beer water

Water Profiles - Why They're Important in Brewing Beer By Shawn Burgy Shawn Burgy Level: Basic PLUS I've been an avid Homebrewer and lover of beer for a long while now. I started brewing at the age of 18 . I am ... ...

Understanding your local water profile can determine the best styles to brew in your area. Some city's have very soft water, It's usually better to brew styles such as the Pilsner with soft water. In England the water is usually harder, Which helps the maltyness in there Pale Ales. But each city and town in England has a lot of differences from town to town and village to village.

Knowing the basic water profile in Yorkshire can help you know how to change your local soft water. Lets look at my water profile for Akron,Ohio and Yorkshire,England

Water Profile

Akron, Ohio
Calcium (Ca)= 40.0
Magnesium (Mg)= 8.0
Sodium (Na)= 36.0
Sulfate (SO4)= 75.0
Chloride (C1)= 35.0
Bicarbonate (HC03)= 130.0
PH= 7.34

Water Profile
Yorkshire, England
Calcium (Ca)= 105.0
Magnesium (Mg)= 17.0
Sodium (Na)= 23.0
Sulfate (SO4)= 66.0
Chloride (C1)= 30.0
Bicarbonate (HC03)= 153.0
PH= 8.33

As you can see the Akron water will have to come up in some minerals to reach the Yorkshire water profile. For this I usually use a program called ProMash. It has everything you will need to bring your water where you need to. You still probably won't get all of your water profile with out going over a bit. But you will have it at least so your beers will be closer to the actual brewing water. There are certain chemicals you will need in order to get your water straight. These can be retrieved from your LHBS (Local HomeBrew Shop). Some can be collected at your local Pharmacy.
The usual scale you will use to measure is on the Grams scale.

Mineral List

Epsom Salts
Canning Salt
Gypsum
Baking Soda
Calcium Chloride
Chalk

You should have no problems getting these minerals. Once you get the hang of it you won't have any problems getting the water that you need. Give it a few times and you should notice a big improvement in your styles of beers. It's greatly satisfying to be able to actually use the water in England when you need to. Your Pale Ales and taste buds will surely thank you for your work.
Its always the extra effort that goes in to making your homebrew better.

I have been brewing since the craze in the 90's, I stuck to it. Now I'm sharing what I know with you. So give the site below a visit today. It will be evolving and growing with many resources for the new and old brewer alike.