Sulfate in your brewing water can bring out the natural bitterness of the hops and elevate high hopped beers. But if too much is used, it can produce harsh flavors and even taste of Sulfur.
What is the role of Sulfate in brewing?
The main effect of Sulfate is that it will add dryness to the beer. This dryness will highlight the hops and the natural bitterness they provide. Beers that are more hops forward will aim for a higher level of Sulfate in their water profile, while many low bitterness beers like Helles and Lagers will want to minimize Sulfate.
Sulfate can also affect the finish of a beer, creating a crisper finish when it is present and a fuller finish when in low levels.
A negative of Sulfate is that at high levels it can result in a Sulfur taste. It is also important to make sure that the Sulfate levels align with the style of beer you are brewing. If levels are too low in something like a pale ale, the hops may not shine through. But in some other styles it may create too much bitterness and ruin the finish of the beer.
Sulfate amounts in your brewing water
Sulfate has one of the widest ranges of acceptable concentrations based on what style you are brewing and personal preferences.
A range of anywhere from 0 ppm to 400 ppm is common in brewing, even though most public drinking water in the United States will be below 250 ppm according to the EPA.
While some brewers completely remove Sulfate from their water, a common recommendation is to go to a minimum of 40-50ppm for dark beers like Porters and Stouts. At this range you shouldn’t notice any increased bitterness from the Sulfate.
For beers that are trying to aim for a moderate level of bitterness, a range from 100ppm to 150ppm is common.
For bitter beers, a range of anywhere from 250 ppm to 400 ppm can be used. Some brewers recommend stopping around 300ppm, but this can be affected by several other factors in your water.
A note on the Sulfate/Chloride ratio
While the overall levels of Sulfate can affect your brew, so can the ratio of Sulfate to Chloride. Overall levels need to be balanced with the Sulfate/Chloride Ratio.
A low ratio (0.4-0.6) may make the beer very malty, while a high ratio (4-9) will be more bitter. The easiest way to add Chloride is Calcium Chloride, and the easiest way to lower levels will be to dilute your water or use RO water and build back up your water profile.
How to measure your Sulfate levels
There are two ways to measure Sulfate, the Craft Pro Test Strips and the Craft Pro In-Lab Test Kit.
DIY Test Strips
The Craft Pro DIY Test Strips will give you an easy, affordable way to measure Sulfate with each batch. These will measure Sulfate along with Hardness, Calcium, Magnesium, and several other key factors for your brew.
The test strips will give you results in a range, meaning you will know if your Sulfate is 0-120 ppm, 120- 250 ppm, etc.
Craft Pro In-Lab
The In-Lab Craft Pro Test Kit will allow you to send a water sample to our EPA-Certified lab and get exact concentrations for your brewing water or any brewing liquid.
You will know exactly what your Sulfate is, as well as exact concentrations for other parameters and several brewing specific calculations such as Sulfate/Chloride ratio.
How to adjust your water’s Sulfate levels for brewing
If your Sulfate levels are not within the desired range, there are a few options to adjust it.
Reverse Osmosis Systems
The most common recommendation to remove Sulfate will be with a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system. This works by forcing your water through a semi-permeable membrane, which sets your water profile to zero. Removing all the minerals from it.
It is still important to test your water after it’s been RO filtered because it can affect the acidity and depending on the filter, it may not actually filter out everything. You still need to know exactly what you are starting with.
The way most brewers use RO water is by getting it as close to zero as possible, then building up their water profile to meet their needs.
Diluting
If you want to simply reduce your water’s Sulfate levels but not entirely remove it, one option is dilution. This involves using RO or distilled water to lower the concentration. For example, if your current water has a concentration of 200 ppm and you are wanting to lower it to 100 ppm, you’d cut it 1:1 assuming your other water source has 0 ppm.
This is a great method but every parameter in your water source will be changed, not just Sulfate. So, make sure you test all your parameters after diluting to make sure they are still within acceptable ranges.
A Warning against Water Softeners and Sulfate
If your water source has higher Sulfate and you plan to use it as is, or if you are making a bitter brew and plan to add Sulfate, you should avoid using softened water.
Softened water will have an elevated level of Sodium, and Sodium increases the perceived bitterness of Sulfate. This takes it beyond what is enjoyable in a beer and leads to harsh bitterness.
How to increase your water’s Sulfate levels
There are two main ways to increase Sulfate concentrations. Sulfate can’t be added by itself, so it’s typically seen as either Calcium Sulfate or Magnesium Sulfate in brewing.
Calcium Sulfate (Gypsum) is a fantastic way to add Sulfate if you are also wanting to increase your Calcium levels. Calcium can help with fermentation and lowering pH. If you are following a water recipe, you’ll see it paired with Calcium Chloride to adjust your Sulfate/Chloride ratio.
Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) will raise your Sulfate levels as well as your Magnesium levels. Magnesium is essential for yeast so some Epsom Salt will be beneficial when building your water profile.
Always make sure any additives you use in your brewing water are food grade.
Conclusion:
Sulfate can help a beer bring out its natural bitterness and elevate the hops. But getting the balance of Sulfate is critical. Not enough can cause the beer to be too malty and affect the finish. But too much can cause unwanted bitterness.
