There are commercial kits that are available for homebrewers to use to analyze water for making beer. This research explored how closely one of these kits matched the ion concentrations obtained by the City of Amarillo Environmental Lab using standardized methods. A secondary objective was the comparison of ion values in different water sources which can also have implications for brewing. Sources that were analyzed for these studies included tap water, boiled tap water, RO water, well water, bottled water and water from a vending machine (charge per gallon). Measured ions that were relatively close to Lab values using the kit included calcium, magnesium and chloride concentrations whereas ions that did differ included sodium and sulfate ions. The most significant implication of this comparison is that misadjusted sodium and sulfate levels can lead to undesirable bitterness in beers. Furthermore, many brewers believe that chloride : sulfate ratios are important for moderating flavor profiles in beer so it is important to be able to determine sulfate ratios accurately. In regard to water source, RO water was predictably lowest in all ions analyzed. Tap water was highest in calcium whereas boiled water was second lowest. Boiling did not affect magnesium concentration and well water contained the highest amount of magnesium. Magnesium in higher concentrations can impart bitterness to beer. Interestingly, chloride concentrations were highest in boiled tap water with bottled water containing the second lowest value. Sodium and sulfate values were expectedly highest in boiled tap water thus suggesting that some ions, perhaps chloride as well, are affected by the volume reduction associated with boiling. The low concentration of ions in RO water is an important consideration for the homebrewer given the impact this has on both flavor profiles, off flavors and yeast metabolism.

Comparison of a brewer’s water analysis kit to standardized methods and implications for brewing

251st National Meeting (2016)

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