Main Beer Brewing Ingredients
- Malt
- Hops
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Water
Other Ingredients
Water
Water is used extensively in brewing. It is the major constituent of
beer. Also, it is necessary for washing and rinsing our equipment.
The big breweries go to a great deal of trouble and expense ensuring
that the water they use is pure and consistent in quality.
We have to use what is available to us. Fortunately, most of our cities
and towns have a good pure water supply which we can use with confidence
in our brewing. In fact, we can generally use it for rinsing or making
up the volume of our brew, without prior boiling to sterilize it.
One point to note: Do not use water from the hot water tap.
The softness or hardness of the water we use has a subtle effect on the
flavour of the beer. Beer made from very soft water can have an apparent
lack of 'body'. The effect is something like cooking without salt. To
correct this, artificial hardeners such as magnesium sulphate (Epsom
salt) and calcium sulphate (plaster of Paris) are sometimes added.
The addition of artificial hardeners depends upon the hardness of
your water supply, the type of beer you desire, and your personal taste.
They are usually added when you are boiling the
wort, at the rate of
half to one teaspoon per four gallons of water. Quite often, common salt is added to improve flavour.
Lager and lighter style beers generally are better Made with soft water.
Bitter and heavier beers are better made with hard water.
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