Enjoy a clear, clean beer with no chemical aftertastes or muddied flavors. Mitigating chlorine and stabilizing minerals can provide a more reliable mash pH and consistency across batches.
Optimizing Your Brewing Process With Better Water
Water is one of the most crucial, understated ingredients in brewing beer. Making up almost 95% of beer’s volume, water greatly influences the flavor, mouthfeel and overall quality. Many breweries leverage their beer’s unique flavor not only from the hops and recipes, but from the regional differences in water source and quality, such as the pure water from the Rockies which makes Colorado beers famous.
Water quality varies greatly by municipality and well source, often containing impurities which can negatively impact the beer’s taste and complicate the brewing process and damage equipment over time. Chlorine, disinfection chemicals and their byproducts, along with excess hard water minerals and harmful PFAS forever chemicals, are all common tap water contaminants which are best left out of your kegs and pint glasses.
Getting water treatment tailored to your water’s specific makeup, along with routine water testing, is one of the best ways to drastically improve beer’s quality and brewing operational efficiency.
Why Water Quality Matters in Brewing Beer
Whether you’re brewing lagers, IPAs, stouts or any other type of beer, better water lets brewers, from craft to commercial, deliver a more exceptional product to consumers. In addition to taste, treated water helps prolong the longevity of brewing equipment, including boilers, fermentation tanks, pumps and valves.
Beer Is Over 90% Water
Making up the majority of a beer by volume, water plays a crucial role in quality alongside the hops, malts and yeast.
Flavor Clarity & Quality
Contaminants such as chlorine, iron and excess minerals can give your beer a chemical, metallic, dull or unbalanced taste, masking the beer’s true flavor profile.
Meet Brewing Water Compliance
Professional water treatment helps breweries stay compliant with the EPA’s primary and secondary maximum contaminant levels (MCLs), from chlorine, chloramine and hardness levels to VOCs and PFAS.
Learn More About Kinetico Advanced Water Systems
REQUEST A FREE CONSULTATIONCommon Water Issues in Breweries
Municipal water quality leaves much to be desired without additional treatment, especially in complex commercial operations such as beer brewing and broader food and beverage applications. Well water in its natural state also can contain harmful contaminants, such as bacteria, pollution from chemical runoff and hardness minerals in the groundwater.
With an estimated 7+ million cases of waterborne illness every year in the U.S., proper water solutions are crucial, as municipal water can still carry chlorine- and chloramine-resistant pathogens which make it to the tap.
Schedule a free water analysis with a Kinetico® expert to identify the exact contaminant levels in your business’ water, backed by science. From there, we’ll recommend optimized water solutions for your operation, from filtration and purification to custom, specialty systems capable of handling even the most unique water problems.
Hard Water & Scaling
Hard water is a common issue with tap water across the US, causing scaling on boilers and other brewing equipment at elevated mineral levels.
High TDS
Total dissolved solids refers to the minerals, metals, salts and organic compounds dissolved in water. Too high (>500 mg/L) or too low (<50 mg/L) results in a dull, salty or flat flavor, as well as an unstable mash pH.
Chlorine & Chloramine
Chlorine, chloramine and disinfection chemical byproducts are carcinogenic and can create unpleasant medicinal flavors in beer as they interact with phenolic compounds in the malt. Chlorine also accelerates corrosion in stainless steel components and seals.
Inconsistent Local Water Supply
Municipal and well water quality can fluctuate over time. Ensure more consistent water with professional treatment and routine, expert testing.
Our Commercial Water Solutions for Breweries
Water Filtration Systems
Our non-electric commercial filtration systems are designed to remove the majority of chemicals and sediment in high-volume operations such as breweries.
Softener Systems (Ion Exchange)
Kinetico water softeners use ion exchange (cation or anion) to significantly reduce minerals and heavy metals in water, which contribute to scaling on all water-using brewing equipment.
Purification Systems (Reverse Osmosis)
Reverse osmosis purification helps remove up to 98 to 99.999% of unwanted contaminants, including TDS, minerals and PFAS forever chemicals, with custom systems available for breweries.
Sanitization Systems
Ultraviolet sanitization targets bacteria, viruses and other harmful organisms in your water, including cysts and Giardia which are not effectively treated with municipal disinfection. UV sanitization is also beneficial for businesses on well water.
Benefits of Water Treatment & Filtration for Breweries
Improve Beer Taste & Consistency
Reduce Maintenance & Equipment Wear
Prevent scale, fouling and corrosion of brewing equipment including boilers, fermentation tanks, pumps and valves. Better water leads to less frequent repairs and extended equipment lifespan.
Lower Operating Costs
Less scaling and fouling means more efficient boiler heating, lower energy consumption and reduced risk of costly downtimes on cleaning. The non-electric operation of Kinetico systems also can reduce electricity cost and use.
Better Control Over Brewing Profiles
Different styles of beer require different mineral levels and water profiles for best results. Brewing with purified water gives you a blank slate to add inorganic salts, such as calcium or magnesium chloride, and build flavor easily without guesswork.
Untreated vs. Treated Water in Breweries
| Factor | Untreated Water | Treated Water |
|---|---|---|
| Beer Flavor | Inconsistent | Consistent |
| Chlorine Taste | Noticeable | Eliminated |
| Mineral Balance | Variable | Controlled |
| Brewing Efficiency | Compromised | Optimized |
| Equipment Maintenance | Frequent | Reduced |
| Scaling & Fouling | High Risk | Minimal |
Request a Free Water Consultation
At Kinetico, we offer non-electric, industry-leading water systems designed specifically for the unique requirements of breweries large and small. Get started today with a free, no-obligation water test. Our water quality experts will help you find the ideal solutions for your business.