Beer style to match water profile

[eightballuk]

Hi

I got into homebrewing in Surrey, England and it was an easy choice to make bitter as this is what the area traditionally brews with the hard water.

I now live in Aberdeen Scotland and whilst the water is incredibly fresh, it is also incredibly soft and I can't really put a name to the style of beer everyone is brewing here, its always light, smooth and almost no hops but incredibly fresh with sometimes quite complex flavours I can't describe. I know it is not as simple as hard-soft, but what I am after is a book/guide outlining what water profiles match what beer styles. I have a water report from the water company for my area so hopefully with a guide I can figure out what to brew.

Ian

 

[AZBeerNut]

http://byo.com/stories/item/264-brew-beer-that-matches-your-water

 

[flars]

Hi

I got into homebrewing in Surrey, England and it was an easy choice to make bitter as this is what the area traditionally brews with the hard water.

I now live in Aberdeen Scotland and whilst the water is incredibly fresh, it is also incredibly soft and I can't really put a name to the style of beer everyone is brewing here, its always light, smooth and almost no hops but incredibly fresh with sometimes quite complex flavours I can't describe. I know it is not as simple as hard-soft, but what I am after is a book/guide outlining what water profiles match what beer styles. I have a water report from the water company for my area so hopefully with a guide I can figure out what to brew.

Ian

Perhaps these two links will help find more sources.

http://www.beersmith.com/Water/Waters.htm
http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=14543

Better beer is a never ending quest.

 

[eightballuk]

Ok, thanks, the BYO seems good.

One question this raises for me is that it is talking about the pH during mashing being the main concern. I am not mashing, buying my wort in cans and then sparging some grain before boiling hops. Does this mean the water is less important?

 

[flars]

Ok, thanks, the BYO seems good.

One question this raises for me is that it is talking about the pH during mashing being the main concern. I am not mashing, buying my wort in cans and then sparging some grain before boiling hops. Does this mean the water is less important?

With LME the water used is much less important. You would not want to use water that has been through a water conditioner, or water that contains chlorine, fluorine or chloramines.

Are the grains you are using for flavor and color or extraction of fermentable sugars? If the grains are steeped for flavor and color the pH of the water is not a concern.