarbonate


[Mg](ppm)

[Ca] (ppm)




MashpH(@roomtemp)


[HCO3](ppm)0 50 100 200 250 350150 300 400 450 500 550

5010 20 30 40 60 70 800 10090

50 100 150 200 250 3000 350

100 150 200 250 300 3505010 20 30 400 400

0 50-50-100-150-200-250-300 100 150 200 250 300-350

5.7 5.8 5.9 6.0 6.1 6.25.65.55.45.35.25.1


Add 140 ppm HCO3

Lowering RA with Calcium


[Mg](ppm)

[Ca] (ppm)




MashpH(@roomtemp)


[HCO3](ppm)0 50 100 200 250 350150 300 400 450 500 550

5010 20 30 40 60 70 800 10090

50 100 150 200 250 3000 350

100 150 200 250 300 3505010 20 30 400 400

0 50-50-100-150-200-250-300 100 150 200 250 300-350

5.7 5.8 5.9 6.0 6.1 6.25.65.55.45.35.25.1


Add 190 ppm Calcium

Neutralizing Alkalinity


[Mg](ppm)

[Ca] (ppm)




MashpH(@roomtemp)


[HCO3](ppm)0 50 100 200 250 350150 300 400 450 500 550

5010 20 30 40 60 70 800 10090

50 100 150 200 250 3000 350

100 150 200 250 300 3505010 20 30 400 400

0 50-50-100-150-200-250-300 100 150 200 250 300-350

5.7 5.8 5.9 6.0 6.1 6.25.65.55.45.35.25.1


Neutralize 225 ppm Alkalinity as CaCO3

Neutralizing Alkalinity con’t

Alkalinity can also be neutralized by adding acid to the mash.Lactic Acid (88% soln.) = 11.8 mEq/mlSulfuric Acid (96% soln.) = 35 mEq/mlPhosphoric (86% soln.) = 30 mEq/ml

Divide “Alkalinity As” by 50 to get mEq/L225 mg/L ÷ 50 = 4.5 mEq/LIf mash water volume is 4 Gal (15 L), then

15 x 4.5 = 67.5 mEq of acid are needed.Using Lactic acid: 67.5/11.8 = (6) ml of Lactic Acid

Read New Brewing Lager Beer pp. 60-73 for more info

Acidifying the SpargeUsually Unnecessary!Malts have a lot of buffering power, which

lasts until runnings fall below 1.008Acidifying the the mash water or sparge

to 5.5 or 6 pH can cause the mash pH to be less than 4.5, which inhibits beta amylase and will affect the taste.

Batch Sparge and No-sparge techniques can ensure that runnings never fall below 1.016

Summary

You can adjust your brewing

water chemistry if:You know where you areYou know where you are goingYou know how to get thereFor more info, see

How To Brew (Palmer) – Chapter 15New Brewing Lager Beer (Noonan) –

Chapter 3

Beer and Loafing NHC 2004 Las Vegas, NV Brewing Water, Residual Alkalinity, and Mash pH.

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