Brewing water
Balanced reference profile
A neutral modern reference profile with moderate calcium and an even chloride to sulphate balance, used as a comparison baseline.
Read this as a reconstruction. A constructed baseline for comparison, not a real water supply and not a target. It exists so the historical profiles can be read against something neutral.
Mineral content
| Ion | mg/l | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Calcium (Ca²⁺) | 50–80 ppm | Lowers mash pH, supports enzyme and protein behaviour, aids yeast flocculation and clarity. Close to flavour-neutral itself. |
| Magnesium (Mg²⁺) | 5–15 ppm | A yeast nutrient in small amounts. Above roughly 30 mg/l it begins to read as sour or metallic. |
| Sodium (Na⁺) | 10–25 ppm | Rounds and accentuates sweetness at moderate levels. With high sulphate it turns harsh rather than full. |
| Chloride (Cl⁻) | 50–75 ppm | Tends to accentuate malt fullness, body and roundness. A tendency in perception, not an additive sweetness. |
| Sulphate (SO₄²⁻) | 50–75 ppm | Tends to accentuate hop bitterness and drive a drier finish. At high levels it reads as harsh and minerally rather than simply more bitter. |
| Bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻) | 20–50 ppm | The alkalinity that resists mash acidification. High bicarbonate needs dark, acidic malt to balance it — which is why alkaline-water cities brewed dark beer. |
Overall hardness: moderately hard. Balance: balanced (chloride:sulphate roughly 1.00:1). The ratio is a shorthand the trade finds useful for describing whether a water pushes a beer toward crispness or fullness. It is not a formula, and two waters with the same ratio at very different total concentrations do not behave alike.
Other water profiles
- Burton-on-Trent water — very hard, strongly sulphate.
- Dortmund water — hard, sulphate leaning.
- Dublin water — hard, sulphate leaning.
- Edinburgh water — hard, sulphate leaning.
- London water — moderately hard, balanced.
- Munich water — moderately hard, balanced.
- Pilsen water — very soft, balanced.
- Vienna water — hard, sulphate leaning.
Last reviewed 2026-08-15.