The Fab Four: Water
With Iain Kenny of Murphy & Son
In part three of The Fab Four series, Martin sits down with Iain Kenny from Murphy & Son to explore one of the most overlooked — yet most important ingredients in brewing: water. With beer being up to 95% water, getting your water profile right can make or break a brew.
Murphy & Son has been supporting brewers since 1887, originally helping recreate the famous Burton-on-Trent water profile, and now supplying around 90% of UK breweries, as well as many across Europe and the US.
In this episode, Iain breaks down water treatment in a way that makes sense for professionals and homebrewers alike, sharing practical tips, common mistakes, and how water chemistry directly shapes different beer styles.
From hazy IPAs and stouts to crisp lagers and classic Burton profiles, this episode is packed with real-world knowledge that you can apply to your very next brew day.
Episode Highlights
- Water is everything – Beer is up to 95% water, and it impacts flavour, fermentation, and mouthfeel.
- The key four – Focus on calcium, alkalinity, chloride, and sulphate.
- Styles & salts – Different ion levels help shape IPAs, lagers, stouts, and bitters.
- Fixing your water – Practical tips and new tools (like Mashlife) to improve shelf life maintaining flavour.
Iain says:
“People don’t realise that there’s a problem with the water treatment till they’ve got a problem and it takes them ages to diagnose and they follow it right up this chain going into water treatment as a whole.“
Why This Episode Matters
Water treatment is often the missing piece in a brewer’s puzzle. Many brewers focus on hops, malt, or yeast, but as Iain explains, if your water isn’t right, nothing else will perform as it should. Whether you’re brewing in a garage, a microbrewery, or a large production site, this episode shows that understanding and adjusting your water doesn’t require a science degree — just the right guidance and a few key measurements.
With practical advice on:
- pH control
- Chloride-to-sulphate ratios
- Acid and salt additions
- Avoiding common mistakes
- Adapting to changing water sources
This episode gives brewers the confidence to take control of their water, improve consistency, and elevate the overall quality of their beer.
As Martin says in the episode: “Get your water profile right and your base recipe done, and you’re already halfway there.”
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