In brewing, calcium chloride (CaCl₂) is one of the main brewing salts used to adjust your water profile. Here’s how it’s typically used:

Why brewers add calcium chloride

• Enhances malt character → boosts sweetness, fullness, and roundness in the beer (opposite of gypsum which enhances hop sharpness).

• Calcium benefits → helps with yeast health, protein coagulation in the boil (hot break), and improving beer clarity.

• Chloride ions (Cl⁻) → accentuate body, smoothness, and perceived sweetness.

Typical usage

• Often added to mash water or sparge water to increase calcium and chloride levels.

• Common in malty styles like porters, stouts, and brown ales, or where you want a rounder, softer mouthfeel (e.g. some lagers).

Balance with gypsum

• Brewers usually balance calcium chloride (malt-roundness, sweetness) with gypsum / calcium sulfate (CaSO₄) (hop bitterness, crispness).

• The sulfate-to-chloride ratio is key:

  • Higher chloride → malt-focused, smooth beers.

  • Higher sulfate → hop-forward, crisp beers.

  • Balanced → versatile pale ales and lagers.

👉 Example: In a stout, you might add more CaCl₂ to enhance fullness; in an IPA, you’d lean more on gypsum for crisp hop bite.

100gm crystals

Current: Batch No 20191216