DWB Water Salts - Burtonisation & pH Reduction - 100g - Harris

DWB is a blend of salts that increases the calcium levels, adds chloride, which imparts palate fullness and adds sulphate, which enhances drier bitter flavours.

DWB is acidic, so it reduces the pH of the mash and boil which helps improve enzyme activity and therefore a better efficiency.

DWB stands for Dry Water Buronisation. The water in Burton Upon Trent is very mineral-rich and has been known to bring out certain characteristics of beer for a long time.  DWB helps to add those minerals to help improve the following:

• Promotes the precipitation of unwanted proteins in the kettle, hop back or whirlpool
• Improves health and vigour of the yeast
• Improves extract yield and fermentability
• Reduces risk of infection
• Reduces extraction of undesirable silicates, tannins and polyphenols
• Reduces beerstone and can prevent gushing in beer
• Reduces colour formation in the copper
• Improves beer fining performance
• Promotes head retention on beer
• Adds chloride which impart palate fullness
• Adds sulphate which give beer a drier and more bitter effect

Contains E516 Calcium Sulphate, Sodium Chloride, E509 Calcium Chloride.

Manufactured by Murphy & Son.

Instructions and Quantities to use:

The objective of liquor treatment is to convert your water supply into acceptable brewing liquor.  DWB contains essential calcium ions for pH control and adjusts sulphate and chloride ions to the desired levels in the correct ratios, ideal for most beer styles.

TABLE 1. TYPICAL LEVELS OF IONS IN BREWING LIQUOR USED TO PRODUCE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BEER (ALL FIGURES ARE IN MILLIGRAMS PER LITRE COMMONLY KNOWN AS PPM)

Principle
The objective of liquor treatment is to convert your water supply into acceptable brewing liquor.
Treating your brewing liquor is vitally important. When applied correctly all the steps
throughout the brewing process will be at the optimum pH. If it is applied incorrectly you will get poor extract and beer that is difficult to clarify.
DWB contains essential calcium ions for pH control and adjusts sulphate and chloride
ions to the desired levels in the correct ratios, ideal for most beer styles.

pH
The pH of the liquor will have little effect on the pH of the wort and beer. Alkalinity and
calcium are more important in pH control. Once you have established correct levels of
these ions it is advisable to follow the guidelines of typical pH measurements in the
brewing process shown below.

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TYPICAL pH MEASUREMENTS THROUGHOUT THE BREWING PROCESS

Raw Liquor pH 6.0-8.0
Treated Liquor pH 6.0-8.0
Mash pH 5.2-5.5
1st Runnings pH 4.8-5.2
Last Runnings pH 5.4-5.6
Wort in Copper pH 5.1-5.4
Wort after boil pH 4.9-5.3
Beer after fermentation pH 3.7-4.2

Calcium
Reduces the pH during mashing and wort boiling which improves enzyme activity. This is achieved by the calcium ions precipitating phosphates in the wort as insoluble calcium phosphate which releases the hydrogen ions in the wort which reduces the pH.
3Ca2+ + 2HPO4 2- → Ca3 (PO4)2 ↓ + 2H+
The optimum pH of the enzyme α-amylase is about 5.7 and that of ß-amylase is about 4.7. Therefore an optimum range in the mash of pH 5.2-5.5 promotes the production of sugars from starch thus making worts more fermentable. Promotes the precipitation of unwanted proteins in the mash tun, kettle, hop back or whirlpool.
Protein - H + Ca2+ → Protein - Ca↓ + 2H+

The hydrogen ions released further reduce the pH which encourages further precipitation of proteins. The reduction of pH then causes protein breakdown by the enzymes present in malt, this reduces protein levels and increases wort Free Amino Nitrogen levels (FAN).
Improves health and vigour of the yeast. This is a result of FAN compounds being utilised by the yeast during fermentation.
Improves clarity and stability of the finished product. Reduced protein levels in beers
make beer easier to fine and less prone to haze formation, in particular chill haze. The
shelf life of the final product is also improved.
Calcium ions protect α-amylase enzyme from inhibition by heat. Calcium ions also
improve enzyme activity.
Reduces the risk of infection. The drop in pH encouraged by Calcium ions in the mash and copper provides a greater resistance to microbiological infection.
Reduces extraction of silicates, tannins and polyphenols. These materials contribute to
harsh flavours, hazes in the final beer and decreased stability.
Reduces beerstone and in some cases prevents gushing in beer. Oxalates from the malt
contribute to the formation of beerstone and promote gushing in beer. Calcium reacts
with oxalates to form insoluble calcium oxalate which is precipitated in the mash.
Reduces colour formation during wort boiling. The extraction of colour forming
compounds are reduced during sparging. Improves beer fining performance. Calcium ions promote yeast flocculation at the end of fermentation.

Sulphate and Chloride
These two ions have a huge impact on beer flavour characteristics, sulphate gives beer a
drier, more bitter flavour, whilst chloride imparts palate fullness and to an extent
sweetness.
These desirable ions need to be in the correct ratios for brewing different beer styles (please refer to table 1).

Application and rates of use
DWB is normally added to the grist prior to mashing but can be split across the mash and sparge liquor. To achieve best results we recommend any salts dosage in excess of 75g/hl be added 2/3 with the grist and 1/3 with the sparge. This will maintain an even
distribution of calcium and help maintain pH levels throughout the mash and sparge.
DWB should NOT be added to the hot liquor tank (HLT), as some constituents are
insoluble. They will remain in the hot liquor tank as opposed to being released into the
grist, thus requiring the HLT to be cleaned on a regular basis.

Rates of DWB should be determined based on the final brew-length and are dependant on the levels of calcium, sulphate and chloride present in your untreated liquor.
Levels of the relevant ions present in your liquor can be obtained from your Local Water
Authority or you can send in 50 ml of your raw liquor to Murphy’s laboratory for a full
analysis and suggested treatment rates. Please note Local Authority reports can provide
results that are not up to date and this may affect your calculations for ideal dosage
rates. It is advisable to check the analysis of your water at least once a year, or on a more
regular basis if the supply changes.
Once you have obtained your analysis of your raw liquor you can then calculate your
dosage rates by selecting which beer type you wish to brew and refer to table 1, this will
help you determine how many ions to add.

Dosage
0.9g of DWB per 10 litres of your brew-length increases calcium levels by 15.6 mg/litre (ppm) and increases chloride levels by 15.4 mg/litre (ppm) and sulphate levels by 32.1 mg/litre (ppm).

Knowing this information you can calculate the amount of DWB needed to increase the
relevant ions to the ideal level.

Murphy and Son Ltd are more than happy to calculate these dosage rates for you.

Guidelines for use
• Check that the product is within its shelf life before use
• Test your water regularly to obtain ideal dosage rates for the best results
• Read the Safety Data Sheet prior to use

Storage and Shelf life 

• Store in original container
• Keep containers sealed when not in use
• The shelf life at the recommended storage conditions is three years.