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Essential Brewing Water Calculators Every Homebrewer Should Know

One of the biggest leaps in improving your beer’s quality comes from understanding and adjusting your brewing water. Whether you're chasing that crisp, snappy pilsner or a soft, juicy hazy IPA, your water profile plays a huge role.


Fortunately, the homebrewing community has built some incredible free tools to help you fine-tune your water chemistry. Below are some of the best brewing water calculators out there — trusted by brewers everywhere and perfect for any experience level.


1. Bru'n Water

One of the most detailed spreadsheets available for water chemistry. Built by Martin Brungard, Bru’n Water is a powerful tool for dialing in mash pH, building water profiles, and understanding salt additions.

Best for: Advanced brewers looking for full control.Platform: Excel spreadsheet (Windows recommended)


2. Brewer's Friend Water Chemistry Calculator

Easy to use with a clean interface. Allows for mash and sparge water adjustments, automatic salt dosing, and recipe matching based on target styles.

Best for: All skill levels — great balance of simplicity and powerPlatform: Web-based (mobile-friendly)


3. EZ Water Calculator

A simplified spreadsheet calculator designed for those new to water chemistry. It skips a lot of the complexity but still gets the job done for mash pH and mineral adjustments.

Best for: Beginners or quick adjustmentsPlatform: Excel spreadsheet


4. Brewfather Water Profile Tool

If you're already using Brewfather for recipes, it includes an excellent built-in water profile tool. You can create target profiles, auto-calculate salt additions, and see your estimated mash pH in real time.

Best for: Recipe builders who want everything in one placePlatform: Web + Mobile App


5. Mash Made Easy

A less-known but powerful spreadsheet created by Don L. Ochoa, Mash Made Easy includes pH estimation, salt additions, and RA/SRU calculations — plus it's free and detailed.

Best for: Intermediate to advanced brewers looking for an alternative to Bru’n WaterPlatform: Excel spreadsheet


Bonus: Your Local Water Report

Don't forget — the most important ingredient in water chemistry is your actual water. Use your local municipal water report or services like Ward Labs to get a water analysis, then plug that info into any of the tools above.


Final Thoughts

Brewing water might seem intimidating at first, but once you start using these tools, you’ll realize it’s not only manageable — it’s a game-changer for your beer. Start small, adjust one thing at a time, and taste the difference.


Know a tool we missed? Drop us a note at contact@homebrewcentral.com — we’d love to add it to the list!

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