Brewing Tools
Water Chemistry Calculator
Model gypsum, calcium chloride, epsom salt, table salt, baking soda, and magnesium chloride additions against your base water — in ppm for the volume you treat.
Enter your starting water (ppm), batch volume, and salt additions in grams. The result is an estimated ion profile after mixing — assumes salts fully dissolve in the treated volume.
Base water (ppm)
Salt additions (g)
Resulting water (ppm)
Higher ratios tend to emphasize hop perception; lower ratios emphasize malt. This is a rough rule of thumb, not a substitute for tasting.
Chalk (CaCO₃) and lime need special handling (dissolution, pH). This tool does not model mash chemistry or pH — only dissolved ion concentrations from the salts listed.
What this calculator does
Homebrew shops sell brewing salts by weight. Each salt releases a predictable amount of calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfate, chloride, and/or bicarbonate when it dissolves. This tool adds those contributions (scaled by your treat volume) to your starting profile.
Why it is still an estimate
Real brewing water depends on mash reactions, alkalinity, and how completely a salt dissolves. Chalk and lime are especially tricky. Use the numbers as a planning guide, then confirm with pH measurements or brewing software when it matters.
Sulfate and chloride balance
Many brewers track the mass ratio of sulfate to chloride to steer hop character versus malt roundness. It is only one lever among many, but it is a useful sanity check when building a water profile for IPAs, pale ales, or malt-forward styles.
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