From tap to wort, water quality changes for better or for worse.

The best is when its profile is adapted to each stage and type of beer, to play on roundness or bitterness, to favour the stability and activity of amylases...

The worst is when it inhibits enzymes or contaminates the equipment it is supposed to clean.

Not all water is the same and can vary from day to day or from one corner of the brewery to another.

At the supply point

Tap water often contains residual chlorine to prevent microbial proliferation in the water system. In most cases, there's nothing to worry about.

If the water comes from a spring, well or other untreated source, though, then quality can vary considerably with the seasons or after rainfall.

Afterward

Connections are critical. A pipe exposed to the sun or a heat source can form a biofilm in just a weekend. Then it's all over.

So: water treatments

A well-configured and maintained system is a safeguard against nasty surprises, but we have found that:

- filters retain suspended matter and, without regular maintenance, can turn into a kind of rogue fermenter.

- The same applies to softeners or ion exchangers.

- activated carbon filters remove odours and bad taste, but also chlorine, which was protecting the water in the pipes.

Reverse osmosis is the best, both from a mineral and microbial point of view, but comes with significant maintenance and investment.

If your brewery has grown since the water system was first installed, it may be worth checking that it's still fit for the job.

"Verification" means analysing output water. For microbiological control, a DIY total flora test from time to time is usually enough. Depending on the results, you can clean your filters, change the UV, etc. If that's not enough, you can analyse the treatment stages to find the problem and get your water back where it belongs.

Then water storage

Cold and heat slow down microbial proliferation, but do not prevent it. Returns from plate heat exchangers to the hot water tank make great savings, unless the exchanger is contaminated. How can you be sure?

In fact, a key is the length of time the water remains in the tank, or the rate at which tank capacity is consumed.

It should be monitored, because Monday morning is not going to be the same as Friday evening.

Quality goes up with demand

The quality at the point of use will also vary depending on the daily demand. A tap that is used occasionally can be up to 100 times more contaminated than one right beside it which is used several times a day.

In conclusion

Water quality, from the supply point to the point of use, may not improve along the way.

Water flow is one of the main factors in ensuring peace of mind.

If all goes well, treatment, storage and use will ensure stable bacterial levels all year, but this needs to be verified.