Homebrew Water Test Kit Results Guide

What this kit checks

Water is the ingredient you use most of and think about least. Each measure has its own detailed guide:

• pH — mash chemistry starts here
• Total alkalinity — high alkalinity fights pale, hoppy styles
• Hardness — overall mineral load
• Sulphate — accentuates hop bitterness
• Sodium chloride — the chloride side — fullness and malt character
• Free chlorine — take it to zero before brewing
• Total chlorine — catches chloramine-style residual too

Reading your strip

Dip a strip in your brewing liquor before treatment, wait 30 seconds and match each pad against the colour chart. Test again after any carbon filtering or adjustments.

What to do next

• Chlorine must reach zero before the mash — carbon filtering or a campden tablet deals with it; re-test to confirm.
• The sulphate-to-chloride balance shapes the beer: sulphate-forward reads crisper and more bitter, chloride-forward fuller and maltier.
• Keep a water log per brew — matching a favourite batch starts with knowing what the water did that day.