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Date: 02 Jul 2006 23:25:48
From: Adam Preble
Subject: Water for lambics
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Does anybody have an composition of the water used in brewing lambics?
I thought I saw it on the web someplace, but it doesn't seem to be in
any I've visited recently. I use Austin tap water usually, and it tends
to work well for Belgian Wit and things like that. I just wanted to be
certain here because I don't know if the other microbes in the lambic
culture have a preference.
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Date: 04 Jul 2006 22:13:21
From: rb
Subject: Re: Water for lambics
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Adam Preble wrote:
> Does anybody have an composition of the water used in brewing lambics? I
> thought I saw it on the web someplace, but it doesn't seem to be in any
> I've visited recently. I use Austin tap water usually, and it tends to
> work well for Belgian Wit and things like that. I just wanted to be
> certain here because I don't know if the other microbes in the lambic
> culture have a preference.
from the book classic beer style series number 3 - lambics
by jean-xavier guinard isbn 0-937381-22-5
P58 Water
most lambic brewers use well water that does not have any outstanding
qualities.
Some brewers add calcium carbonate or calcium sulphate to adjust the
hardness of the water.
The lambic breweries located in Brussels use city and well water. The
city water has a high hardness, which is treated by softening it or by
scrubbing the kettle every once in a while, depending on the size and
means of the brewery.
The largest lambic brewery, located in Brussels, consumes 85 % ground
water (for brewing purposes) and 15% city water (for cleaning purposes).
P117 Brewing water
If you use water from a municipal supply, obtain a complete analysis
from the water company and adjust levels of calcium and bicarbonate
accordingly.
If you have easy access to distilled or deionized water you should use
it. Before brewing with it, add 150ppm calcium sulphate and 60ppm sodium
chloride.
cheers
rb
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Date: 04 Jul 2006 16:57:46
From: Martin Brungard
Subject: Re: Water for lambics
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Some important factors to recognize in Lambic brewing are that the style is
an acid biased drink with little or no hop presence.
As the previous poster mentioned, hard water is OK. But the most important
factor in successful lambic brewing will be the alkalinity of the brewing
water. Low alkalinity is a good feature of lambic brewing water. Lambic
grists have little dark grain, so that option is not available for
countering high alkalinity. Hardening the brewing water is one way to
counter high alkalinity, but the selection of hardening minerals is
important.
Calcium carbonate is not a good choice since it adds hardness and
alkalinity. Hardly the solution when your water's alkalinity is already
high. Calcium sulfate (gypsum) is good for hardening, but the sulfate may
accentuate bittering that may not be desirable in the finished Lambic.
Probably the best option for hardening a lambic brewing water is calcium
chloride. The chloride does add to the roundness of the finished lambic.
The sodium chloride is also a good idea
If a brewer's water is already pretty hard, then it may not be preferable to
make it harder. Acid addition is a preferable option. Lactic acid is
readily available at homebrew shops and the flavor of the lactic acid is
fully in style for a lambic.
Martin Brungard
Tallahassee, FL
"rb" <snafu_1@lycos.com > wrote in message news:44AA5B61.6090306@lycos.com...
> Adam Preble wrote:
>> Does anybody have an composition of the water used in brewing lambics? I
>> thought I saw it on the web someplace, but it doesn't seem to be in any
>> I've visited recently. I use Austin tap water usually, and it tends to
>> work well for Belgian Wit and things like that. I just wanted to be
>> certain here because I don't know if the other microbes in the lambic
>> culture have a preference.
>
> from the book classic beer style series number 3 - lambics
> by jean-xavier guinard isbn 0-937381-22-5
> P58 Water
> most lambic brewers use well water that does not have any outstanding
> qualities.
> Some brewers add calcium carbonate or calcium sulphate to adjust the
> hardness of the water.
> The lambic breweries located in Brussels use city and well water. The city
> water has a high hardness, which is treated by softening it or by
> scrubbing the kettle every once in a while, depending on the size and
> means of the brewery.
> The largest lambic brewery, located in Brussels, consumes 85 % ground
> water (for brewing purposes) and 15% city water (for cleaning purposes).
>
> P117 Brewing water
> If you use water from a municipal supply, obtain a complete analysis from
> the water company and adjust levels of calcium and bicarbonate
> accordingly.
> If you have easy access to distilled or deionized water you should use it.
> Before brewing with it, add 150ppm calcium sulphate and 60ppm sodium
> chloride.
>
> cheers
> rb
>
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