Where to Purchase Brewing Salts

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Permalink Reply by JoKing on March 17, 2010 at 9:40am

Sea Salt does contain Sodium Chloride, but it also contains a while array of other minerals: like magnesium, potassium, sulphate etc.

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Permalink Reply by MrC on March 17, 2010 at 11:25am

Yeah I assumed that was the case. I want to add salts in a controlled manner so Sea Salt is a "no go".

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Permalink Reply by twnaky on March 18, 2010 at 1:35pm

I've been finding my Calcium Chloride at www.mondofood.com (direct link to the product), no clue where to find the sodium though...sorry :(

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Permalink Reply by James P on March 18, 2010 at 1:53pm

Hey twnaky, he is probably be looking for suppliers in New Zealand (where this forum is located) alas importing from Canada Colorado may be a little expensive.

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Permalink Reply by twnaky on March 18, 2010 at 1:56pm

Ahh good call! Common sense escaped me there :)

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Permalink Reply by Soren on March 18, 2010 at 2:33pm

Surely non iodized table salt must be available, if not in supermarkets, then maybe specialized health or organic shops? In the states I think they call it "kosher salt" it might be the same here? I've never looked for it though.
It needs to be non-iodized for brewing because iodine is harmful to the yeast, right? but really, how much iodine is in it and will it really affect the yeast in these low quantities?

Calcium Chloride should be available at your LHBS, if not tell them to get it in, Brewcraft has it in small packages. Or stop by Blenheim with a cup and I'll fill it for you:) btw, this is quickly becoming my favorite brewing salt, overtaking gypsum...

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Permalink Reply by denimglen on March 18, 2010 at 2:53pm

This has no iodine in it, I got it at a major supermarket - either countdown or foodtown.

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Permalink Reply by David Nicholls on March 18, 2010 at 4:42pm

I'm pretty sure you will find it is sea salt. The other options are either analytical grade ($$$$) or a mined salt.

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Permalink Reply by martin w on March 18, 2010 at 5:39pm

just found this-


Table Salt Vs. Sea Salt - Difference Between Sea Salt and Table Salt
Though mainly sodium chloride, sea salt and table salt are different from each other, both with respect to the way they are obtained from nature and their nutritive value. Sea salt is considered to be more beneficial for health as compared to table slat, due to over 80 nutritive substances present in it. Read on to know more about the differences between sea salt and table salt…
The importance of salt in human life can be gauged by the fact that the Romans paid their soldiers salt as their wage. It is from this practice that the word 'salary' had its origin. Almost 75% of our body is made up of water. However, this water is not in its pure form. It has salt dissolved in it that helps in a number of functions of the body. Salt present in the cells and tissues of our body helps in muscle contraction, proper conduction of nerve impulses and transport of nutrients into the cells. Salt may be obtained from sea water or may be mined from underground deposits. Table salt, sea salt, kosher salt and iodized salt (which is a form of table salt with iodine added to it) are the four main types of salts available to us.

Sea Salt

Sea salt is the unrefined salt that is obtained by simply evaporating the water from the seas or oceans. Sea water is channeled into man-made pools along protected shores, and is then left under the Sun till all the water gets evaporated. What is left behind in the pools is sea salt. Sea salt is 98% sodium chloride, while the remaining 2% is made of other important minerals like iron, sulfur, magnesium and other trace elements. Due to higher mineral content, sea salts are more flavored than table salt. Sea salts are used as crust for baked potatoes. Chefs also use it in French or Thai cuisines.

Table Salt

The common table salt is 99.9% sodium chloride. It is obtained from the terrestrial salt deposits which are mined, heat-blasted and chemically treated. Due to these processes, table salt is stripped of all minerals other than sodium and chloride. Some anti-caking agents are added to table salt to make it free flowing. Although, initially table salt which had just sodium and chlorine as the only minerals was consumed by people, later on, salt manufacturers started adding iodine to it to prevent people from suffering from iodine deficiency diseases.

Table Salt Vs. Sea Salt

Besides the difference in the manufacturing process, sea salt and table salt differ in the following ways:
While sodium and chlorine are the only minerals contained in table salt, sea salt has other minerals like iron, sulfur and magnesium naturally present in them. This increases the nutritive value of sea salt as compared to table salt. The various minerals present in sea salt helps us to maintain a healthy balance of the various electrolytes in the body.
The refining process of table salt strips it of all of its minerals, other than sodium and chloride. This makes it an unnatural substance as compared to sea salt, and contributes to high blood pressure, heart and kidney diseases. On the other hand, health benefits of sea salt include, inducing proper sleep, promoting efficient working of the liver, kidneys and the adrenal glands. Sea salts also boost the immune system of the body and don't cause high blood pressure like refined table salt.
Although, due to the higher mineral content, sea salt may be considered to be a healthier choice than table salt, it has its own drawbacks. One major disadvantage of sea salt is that it is a poor source of iodine. The iodine that is added during the refining process of table salt makes it a better source of iodine than sea salt.
Another health concern that sea salt raises, is the fact that it is obtained from sea water that contains a number of impurities. The sea water is neither boiled nor treated, as that would make it lose the minerals that gives it all its nutritive value.
Table salt is fine, white crystals. Sea salt on the other hand may have a slight grayish color if they are from the coastal areas of France, or may pinkish hue if it came from some other exotic locale. It may be coarse or fine grained.
Due to the presence of many minerals, sea salt is not as 'salty' as table salt. It may be slightly flavored

so if only 2% of the small amount you are actually adding is not Na or Cl is it worth bothering about? it seems that all of those extra elements are found naturally in our water anyway

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Permalink Reply by David Nicholls on March 18, 2010 at 8:18pm

Good summary and agree with your final statement. I would stick with non iodised though which is easily found at all supermarkets.

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Permalink Reply by Stu McKinlay on March 18, 2010 at 8:43pm

Calcium Chloride - seems a must with NZ malt/hop combos.

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Permalink Reply by MrC on March 18, 2010 at 9:02pm

Even for dark beers like Porters & Stouts? Would it push the ph down too far?

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