Flavour Compound of the Week - Chloride

“Chloride?!!” I hear you say. Yes chloride like all ions is a flavour compound. All brewers worth their salt add chloride (I would just like to point out that this is a very hilarious joke). Chloride adds a sumptuous sweetness at low concentrations. Higher concentrations make beer harsh and upset yeast. Brewers adjust their brewing water to achieve a balance between chloride and sulphate. Sulphate adds a dryness and accentuates hop bitterness whereas chloride acts to enhance the sweetness of the malt. If you want to test the effects of out for yourself add a pinch of salt to a cup of water and see how it tastes sweeter and smoother. Because Rock is a few steps from the Atlantic our water is slightly higher in chlorides than breweries not near the sea. This is why our beers are more rounded and less harsh than some.