Water & Soil

The water for Wellpark comes from the Highlands. Glasgow draws its drinking water from Loch Katrine, a loch some thirty miles to the north, flowing into the city through a system of aqueducts and tunnels. The waterworks were built in the 19th century.

The water from Loch Katrine is naturally soft, meaning it contains few dissolved minerals. Soft water low in calcium and sulphate is also found in Pilsen, and it's considered ideal for pale lagers. Hop bitterness comes across rounded and mild rather than harsh and sharp.

The counterpart is cities like Munich, Dublin, or London, with carbonate-rich water that suits darker malts better. Glasgow thus took a different path from many British beer cities that relied on hard water for their ales. We won't quote exact measurements here, as the figures in the literature don't agree.

As for the landscape: the city sits on the Clyde, with a cool, damp climate. For lager, which needs cold fermentation and conditioning, these are favourable conditions, even though cooling today is a matter of technology rather than weather.

Nearly every brewery today treats its water, either softening it or adding salts. Still, Glasgow's naturally soft water helps: the less correction needed, the less work involved. A brewer can then focus on malt, hops, and yeast instead of fighting the water.