Burton-on-Trent, England. Extremely hard water with low residual alkalinity - suited to pale beers, with a sulfate-forward balance that sharpens hop bitterness.
| Ion | ppm |
|---|---|
| Calcium (Ca²⁺) | 352 |
| Magnesium (Mg²⁺) | 24 |
| Sodium (Na⁺) | 44 |
| Chloride (Cl⁻) | 16 |
| Sulfate (SO₄²⁻) | 820 |
| Bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻) | 320 |
| Brewing numbers | |
|---|---|
| Total hardness (as CaCO₃) | 977.8 ppm |
| Alkalinity (as CaCO₃) | 262.4 ppm |
| Residual alkalinity (as CaCO₃) | -2.8 ppm |
| Sulfate-to-chloride ratio | 51.2:1 |
Salts to add to reverse-osmosis or distilled water, calculated by the BrewWaterSolver solver with the most common homebrew salts.
| Salt | 5 gal (18.9 L) | 20 L |
|---|---|---|
| Calcium chloride (CaCl₂) | 0.51 g | 0.54 g |
| Gypsum (CaSO₄) | 23.49 g | 24.82 g |
| Epsom salt (MgSO₄) | 4.44 g | 4.69 g |
| Chalk (CaCO₃) | 3.22 g | 3.40 g |
| Baking soda (NaHCO₃) | 2.85 g | 3.01 g |
The common salts reproduce every ion within 10%.
Chalk (CaCO₃) doesn't dissolve well directly in mash or sparge water without dissolved CO₂ - slurry it in carbonated water (e.g. sparkling water) before adding it, rather than mixing it into still water or sprinkling it in dry, or the calculated amount may not fully dissolve. How to dissolve chalk with CO₂
Brewers historically boiled Burton-on-Trent water to drop out carbonate hardness before brewing pale beers. Boiled, it keeps roughly Ca 254 and HCO₃ 20 ppm (from 352 and 320). Open the decarbonated profile in the solver.
John Palmer's How to Brew, as reproduced in the BJCP Beer Exam Study Guide's water table (Ca 352, Mg 24, Na 44, Cl 16, SO4 820, HCO3 320). Other tables differ (BeerSmith: Ca 295, SO4 725, Cl 25) - all agree on Burton's extreme calcium sulfate.