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[hopfenundmalz]

@BrewBama

@hopfenundmalz

@mabrungard

@hopfenundmalz

On the Fuller’s tour the guide said they just add gypsum to the London water. Saw a stack of gypsum bags by the HLT.

Fullers is likely using River Thames water from the local supplier as opposed to the London Aquifer water which is better suited to Porter brewing. The Thames water has modest mineralization, so the inclusion of gypsum makes sense to me.

I agree. The water utility in London is called Thames Water. It comes from reservoirs west of London feed by the River Thames, up from the brackish tide Waters. If you fly into Heathrow from a Westerly approach you go over some of those reservoirs.

Here’s the 2017 utility report for another data point (they boil prior to building correct?): http://twmediadevcdn.azureedge.net/waterquality/WQ%20Report_Z0347_Chiswick%20&%20Hammersmith.pdf

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I don’t know if they boil.

[hopfenundmalz]

When I lived in London, I recall there was a fairly complicated distribution system designed to maximize gravity flow.  Living near Hampstead, the highest elevation in Greater London, we reportedly got water by aqueduct from some 60 miles northwest in the Chiltern Hills,  which was fairly mineralized.  Water from the London Aquifer was, I think, distributed to areas where it could be fed by gravity.  And Thames water pumped uphill only where this was the only option.  Just my recollection, and this was 30 years  ago, but a reminder of the caveat that you never know just what a brewery’s source water is just by its location on a map.  And “Thames” in the name of the utility designates service area more than guarantees the source.  Like “Thames Television.”

I assume you enjoyed living near Hampstead. Wonderful area.

Fuller’s brewery is right on the River, so it would get the water from the utilities upstream source, no?

[Robertestein05_gmail.com (Robert)]

@hopfenundmalz

When I lived in London, I recall there was a fairly complicated distribution system designed to maximize gravity flow.  Living near Hampstead, the highest elevation in Greater London, we reportedly got water by aqueduct from some 60 miles northwest in the Chiltern Hills,  which was fairly mineralized.  Water from the London Aquifer was, I think, distributed to areas where it could be fed by gravity.  And Thames water pumped uphill only where this was the only option.  Just my recollection, and this was 30 years  ago, but a reminder of the caveat that you never know just what a brewery’s source water is just by its location on a map.  And “Thames” in the name of the utility designates service area more than guarantees the source.  Like “Thames Television.”

I assume you enjoyed living near Hampstead. Wonderful area.

Fuller’s brewery is right on the River, so it would get the water from the utilities upstream source, no?

That would make sense, but I wouldn’t presume to guess how the engineers arrange such a massive operation,  and I assume it’s always a work in progress with demand always changing.

But the water report BrewBama linked, which is for the immediate  neighborhood of the brewery, is our best resource,  assuming they are just hooked into the local mains.  If they preboil, I can see it looking a lot like my water (similar Na, Cl and SO4 but around half the hardness and alkalinity.)  Then adding gypsum alone should get a good mash pH with under 400ppm SO4.  (Still more than suits my taste, but I may never understand how the English get away with such highly mineralized liquor and I can’t.)

And yes, many pleasant memories of living in that area (more specifically,  Belsize Park.)  It’s where I started homebrewing, after all!

[profitt_chartermi.net (Kevin)]

@mabrungard

@hopfenundmalz

On the Fuller’s tour the guide said they just add gypsum to the London water. Saw a stack of gypsum bags by the HLT.

Fullers is likely using River Thames water from the local supplier as opposed to the London Aquifer water which is better suited to Porter brewing. The Thames water has modest mineralization, so the inclusion of gypsum makes sense to me.

In an interview a few years back then head brewer John Keeling said they use the London municipal water.