On 07/05/2020 16:20, John Rumm wrote:
On 07/05/2020 14:21, NY wrote:
I'm about to try brewing beer from a kit. Our tapwater is fairly hard,
but the house has a water softener (*) for one of the kitchen taps.

Is it better to use hard water, as it is supplied, or to use water
from the softener? I can't detect any difference in taste of water
from the normal or softened tap.

I would try it with normal tap water first... however:

(*) One of those inline cylindrical ones that is fitted with
compression fittings into a branch of copper piping off the rising main.

"Water Softener" can be a bit of a loose term.

A true water softener works on an ion exchange principle and swaps the
calcium ions in the water with sodium ones. These require topping up
with salt from time to time so that they can flush their ion exchange
matrix with saline to "regenerate" it. Systems like these have a cost of
operation, but do give actual softened water. The treated water will not
deposit scale either when heated or on evaporation.

The next step down are phosphate dosing systems (combimate et al). These
add a tiny amount of food grade phosphate to the water, by passing it
through a pile of phosphate balls/crystals. They don't actually soften
the water, but the treatment does make the water less likely to deposit
scale when heated. Hence they protect boilers and heat exchangers, but
water will still leave scale when it evaporates from a surface.

At the bottom of the chain are the magnetic and electronic devices. Its
questionable if these actually achieve anything at all.

So from a beer brewing point of view, the first option may give a
different flavour to the beer - so try it both ways and see what you
prefer. The other options are unlikely to make any difference, unless
doing it on an industrial scale, when the phosphate dosing system may
keep boiling vessels easier to keep clean and scale free.


It's certainly always reckoned the hard water at Burton on Trent is an
important part of the flavour. When the wort is boiled the temporary
hardness will be removed, i.e. Ca and Mg ions with the bicarbonate /
carbonate. The permanent hardness (sulphate) is left, with calcium,
magnesium, and some sodium ions.