Acids, Salts & Water Treatment

Brewing Water Treatment, Salts, Acids, and pH Adjustments

Brewing water treatment helps you adjust mash pH, mineral balance, chlorine/chloramine, and flavor direction before fermentation ever starts. This collection includes brewing salts, acids, Campden tablets, pH stabilizer, and related water-adjustment products for beer, wine, cider, mead, and other fermentation projects.

Use water treatment when your recipe or water profile calls for a specific adjustment. Small mineral or acid additions can make a real difference, but they should be measured. If you are building a water profile, start with your source water, choose the style target, and make controlled changes rather than adding salts by feel.

Common Brewing Water Adjustments

• Gypsum: Calcium sulfate can raise calcium and sulfate, often used when a drier, sharper hop profile is wanted.
• Calcium chloride: Calcium chloride can raise calcium and chloride, often used to support rounder malt character and fuller mouthfeel.
• Lactic or phosphoric acid: Lactic acid 88% and phosphoric acid are commonly used for mash or sparge water pH adjustment when supported by a water plan.
• Campden tablets: Campden tablets are used to help neutralize chlorine and chloramine in brewing water.

Before You Add Brewing Salts

Water chemistry works best when it is tied to a recipe, not treated as a generic upgrade. Measure carefully, keep notes, and avoid large blind additions. For many brewers, the best first step is removing chlorine or chloramine, then learning mash pH adjustment before chasing highly specific city water profiles.

Related Brewing Tools and Ingredients

Pair water treatment with reliable pH measurement tools, browse all brewing ingredients, or use this collection to support a repeatable all-grain brew-day process.