 Many of the distinctive features of Grodziskie result from the characteristics of the water that the breweries used to produce the beer . The water from one of the wells on <unk> Street in Grodzisk was tested , and showed a sulfate ion concentration of 183 parts per million ( ppm ) and a chloride ion concentration of 81 ppm . In addition , alkalinity ( as calcium bicarbonate ) was 350 ppm and the magnesium ion concentration was 34 ppm . A beer brewed with this type of water would have had a higher than expected <unk> due to the high alkalinity as well as the ratio of sulfate ions to chloride ions . It would have resulted in a higher pH during the early stages of production , which would inhibit the efficiency of the natural enzymes that convert the starch in the grain to fermentable sugars during mashing , leading to a beer with higher residual sugars and lower average alcohol content . Finally , water would have produced a beverage that tasted slightly sour or bitter , due to the high concentration of magnesium ions . 
