Water For Beer

water for BEER

San Diego Water for Brewers

San Diego is often called “the Craft Beer Capital of America”. San Diegans love their home brew and if you’re an enthusiasts, then you know the importance of water for brewers. Not only do you use water in the brew itself, you also use water to wash and sterilize your beer bottles and equipment. Quality and content of the water for brewers can “make” or “break” your beer.

A Major Ingredient for Beer is WaterThe most abundant ingredient for beer making is the water itself. Yet, despite this. many people underestimate the importance of starting with good quality water. Most experts agree that the 3 features of water that control beer making success is pH, hardness, and alkalinity.



• pH: pH is a measurement of how much protons (acid) is in the water. Water used to make beer should be at pH 6 to pH 7. However, the pH will change as you go through the different stages of the brewing process. The final product is typically at pH 4 to pH 5. Too much or too less acid will affect the way yeast can function during the fermentation process.
• Hardness: Hardness refers to the amount of minerals dissolved in the water. In particular, the amount of calcium and magnesium ions is important. Depending on what minerals are dissolved in the water, the beer may have a lingering bitter, sour, or salty aftertaste.
• Alkalinity: Alkalinity is the buffering capacity of the water. It is the ability for the water to resist dramatic shifts in pH. Most natural buffering capacity is due to the levels of carbonate/bicarbonate which comes from rocks such as limestone.