Editing Water

{{in progress}}

Water (also called brewing liquor) is a beer ingredient that is frequently underestimated. Besides H<sub>2</sub>O, water normally contains dissolved salts and dissolved oxygen gas, both of which influence every part of beer production and ultimately affect beer flavor and quality.<ref name=adb>Narziss L, Back W, Gastl M, Zarnkow M. [[Library|''Abriss der Bierbrauerei.'']] 8th ed. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA; 2017.</ref> Therefore, attention to the brewing water is necessary for making excellent beer, and small steps can lead to large improvements. Learning about "water chemistry" may seem complicated, but brewers should not be intimidated. Calculations are easily handled by modern brewing software, so just a little knowledge can go a long way.

All-grain brewers have a few goals with regard to water adjustment: The first is to establish a proper [[Brewing pH|mash pH]]. The second is to manipulate the salt levels to optimize flavor. We are a long way off from fully understanding the impact of water flavor ions on the palate of beer, so the guidelines for this second goal are a little nebulous.<ref name=smart1>Howe S. Raw materials. In: Smart C, ed. [[Library|''The Craft Brewing Handbook.'']] Woodhead Publishing; 2019.</ref> A possible third goal (for [[low oxygen brewing]]) is to remove dissolved oxygen. Last but not least, brewers using municipal tap water must be remove the chlorine in order to avoid off-flavors. Besides these adjustments, brewers need to measure the correct volume(s) of water and heat it to the correct temperature in order to prepare it for [[mashing]].

== Sources of brewing water ==
Small-scale brewers have a few options when it comes to choosing the source of water as a beer ingredient. Reverse osmosis (RO) purified water or tap water are generally the best sources of water for brewing. RO water is the most flexible because it is free from minerals, and it's easy to produce with a [[RO systems|RO system]]. Tap water contains dissolved minerals, so it can be problematic to use for brewing a variety of beer styles, depending on the mineral levels. When using tap water, the brewer must obtain a [[water report]] in order to determine the levels of minerals present, and monitor for changes because they can shift over time. An additional water report is needed whenever a change is detected.

Read the full guide: [[Water sources]]

== Remove chlorine ==
Municipal tap water is treated with [[Chlorine and chloramines|chlorine compounds]] for the purpose of disinfection. These chlorine compounds will react with [[phenolic compounds]] in the wort, causing the formation of harsh, Band-Aid<sup>&reg;</sup>-like off-flavors, which can be detectable in beer even in very small amounts. Therefore, the water needs to be dechlorinated before [[mashing]]. The easiest way to remove the chlorine is to add a small amount of [[sulfite]], which will neutralize chlorine and chloramines into harmless byproducts.

Read the full guide: [[Remove chlorine from tap water]]

== Remove dissolved oxygen ==
Water naturally contains dissolved oxygen gas (abbreviated DO), which is a major source of oxygen that can be introduced into the [[wort]] during [[mashing]]. The oxygen then "activates" and reacts with the malt components, a process called [[oxidation]]. Oxidation has a wide variety of negative effects on the brewing process and beer quality. To avoid these problems, the DO should be removed (through a process called deaeration) prior to mashing. This is part of a holistic [[low oxygen brewing]] method. For scall-scale brewers, water dearation is simple to accomplish with the help of the brewer's best friend: yeast!

Read the full guide: [[Remove dissolved oxygen from water]]

== Adjust minerals and alkalinity ==
''Summary''

Read the full guide: [[Water mineral adjustment]]

== Water volume ==
For small-scale all-grain brewing, it's a good idea to use [[recipe software]] to calculate the amount of water required for mashing (in order to obtain the desired quantity of beer at the end). Liquid is lost throughout the brewing process, which affects how much water is needed at the beginning. The volume of water required depends on the desired beer volume (batch size), the recipe, the brewing system, and the brewing methods. Because of this, it's beneficial to understand how each part of the brewing process affects the volume of beer. Taking volume measurements can help to accurately and consistently brew the desired amount of beer with minimal waste. When measuring volume while brewing, be aware that water expands when it is heated and contracts when it cools.

[Volume of packaged beer] = [Volume added] – [Volume lost]

'''Volume added:'''
* Mash water - Water used during [[mashing]] includes the strike water and any water that is added by additional infusions (i.e. step mashing). Approximately 0.42–0.48 US gallons of water is needed for each pound of malt (3.5–4 L/kg).<ref name=kunze>Kunze W. Hendel O, ed. [[Library|''Technology Brewing & Malting.'']] 6th ed. VLB Berlin; 2019.</ref>
* Sparge water - If [[sparging]], the total required water should be evenly split between the mash and sparge.<ref name=kunze/><ref name=fix>Fix G. [[Library|''Principles of Brewing Science.'']] 2nd ed. Brewers Publications; 1999.</ref>
* Water for dilution or dissolution - Water can be used to dilute the wort or beer to achieve a lower [[specific gravity|s.g.]] or [[alcohol]] level. Water used to dissolve additives also counts toward volume.
* Sauergut - [[Brewing_pH#Biological_acidification|Sour wort]] can be added during [[mashing]] or [[boiling]] to help control [[brewing pH]] and add flavor.
* Yeast starter - The wort used for [[yeast starter]]s adds to the total amount of wort.
* Fruit juice - In [[fruit beer]], the juice adds volume (the solids do not).
* Priming sugar solution - Sugar for [[bottling|bottle]] (or keg) priming for natural carbonation is often first dissolved in water.

'''Volume lost:'''
* Water left in the HLT - Water in the Hot Liquor Tank (HLT) may not fully drain into the the MLT. This should be fairly simple to measure.
* Grain absorption - The [[spent grains]] are still wet after [[lautering]], meaning some wort is lost. In order to find your grain absorption rate, you can weigh the spent grain after lautering to see how much the weight increased.
* Wort left in the MLT - Wort in the Mash Lauter Tun (MLT) may not fully drain into the boil kettle.
* Evaporation during heating, mashing, chilling - Evaporation from hot water or wort lowers volume.
* Vaporization during boiling - Water is vaporized (turned to steam) during wort boiling (or pre-boiling for water deaeration).
* Wort and trub left in the kettle (including hop absorption) - [[Trub]] is typically left behind in the boil kettle, whirlpool, or removed from the fermenter after settling.
* Water or wort left in tubing, pumps, chiller, and any other equipment - Loss or water, wort, or beer can occur due to a variety of brewing equipment.
* Sediment and beer left in the fermenter (and bottling bucket) - Not all of the beer is drained from the [[fermenter|fermentation vessel]].

Keep in mind that the volume of water used for mashing needs to physically fit within the mashing vessel, along with the [[milling|grist]] plus thermal expansion of the water. Each pound of grain adds roughly 0.34 US qt of volume (700 mL per kg).<ref name=kunze/>

== Water temperature ==
The strike water must be heated to where it will reach the target mash temperature when combined with the grist in the mashing vessel. Both the grist and the mashing vessel will cool the water, so the strike water temperature must be somewhat higher than the target mash temperature. This calculation can be easily handled by software. However, some guesswork is involved with how much the mashing vessel will decrease the temperature. When first brewing on a new system, it's helpful to use a calibrated [[thermometer]] to see whether adjustments to strike water temperature are needed for subsequent batches. Generally, the target mash-in temperature should be that of the first rest.<ref name=kunze/>

*[https://www.brewersfriend.com/mash/ Brewer's Friend strike water calculator]

== Boiling point ==
The boiling point of water changes based on the atmospheric pressure, and therefore it is different at different elevations. Higher elevations have lower boiling point due to the decrease in atmospheric pressure.

{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="width:350px"
|+ Water Boiling Point vs. Altitude
|-
!colspan="2"| Altitude
!colspan="2"| Boiling Point
|-
!(ft)!!(m)!!(°F)!!(°C)
|-
| -1000 || -305 || 213.9 || 101.1
|-
| -500 || -152 || 213.0 || 100.5
|-
| 0 || 0 || 212.0 || 100.0
|-
| 500 || 152 || 211.0 || 99.5
|-
| 1000 || 305 || 210.1 || 98.9
|-
| 1500 || 457 || 209.1 || 98.4
|-
| 2000 || 610 || 208.1 || 97.8
|-
| 2500 || 762 || 207.2 || 97.3
|-
| 3000 || 914 || 206.2 || 96.8
|-
| 3500 || 1067 || 205.3 || 96.3
|-
| 4000 || 1219 || 204.3 || 95.7
|-
| 4500 || 1372 || 203.4 || 95.2
|-
| 5000 || 1524 || 202.4 || 94.7
|-
| 5500 || 1676 || 201.5 || 94.2
|-
| 6000 || 1829 || 200.6 || 93.6
|-
| 6500 || 1981 || 199.6 || 93.1
|-
| 7000 || 2134 || 198.7 || 92.6
|-
| 7500 || 2286 || 197.8 || 92.1
|-
| 8000 || 2438 || 196.9 || 91.6
|-
| 8500 || 2591 || 196.0 || 91.1
|-
| 9000 || 2743 || 195.0 || 90.6
|-
| 9500 || 2896 || 194.1 || 90.1
|-
| 10000 || 3048 || 193.2 || 89.6
|-
| 10500 || 3200 || 192.3 || 89.1
|-
| 11000 || 3353 || 191.4 || 88.6
|-
| 11500 || 3505 || 190.5 || 88.1
|-
| 12000 || 3658 || 189.7 || 87.6
|-
| 12500 || 3810 || 188.8 || 87.1
|-
| 13000 || 3962 || 187.9 || 86.6
|-
| 13500 || 4115 || 187.0 || 86.1
|-
| 14000 || 4267 || 186.1 || 85.6
|-
| 14500 || 4420 || 185.3 || 85.1
|-
| 15000 || 4572 || 184.4 || 84.7
|-
| 15500 || 4724 || 183.5 || 84.2
|-
| 16000 || 4877 || 182.7 || 83.7
|-
| 16500 || 5029 || 181.8 || 83.2
|-
| 17000 || 5182 || 180.9 || 82.7
|-
| 17500 || 5334 || 180.1 || 82.3
|-
| 18000 || 5486 || 179.2 || 81.8
|-
| 18500 || 5639 || 178.4 || 81.3
|-
| 19000 || 5791 || 177.6 || 80.9
|-
| 19500 || 5944 || 176.7 || 80.4
|-
| 20000 || 6096 || 175.9 || 79.9
|-
| 20500 || 6248 || 175.1 || 79.5
|-
| 21000 || 6401 || 174.2 || 79.0
|-
| 21500 || 6553 || 173.4 || 78.6
|-
| 22000 || 6706 || 172.6 || 78.1
|-
| 22500 || 6858 || 171.8 || 77.7
|-
| 23000 || 7010 || 171.0 || 77.2
|-
| 23500 || 7163 || 170.2 || 76.8
|-
| 24000 || 7315 || 169.4 || 76.3
|-
| 24500 || 7468 || 168.6 || 75.9
|-
| 25000 || 7620 || 167.8 || 75.4
|-
| 25500 || 7772 || 167.0 || 75.0
|-
| 26000 || 7925 || 166.2 || 74.5
|-
| 26500 || 8077 || 165.4 || 74.1
|-
| 27000 || 8230 || 164.6 || 73.7
|-
| 27500 || 8382 || 163.8 || 73.2
|-
| 28000 || 8534 || 163.1 || 72.8
|-
| 28500 || 8687 || 162.3 || 72.4
|-
| 29000 || 8839 || 161.5 || 72.0
|}

==See also==
* [[Remove chlorine from tap water‎‎]]
* [[Remove dissolved oxygen from water]]
* [[Brewing pH]]
* [[Mashing]]
* [[Recipe software]]


Potential sources
*https://www.brunwater.com/water-knowledge Bru'n water knowledge
*http://www.themodernbrewhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Quickie-Water-Chemistry-Primer.pdf Quickie Water Chemistry Primer
*http://www.themodernbrewhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Nov1_08Water.ppt Brewing Water
*https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/potassium-metabisulfite-question.677404/
*https://www.mbaa.com/publications/tq/tqPastIssues/2012/Abstracts/TQ-49-4-1220-01.aspx
*https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780127999548000058
*[http://www.themodernbrewhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Barnhart-95-JNABS.pdf  An Improved Gas-Stripping Column for Deoxygenating Water]
*[http://www.themodernbrewhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Electrochemical-removal-of-dissolved-oxygen-from-water-1.pdf Electrochemical Removal of Dissolved Oxygen from Water]
*[http://www.themodernbrewhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Scale-up-of-an-electrochemical-cell-for-oxygen-removal.pdf Scale-up of an Electrochemical Cell for Oxygen Removal from Water]
*[http://www.themodernbrewhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Jean-DeClerck-Paper.pdf rH and its Applications in Brewing (precursor to alkalinity)]
*http://www.themodernbrewhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/sd_oxygen_solubility.pdf Oxygen Solubility
*http://www.themodernbrewhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/alkalinity.pdf Alkalinity Pt. 1
*http://www.themodernbrewhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DeLange-Alkalinity-Pt.-II.pdf Alkalinity Pt. 2
*http://www.themodernbrewhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DeLange-Brewing-Water-An-Overview.pdf Brewing Water: An Overview
*http://www.themodernbrewhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DeLange-1953-Kolbach-Translation.pdf The Influence of Brewing Water on the pH of Wort and Beer
*https://www.freshwatersystems.com/blogs/blog/water-filtration-for-beer-brewing-water
*https://www.morebeer.com/category/brewing-water-modifiers.html
*[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780123738912000341 Minerals in Beer]
*https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9781845690038500095
*[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0043135401003414 Methods for preparing synthetic freshwaters]

== References ==
[[category:brewing ingredients]][[category:wort production]]