Water is one of the most important components in beer, accounting for up to 95 percent of the total ingredients. Not only that, but it also takes far more water than you might think to brew beer – it’s common for a brewery to use as much as five times more water than the amount of beer they produce. When you consider those statistics, it’s easy to understand just how important water is to crafting quality beer. Commercial breweries need to have a way to ensure they are producing consistent-tasting, quality beer to be successful, and that requires properly filtering the huge amount of water they use.
Why Use a Water Filtration System for Beer-Making?
Commercial brewers understand the importance of using the purest ingredients to make consistent, high-quality products. Because beer is made up of mostly water, breweries must have a constant supply of purified water. Every location around the globe has a water supply that is unique to the area. To ensure that the beer they produce has the taste they want, breweries need a water filtration system that is designed and built specifically for the water they use. Besides flavor consistency, there are other reasons that it’s essential for breweries to have a custom filtration system. Consider the following:
- Water hardness – The hardness of the water used in brewing beer has a huge effect on the final product. Basically, water hardness is determined by the number of minerals in the water that can’t be removed through water-softening or by boiling it. These minerals can be broken down to calcium, sulfates, and magnesium. Here’s how they affect water:
- Calcium: Calcium lowers pH during mashing. It also promotes the stability and clarity of the final product.
- Sulphates: When there is too much sulfur in water, there is an unpleasant odor that can be passed on to the beer. It also can bring out the bitterness of the hops, making it seem drier and crisper.
- Magnesium: Some magnesium is needed to aid the yeast, but too much may cause a bitter taste in the final product.
- Sodium – In small amounts, sodium won’t have much of an effect on the flavor of a beer. However, if there is too much sodium, it can cause a metallic taste, which is why softened water shouldn’t be used for beer-making.
- Chlorine – Chlorine is not a desirable chemical for brewing water. It is typically used to treat city water and sanitize brewing equipment, and it can have a negative impact on the flavor of the finished beer.
- Sediments – No one wants to find sediments, sand, or other solids in their beer. Those types of particles must be filtered out.
- Different beers require different water – The hardness and chemical make-up of water plays a huge part in the style of beer that is being brewed. For example, softer water (water that doesn’t have a high concentration of ions) is typically used to make pilsners, while water that has high concentrations of calcium (harder water), will make hoppier beers, as the hops cling to calcium.
Types of Water Filters Used in Breweries
Whatever type of beer commercial breweries are creating, the water they are using has the potential to make or break their final product. Water used for brewing should be free from odors, chlorine, and other contaminants. Many beer-makers use water filtration systems to purify their water, and then build it up by adding any desired elements before starting in with their recipes. Some of the filtration solutions used by brew masters include:
- Particle filters – These filters are sheets or cartridges that trap larger particles while allowing the remaining water to flow through.
- Carbon filters – These filters can be used along with particle filtration. Carbon filters are effective for removing chlorine and other minerals from water.
- Granular activated carbon (GAC) filters – GAC filters are effective for removing chlorine, chloramine, pesticides, odors, and other contaminants in water.
- Reverse osmosis filtration – Reverse osmosis (RO) is perhaps the most effective filtration method, however, it can also be quite costly. RO removes ions, molecules, and larger particles from water using a porous membrane that only lets water molecules through.
It’s always a good idea to have the water tested at a laboratory and to have a water filtration system professional design a solution that is tailored to the specific area of the brewery.
Final Thoughts
There is a lot that goes into beer-making, especially on the commercial level and it all starts with the water breweries use. When breweries have access to quality water, they can more effectively control the characteristics of their final products. The first step to creating quality beer is having pure water, and that means having a water filtration system in place to remove impurities and chemicals. The better the water, the better the beer.