WHY DO WE NEED GOOD BOILER WATER TREATMENT TO MAKE BEER?

When looking at the final product does anyone really think about the processes that go into making the beer that you are about to drink?

Your brewery of choice will need to be able to heat water used for mashing, sparging, and wort boiling. To do this, they need to heat water to a specific temperature using steam heating.

Steam is an extremely efficient carrier of heat. This steam is produced in the boiler and carried to the brewing equipment by a pipework distribution system.

At the process it gives up heat and condenses. Steam boilers can contribute more to the brewing process than just heating ingredients. The tools and equipment used within the brewing process will require cleaning and sterilizing, and in addition the boiler may be used for heating within the brewery as well.

By maintaining the system water in line with BG04 you will minimise the possibility of scaling and corrosion around the steam and condensate system. Without correct treatment gases within the water such as carbon dioxide and oxygen can cause severe corrosion within steam/condensate pipework and boilers.

Steam can also become contaminated by carryover, a process by which water from the boiler is carried over with the steam, usually caused by high levels of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in the boiler, excessive water treatment chemicals, contamination of boiler water from other areas of the process, and high alkalinity – most relating to poor control of the water treatment.

The corrosion products can then precipitate which will form deposits that can contaminate steam supplies in any area where steam may be used – and the carried over water from the boiler systems will also result in contamination in any area the steam encounters, which could then ultimately contaminate the final product.

So, in short maintaining your boiler water system in line with BG04 and manufacturers guidelines will help to keep the quality of the beer in your glass!