In early June 1997, Jacques Bertens sent a collection of water profiles from ten towns and cities in Belgium. The first four listed below came from a brewing course he took at Leuven (Belgium) and the rest come from the local water companies in question. These profiles fill the biggest gap in the list of brewing cities-- information on Belgian waters. I'm sure we're all very grateful to Jacques for doing the legwork on compiling these profiles and for then volunteering them onto my page so that we can all take advantage of his efforts. Thank you Jacques!
Quick comment--it can be argued that these days modern breweries treat their water away from that of the old days, but I would suggest that because the classic styles developed in these brewing cities largely before such practices came to the fore, adjusting our waters to match these profiles is defensible.
| City | Ca++ | HCO3-- | Cl- | Mg++ | Na+ | SO4-- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brabant | 111 | 315 | 40 | 12 | 14 | 74 |
| Burton 1 | 268 | 275 | 36 | 62 | 54 | 638 |
| Burton 2 | 270 | 197 | 40 | 60 | 30 | 640 |
| Burton 3 | 295 | 300 | 25 | 45 | 55 | 725 |
| Dortmund 1 | 225 | 221 | 60 | 40 | 60 | 120 |
| Dortmund 2 | 250 | 550 | 100 | 25 | 70 | 280 |
| Dublin 1 | 119 | 156 | 19 | 4 | 12 | 53 |
| Dublin 2 | 118 | 319 | 19 | 4 | 12 | 54 |
| Dusseldorf | 40 | 60 | 45 | 25 | 80 | |
| Edinburgh 1 | 140 | 140 | 34 | 60 | 80 | 96 |
| Edinburgh 2 | 120 | 225 | 20 | 25 | 55 | 140 |
| Koln | 104 | 152 | 109 | 15 | 52 | 86 |
| London City | 90 | 82 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 24 |
| London Well | 52 | 104 | 34 | 32 | 86 | 32 |
| Munich | 75 | 148 | 2 | 18 | 2 | 10 |
| Nor. France | 137 | 200 | 30 | 12 | 40 | |
| Pilsen 1 | 7 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Pilsen 2 | 10 | 3 | 4.3 | 3 | 4 | |
| St Louis | 21.9 | 21 | 20.6 | 10.7 | 19.6 | 66.9 |
| Vienna | 200 | 118 | 12 | 60 | 8 | 125 |
| Yorkshire | 105 | 153 | 30 | 17 | 23 | 66 |
| Belgian City | Ca++ | HCO3-- | Cl- | Mg++ | Na+ | SO4-- |
| Antwerp | 90 | 76 | 57 | 11 | 37 | 84 |
| Ardennes | 3.5 | 11 | 5 | 1.3 | 3 | 28 |
| Beerse | 41 | 91 | 26 | 8 | 16 | 62 |
| Brugge | 132 | 326 | 38 | 13 | 20 | 99 |
| Brussels region | 100 | 250 | 41 | 11 | 18 | 70 |
| East Flanders | 134 | 306 | 47 | 22 | 52 | 76 |
| Eeklo | 138 | 255 | 65 | 28 | 115 | 8 |
| Gent | 114 | 301 | 38 | 17 | 18 | 84 |
| Luik | 98 | 134 | 142 | 14 | 110 | 14 |
| Mechelen | 116 | 330 | 36 | 14 | 16 | 62 |
| Poperinge | 8 | 528 | 206 | 2 | 380 | 124 |
| West Flanders | 114 | 370 | 139 | 10 | 125 | 145 |
| Willebroek/Rumst | 68 | 143 | 60 | 8 | 33 | 70 |
| Belgian Breweries | Ca++ | HCO3-- | Cl- | Mg++ | Na+ | SO4-- |
| Achel | 64 | 157 | 24 | 7 | 12 | 28 |
| Chimay | 70 | 216 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Hoegaarden | 109 | 171 | 53 | 12 | 16 | 82 |
| Orval | 96 | 287 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 25 |
| Rochefort | 82 | 240 | 17 | 10 | 6 | 32 |
| Westmalle | 41 | 91 | 26 | 8 | 16 | 62 |
| Westvleteren | 114 | 370 | 139 | 10 | 125 | 145 |
Antwerp De Koninck Popering St. Sixtus, Van Eecke; Belgian hopgrowing region Eeklo Bios (western Belgium) Luik (Eastern Belgium) Willebroek/Rumst Moortgat, makers of Duvel; Palm Mechelen Het Anker, makers of Gouden Carolus Beerse Westmalle All others are from western, northwestern, or central Belgium.
Burton 1 "Brewing & Malting Science", 1:206, Hough et al. Burton 2 "Pale Ale", p58, Foster. Burton 3 Papazian, Homebrewer's Companion Dortmund 1 "Brewing Lager Beer", p55, Noonan Dortmund 2 Papazian, Homebrewer's Companion Dublin 1 "American Handy Book", 2:790, Wahl-Henius, 1902 Dublin 2 Al Korzonas Dusseldorf Source Unknown Edinburgh 1 "Fermentation Technology", p. 13, Westermann and Huige Edinburgh 2 Papazian, Homebrewer's Companion Koln Bob Bloodworth, HBD 26 Jan 95 London City "Fermentation Technology", p. 13, Westermann and Huige London Well "Fermentation Technology", p. 13, Westermann and Huige Munich "Brewing Lager Beer", p55, Noonan Pilsen 1 "Brewing Lager Beer", p55, Noonan Pilsen 2 "American Handy Book", 2:790, Wahl-Henius, 1902 Vienna "Brewing Lager Beer", p55, Noonan
Last modified Thursday, 24. May 2007