There is a major element of water chemistry in brewing beer, too. Many distinct styles of beer are due largely to the local water chemistry where they come from. Water from London is different from Burton On Trent and the common styles are very different from each other (India Pale Ales or Bitters and Porters). Czech Pils is another great example of a beer style that is almost defined more by it's local water chemistry, same as some of the German regions that brew darker beers.
Any home brewer who has gone beyond the most basic brews and attempts to brew by style soon discovers the chemistry lab aspect of adding minerals back into a clean water (usually RO for the home brewer) in order to more closely mimic the water responsible for the style they want to brew. Alkaline vs Acid and differing levels of minerals and salts have a major impact on how a mash extracts the sugars and colors of the malts, or how a boil extracts and expresses certain hoppy characteristics.
I can't think of a better example of this that Burton Salts which give Calcium, Magnesium, Bicabonate and Sulfate to the brew water:
Also known as brewing salts, it is a mixture of Gypsum, Calcium Carbonate and Epsom Salt. 1 tsp adds 1119 ppm per 1 gallon. Free shipping over $59.
www.morebeer.com
Or there is this page detailing different water profiles for many different styles:
www.brewersfriend.com
Happy Brewing!