[Brought to you by the fine folks at Brewing and Distilling Analytical Services, LLC (BDAS, LLC), Lexington, KY.

October 2013. www.alcbevtesting.com] We need to accept that water quality is critical to the production of safe and wholesome beverages. With suitable adjustments it can be used to produce different beer styles or for the production and dilution of distilled spirits. It must be understood, as a raw material, from its input to the plant (from the local water authority or from the well) and must be managed from the source through to final product. An article in our Quality Control series on water would complement this brief article. It was presented in the Scandinavian Brewers Review last year and is available as a reprint upon request. We also recommend the new book by John Palmer and Colin Kaminski Water: a Comprehensive Guide for Brewers (Brewers Publications, 2013) which will also be useful to other craft-beverage personnel and chemists. For the already more technically minded there is also the book in the EBC Manual of Good Practice series on Water in Brewing (Fachverlag Hans Carl, 2001) as well as a title covering Brewery Utilities. [Other references can be made available upon request from BDAS, LLC.] Water is often overlooked as a raw material but it must be of a purity and a composition suitable to the task at hand. Water may initially be contaminated by numerous chemicals, heavy metals, microbial and physical hazards all of which may pose health risks (or subsequent process or flavor problems in beverage manufacture) if present above carefully defined limits (such limits may be set by the water authority or by the brewer or distiller as to be suitable for its intended purpose.) Purified or treated water from a legal viewpoint may still retain or contain components that affect brewing or distilling operations and subsequent product. Microorganisms may be present in water and include pathogens and organisms which thrive in a brewery or distillery environment (subject of a potentially different article) if they can gain access to the water supply system. Pathogens include bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Vibrio strains, viruses and parasites including Giardia and Cryptosporidium species. [These are the organisms the local water authority should be monitoring for and controlling and are often the reason for boil water advisories when delivery systems are compromised. However backflow issues and damage to sewer systems and incoming pipes to the brewery or distillery could be a source of such contamination. In the latter cases it is the
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plant operators responsibility to monitor and control to ensure worker and consumer safety.] Hazardous chemicals and metals in water include; lead, copper, methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether (MTBE), trihalomethanes, arsenic and benzene and many others such as herbicides, pesticides etc. As these may vary seasonally (unusual weather patterns), geographically (neighboring farm lands?) and with introduction of new agricultural treatment chemicals, a knowledge of the local environment and a discussion with water experts would be encouraged if at all possible. Breweries and distilleries should thus have programs in place to understand and monitor the quality of the water used and to be able to treat and adjust it to make the safest and most desirable solvent for the multiple purposes in which it plays a role. Specified requirements should be in place. The monitoring of quality goes beyond relying on local water authority reports as these are often averages, vary by season and may not cover all desired attributes that the alcohol beverage producer needs to be aware of. Though the local authority should be consulted and encouraged to supply you requisite facts and information that form a part of the quality assurance program at the individual facility. [A laboratory such as BDAS, LLC can also advise as to sampling and analysis of critical parameters. See also below.] Potable water supplies must meet all U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), World Health Organization (WHO) and federal, state and local government regulations. These may be found on-line or in treatises covering water and waste water. Standards must be set and be used for unregulated water supplies such as wells etc. In addition to knowing as much about the source of the water as available, and seasonal changes to the overall quality, it is also important to find out as much as possible as to how the water authority treats the water and if this also might vary due to seasonal or unexpected conditions, etc. If using a well based source do seasonal events promote radical changes in quality? Such water should be tested in house or at a facility such as BDAS, LLC. regularly. Even though the water is pure, clean and has met stringent guidelines, the treated water may contain ozone, chlorine, chloramines and/or other agents to protect it in distribution but that can have a big impact on the colloidal and flavor stability of alcoholic beverages. Which chemicals such as pesticides, volatile organic compounds (VOC) or microorganisms from sewage or farm-run off might permeate into the water supply? How does the water authority treat its water during normal periods or if events as outlined above affect it at other times (during severe flooding or droughts etc.)? And how do those treatments affect your physical plant and process and beverage? How do you effectively eliminate any detrimental compounds such as chlorine, chloramines, ozonation etc.? These are questions that are best answered by water treatment companies and water engineers installing or modifying brewery and distillery systems. Questions also need to be asked about how the sanitation and cleaning chemicals routinely used in the brewery and distillery affect the plumbing of brewhouse/distillery water systems (plastic, hoses, or metal piping or fixtures etc.). Seeking advice on waste water disposal and the sewer system have been overlooked by many aspiring brewers and distillers to their ultimate cost (or shutdown sometimes permanently!); the cost
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of treating and disposing water becoming ever more critical issues for water authorities, States and consumers alike. There are many different methods for disinfecting water all of which will dictate how you process the water to start your operations. Engineering should allow one way flow (no back flow) of water to prevent contamination and there should be a way to test the levels of the disinfectant/treatment agents used by the water authority. Or if the water is treated by you from a well source for example, tests must be run frequently and in a timely manner. Guidelines exist for treating or understanding how the water has been treated and at what level (ppm) or dosing has been made and how long those preserving chemicals last. These facts if known will help brewers and distillers avoid many issues down the road. Assumptions that the water is known to be free of microorganisms (or that they will be destroyed during processing), pesticides, herbicides, potent odorant chemicals (geosmin from seasonal algal blooms difficulty to remove for example), heavy metals and fluoride, chlorine and nitrates, etc. (see EPA water guidelines or the Quality Control series article on Water by Spedding, or the books referenced at the start of this article for details) then some key tests can be recommended to be aware of and to allow adjustments to be made for brewing purposes. Total dissolved solids, hardness and alkalinity should be known. Water hardness changes can indicate the seasonal changes in the water quality and forms an easy test to do while also measuring calcium and magnesium levels important for brewing and distilling (distillers dilution water should be as pure as possible even traces of calcium can cause hazes in spirits. See the BDAS, LLC guide to Water for Distillers and Hazes in Spirits for key information here). Alkalinity one of the most difficult concepts for non-water chemists is described in the book by Palmer and Kaminski (and other works) and calculations to assist salt or acidity adjustments to render water suitable for different beer styles or processes (impacting efficiency and flavor and product stability for example) are also covered elsewhere. In water reports from testing at BDAS, LLC for example, there is always a follow up on how best to adjust water we have tested for the purpose desired. The Palmer and Kaminski work rendering a vast amount of knowledge on this into a workable text for brewers and others to now better understand this key topic for themselves. Water should be free of sand and other physical hazards that can damage machinery used in the processing of the water or product broken glass and glass powder in the bottling shop as a contamination source?). In-house water-treatments, for physical plant purposes, really form the basis of another topic but we can assist with certain details. For example chlorination is removed via charcoal filtration yet filters must be checked (microbiologically microbial load) and replaced routinely and possibly frequently depending on chlorine level etc. This aspect is often overlooked when building or re-engineering a facility for craft beverage production. It should form a key part of discussion with the engineering team assembling your plant and in any warranty discussions. Another potential issue of concern is detectable traces of chemicals in the water supply that are allowable, but that when blended together through application may form another chemical that is not regulated or antagonize a situation that will later affect the quality of the beer or spirit being produced. Be aware of how
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to determine whether such situations pose a hazard to your product. This involves knowing all aspects of the downstream processing in detail and why we encourage all beginning brewers, craft distillers or winery operators to undertake some courses in beverage production. This is especially important in a currently largely unregulated industry but one that is coming under closer scrutiny. In a saturated marketplace, as we are now seeing, consistency and quality are ever more paramount. Are the sanitation chemicals and disinfection agents used in the plant compliant with standards applicable for use around alcoholic beverages or soft-drink products? A supplier may have reformulated cleaning products and these could contain new and unexpected chemical components that are unacceptable for use around your beverage (food) products. Sensory evaluation of raw materials and final products can be a big and inexpensive part of quality control testing here. Beyond chemicals, brewers and distillers may need to consider testing for heavy metals in the product/process water supply, particularly if there are any leaded water distribution lines leading into the plant (older establishments converted to breweries or distilleries for example). Heavy metal and non-toxic metal ion contaminants can affect the product quality, both in reduced flavor profiles (oxidation and metallic notes included) and shelf life (colloidal stability, hazes, etc.). Breweries and distilleries require high amounts of calcium and sometimes magnesium for efficient enzyme reactions and pH control in mashing and beer-stone or calcium deposits may build up in tanks, pipes (and especially tight turns or dead-legs as they are called). These are detrimental to quality from harboring bacteria that survive in an environment protected from the sanitation chemicals and heated caustic solution treatments of vessels. Minerals and especially calcium can lead to deposits (calcium oxalates) and hazes in beer and especially in finished packaged spirits (dilution water for spirits manufacturers must be almost free of calcium). [See the BDAS, LLC guide to Water for Distillers and Hazes in Spirits.] As craft breweries are reaching an age beyond 20 years physical plant breakdown and wear and tear are leading us to seeing more beer-stone build up, calcium oxalate issues, microbial contaminations and flavor faults appearing in beer along with glycol contamination many of these issues related to corrosion or water-salt and mineral deposition issues. Microbiological sampling and testing. Matthew Linske, Lead microbiologist at BDAS, LLC can best advice on frequency, sampling and protocols for testing water. Special EPA regulations dictate how water is collected and processed for official microbiological methods to be valid for example. Amber Weygandt, Lead Beverage Chemist at BDAS, LLC also trained in a water laboratory and can advise on some EPA regulations and testing needed to ensure safety and quality of water used for brewing and distilling. Testing frequencies will typically range from daily or weekly, to monthly and quarterly schedules based on variables such as the water source, type of disinfection treatment used, and the product/process and risk factors. In the case of breweries, or distilleries involved with any sour-mash processes, using various organisms for fermentation - this may require adjustments to frequency and testing of water supplies possibly compromised from airborne sources of infection. Is the milling operation in its own area with containment of malt dust? Is
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the bottling plant free of air ducts or currents (from inside or outside) that may have dust and organisms present? Rinsing bottles before a contaminated airstream deposits dust should be thought about. Is spent grain out of the brewery? Could any of these sources contaminate water used in down-steam processes leading to water-born contaminations microbial and or physical at bottling or canning time? Many forget the need to have clean, sterile off-odorantpromoting (if chemically-treated) water during the final stages of production! After careful brewing many off flavors result from contaminations that can occur at a time when no other pro-active or remedial actions can be taken to prevent, remove, reduce or destroy them. Sterile (mineral free for distillers, chemical and taint-free) and oxygen free water are important at packaging! While many organisms that can be found in beer are not a major concern, from a health issue viewpoint, should contamination by organisms such as coliforms be found, information for remedial actions must be sought. (BDAS, LLC has some details on this required course of action and on legally responsible reporting of such contamination.). Brewers and distillers are going to come under more food manufacturing plant regulatory oversight and regulation so become proactive now. We see many needless issues in final product that can be related back to either the brewing water or from contaminations of supposedly pure water delivery lines in the brewhouse. Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. Be water wise at every step along the way. Wishing you continued brewing, distilling, RTD and winemaking success. Summary. Water is an often overlooked commodity and raw material in brewing and distilling operations, especially when considering the cost of engineering and building an efficient brewery or distillery. Yet it is as crucial to producing a quality beverage as any other ingredient or process in the brewery in fact many downstream brewing and distilling processes and reactions depend on the quality of this key ingredient. Beverage manufacturers consume (and dispose) huge volumes of water and its required quality can vary depending upon the many, many different functions it has to serve. It has to be of utmost quality if it is in contact with raw materials and/or forms an ingredient in the actual final product but can be cross contaminated from sources that dont need to be as clean. When designing a new facility it is important to think about all the roles water plays in the operation and how best to use treat and store it economically and responsibly. This article barely touches the surface here regarding quality issues of this essential and increasing scarce (clean water) commodity but reading the EBC Manuals of Good Practice - Water and the Utilities volumes and the Palmer and Kaminski book (referenced above) will go a long way to ensuring legal requirements are met, and consumer safety and confidence are ensured. Consulting a lab that knows a good deal about water chemistry (BDAS, LLC comes to mind) can also be beneficial. The notes above will hopefully go a long way towards leading the reader into asking appropriate personnel all the necessary questions to fully get to grips with this important and fluid topic. [N.B. Some data and ideas here were found in an article Critical Flow by Larry Cohen and Peter Kennedy presented in Food Safety Magazine Aug Sept 2007 and would be a good read if it can be sourced. The authors covered most of the ground on this topic in a short/concise manner from a broader food perspective. It was, however, relevant to beverages with our insights here embellishing, for brewers and distillers, general food-related water quality details. More legal discussion was also provided by Cohen and Kennedy.]
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Appendix/Summary- Test methods. Testing total dissolved solids (TDS) and water hardness are fundamental water tests that should be conducted on a daily basis for plants operating every day perhaps weekly for smaller less-frequently operating breweries/distilleries. The measurement of pH is another important test that can be used to verify water disinfection and should be routine as for testing mash, sparge liquor and run-off and wort etc. Sample kits exist on the market for routine tests and a laboratory such as BDAS, LLC can also assist on an as needed basis. Remember do not rely solely on water authority reports -due to seasonal fluctuations or for important test data they do not routinely supply. The authority may, however, have more information than on consumer reports. Learn to interpret water reports though as a guide to understanding when there might be a need to outsource for more involved testing. Certain chemicals and species go hand in hand and levels can indicate more extensive changes or latent problems we mentioned above hardness as a key factor for noting changes in the overall water quality for example. Do institute a quality assurance program and advocate quality controls for water as for all other raw materials and processing aids that come into contact with your liquid gold. It is for your legal and bottom-line safety as well as the safety and security of your consumers. If concerned with any reported test value seek advice from the municipal or private water supplier. Is the problem simply due a natural climatic (flood, drought?) or geological event (earthquake, sink hole?) or a to a new or occasionally necessary treatment applied prior to the water's arrival at your brewery or distillery? If a local or regional disaster hits or unusual weather occurs a quick consultation with the water authority, university water chemist or requesting a complete water analysis might be in order! Also, as you should be doing routinely for other tests, check your own laboratory water test results and any water treatment systems to ensure the problem is not occurring in-house! Call us at BDAS, LLC for more details, references, our other guides to quality in beverage manufacture or just to speak with our Microbiologist Matt and Chemists Amber and Gary. 859-278-2533 www.alcbevtesting.com
Required promotional statement endorsement : [BDAS, LLC is a TTB certified premier facility offering a full range of analytical services: physical, chemical, microbiological and sensory testing to brewers, distillers and winemakers for beer, wine and spirits and raw materials (including water) and processing aids. The sole function of BDAS, LLC is to teach clients about, and to test, their alcoholic beverages in an unbiased environment to the best of our, or occasionally affiliate laboratory, abilities. We do not supply processing aids, chemicals, yeast, hops or malt/adjuncts to the beverage manufacturer and can thus assure unbiased testing of products and raw materials obtained by clients from other suppliers or sources. The answer is yesnow what is your question? As we grow with our clients we aim to be the most cost effective and best analytical testing facility in the US for alcoholic beverages especially beer and distilled spirits and are proud to have been chosen by many businesses for their Certificates of Analysis and ANEXO certifications for export or State to State shipping/distribution purposes a process we know better than anyone. Enjoy many of the products we test both here in the US and now many (beers) in Brazil for the upcoming festivities! Most US brewers relying on our ANEXOs to Brazil and qualifications for export certifications! ] 6