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Water Usage in Breweries

Water is one of the most important raw materials used in beer brewing. Here’s a fun fact: most beers contain close to 92-97% of water.

Breweries usually procure their water supply from the Municipal Corporation water distribution system, post which, they then treat it using different methods. Interestingly, the quality of the beer you drink is directly proportional to the quality of the water used in brewing that beer!

So what do breweries need water for? Here’s a list:

  1. Brewing water/Brewing Liquor (2.7hl/hl of Beer)
    Brewing water requires a certain amount of treatment and adjustments to achieve the correct composition relevant to the beers being brewed.
  2. Process Water (2.1hl/hl)
    This is the water that’s required for washing and sterilizing vessels, pipes, CIPs and refrigeration ((Water + Glycol).
  3. General purpose water (1hl/hl)
    This is for general washing and maintaining the overall hygiene of the site.
  4. Service Water (0.2hl/hl)
    This water is required for the boiler feed and needs to be demineralized before use.

Brewing Water Parameters (Chemical, Sensory and Microbial) are the same as those of drinking water.

Here’s the complete list of desirable parameters below:

Parameter FSSAI
Colour, Haze Unit Less than 2
Ordour Agreeble
Taste Agreeble
Turbidity less than2 NTU
TDS Less than 500 mg/Lt.
pH 6.5-8.5
Nitrate Less than 45mg/Lt.
Sulphide Less than 0.05mg/Lt.
Manganese Less than 0.1mg/Lt.
Copper Less than 0.05mg/Lt.
Zinc Less than 5mg/Lt.
Fluoride Less than 1mg/Lt.
Barium Less than 1mg/Lt.
Antimony Less than 0.005mg/Lt.
Nickel Less than 0.02mg/Lt.
Borate Less than 5mg/Lt.
Silver Less than 0.01mg/Lt.
Chlorides Less than 200mg/Lt.
Sulphate Less than200mg/Lt.
Megnesium Less than 30mg/Lt.
Calcium Less than 75mg/Lt.
Sodium Less than 200mg/Lt.
Alkalinity (HCO3) Less than 200mg/Lt.
Arsenic Less than 0.05mg/Lt.
Lead Less than 0.01mg/Lt.
Selenium Less than 0.01mg/Lt.
Iron Less than 0.1mg/Lt.
Aluminium Less than 0.03mg/Lt.
Total Pesticide residue Less than 0.0001mg/Lt.
Yeast/Mould count Absent
Salmenella Absent
E.Coli Absent
Coliform Absent
Streptococci Absent
Pseudomonas Absent
Vibrio cholera Absent

Date
25 November 2019
Author
Editorial-Brewer World