Palmer's Brewing Water Adj App 1.2

The application is designed to assist brewers in calculating salt and acid additions to tailor brewing water for specific beer styles. The mineral salts within the water play a crucial role in enhancing the beer's flavor, while their chemical composition establishes the pH levels of the mash, wort, and final beer.

Water chemistry significantly influences beer flavor through its impact on seasoning and pH levels. By altering the mineral profile of the water, brewers can influence the beer's flavor balance (ranging from hoppy to malty) and the pH levels. pH, in turn, affects how the beer flavors are perceived by the palate – lower pH enhances brightness and attenuation of flavors, while higher pH results in softer and rounder flavors.

For various beer styles, suggested mineral profiles are provided encompassing ranges for calcium, magnesium, total alkalinity as calcium carbonate, sulfate, chloride, sodium, and residual alkalinity. These proposed profiles are intended to combine effectively with the typical grain bill of each style to achieve an optimal mash pH within the target range (5.2-5.8 @ 20°C) to facilitate proteolysis and starch conversion. Adjusting the mash pH within this range represents a key tool for brewers to manage wort and eventual beer pH levels, thus enhancing the desired flavor profile for a specific recipe – all originating from the minerals and residual alkalinity present in the water.

Moreover, users have the option to save source water profiles for use in future brewing sessions. The application also calculates acid additions for reducing alkalinity and adjusting pH levels. The process outlined from Steps 1 to 7 assumes treating both mash and sparge water together as one volume. Step 8 offers guidance on separately treating sparge water for acidification when not adding salts.