Dasani Water

Ingredients:

• Water
• Magnesium Sulfate
• Potassium Chloride
• Sodium Chloride - (Salt)

Now Dasani water tastes very good (IMHO). Perhaps Coca-Cola has discovered the perfect amounts of these ingredients.

My questions are on the potassium chloride.

What does potassium do to brewing liquor?
Is potassium chloride a viable substance to add to brewing liquor?
How does it affect the liquor and/or the mash (both chemically and taste wise)?
Is potassium worth adding to brewing water calculators?

Read this: http://byo.com/stories/item/1496-the-salty-truth-about-softeners--how-long-is-too-long

In other words, I don't think I'd add it to my beer.

Hello said:

Read this: http://byo.com/stories/item/1496-the-salty-truth-about-softeners--how-long-is-too-long

In other words, I don't think I'd add it to my beer.

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Yes, thank you, I have read that, but don't know that it really answers my questions.

Potassium is a very inert ion much like sodium, and it will behave very similarly to sodium. Therefore, i don't think it plays any important role in mash reactions or with yeast metabolism. Some potassium is in most water supplies and malt does contain a lot of potassium which is released into the wort while mashing. You probably wouldn't want to add too much potassium salt to your brewing water or the mash potassium contribution could push the final potassium concentration up to be too high where you would start to taste a salty-bitter flavor. I actually do add a bit of potassium to my brewing water when I add potassium metabisulfite in order to get rid of the chlorine species that are in my water, and a lot of people do this, but it's not for the purpose of adding potassium; it's just a side effect that doesn't hurt anything at low levels. I could easily calculate my K+ ppm if i wanted to, but i don't think it affects anything so i don't bother.

Just out of curiosity, why Dasani and not RO and add a little brewers salts per AJ's sticky? Got to be a lot cheaper.


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BackAlley said:

Just out of curiosity, why Dasani and not RO and add a little brewers salts per AJ's sticky? Got to be a lot cheaper.


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I don't use Dasani water, but it does taste good, so Coca-Cola must formulate appropriately. The question is does the Potassium Chloride have anything to do with that and would that carry over to brewing and beer.

tjhatchit said:

Yes, thank you, I have read that, but don't know that it really answers my questions.

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Because it says it right there. Using water softened with that could lead to salty off flavors. That is how I believed it answered your question. Add it to your beer. See what happens.

Hello said:

Because it says it right there. Using water softened with that could lead to salty off flavors. That is how I believed it answered your question. Add it to your beer. See what happens.

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Dasani water is not salty (IMHO), it is sweet.

Low concentrations of the potassium ion do have a sweet taste, combining that with the chloride ions and you have water with the impression of "sweetness".

I've used Campden tablets before and obviously the potassium based ones add potassium ions to your water but not in sufficient concentration to make a difference.

The question becomes how much of the potassium ion is necessary to contribute that "sweet" taste to the brewing liquor.

I also found it strange that it was not listed on any of the brewing water calculators. Perhaps it just has not been experimented with to any extent.