Manitou Springs mineral spring water for a 1-gallon batch

So what do you think?

I thought about also getting some local CO honey, but at $9/lb, I think I'll just use clover with this first go around.

I'm thinking about ~1 gallon of water from the Cheyenne Spring, 3 lbs of clover honey, usual nutrient additions, and probably D47 yeast (maybe EC1118).

http://www.manitousprings.org/pdf_mineral_springs/brochure_web.pdf

Has anyone used pretty high mineral content spring water for making mead before?

I haven't done any brewing with water that high in minerals, but it sounds like an interesting experiment. I've been to Manitou Springs and have tried all the public water fountains with the mineral water. I remember there being very different flavours between the different springs. If memory serves I think I liked Wheeler spring best. One was distinctly sweet, but I can't remember which. You may have to make a batch with water from each.

Terje

9 Dollars a Pound?! Where are you shopping? That's outragious. Ok, as a fellow coloradian here's some advice...Try Madahava's. The best way to get the cheaper prices is call them first and ask for wholesale prices even though you don't have a wholesale liscence. Explain to them that the honey is for mead and bring a sample to prove it. They will gladly accept the sample and give you wholesale prices. Then buy a 42 pound bucket at just under $2.00 a pound. You now have enough for several batches. Enough to last me 2-3 5 gallon batches. I like it very sweet. Madahava's is in Lyons which is up I-25 on the Longmont Exit. It is a bit of a drive from you down near Colorado Springs, south of Denver by about 2 hours for those out of state. So it would be about a 3 hr run one way but worth it.

Good luck with the Mead.

Here's the water content:

Cheyenne Spring

HC03 - 2095ppm
Cl - 220ppm
Cr - 1.1ppb
Cu - 73ppb
F - 3.03ppm
Mg - 69ppm
Mn - 1500ppb
K - 66.9ppm
S10 - 43ppm
Na - 371ppm
S04 - 189ppm
Zn - 130ppb
TDS - 2820ppm

7-minute Spring

HC03 - 1300ppm
Cl - 233ppm
Cr - 0.5ppb
Cu - 10ppb
F - 77ppm
Mg - 60ppm
Mn - 430ppb
K - 21.1ppm
S10 - 15.9ppm
Na - 157ppm
S04 - 176ppm
Zn - 50ppb
TDS - 1960ppm

So am I nuts for even wanting to try this?

Remember also that Manitou Springs is considered a gateway to the underworld by the Wiccans and Native Americans. Proceed with caution!

You can be as anal as you want about ingredients - hell if you wanted to "kick the arse out of it", then you could easily just use distilled or RO water with as lower TDS as possible.

The answer will always be the same. As long as the water isn't contaminated with something that will damage your health (naturally or otherwise), and you like the taste of the water (my M-I-L always bitches about the water here, as she was born/bought up in a "soft" water area, yet down here the water is hard and has a high calcium content - it all comes through chalk), then it doesn't matter.

Distilled/Reverse Osmosis water can have a totally neutral taste to it, waters that still have trace elements of whatever will often "have a certain taste". Hence it's up to you.

If you like it, then WTF, give it a go........

regards

fatbloke

p.s. Oh and the mineral content of the water is irrelevant, you should be working our your nutrient requirements for the yeast from addititives/adjuncts - the levels in water are usually too low to be taken into account, unless you're doing laboratory level type testing......

AZ- did you decide to do this or not? I would totally do it just to see how it turned out.

Fatbloak- The mineral waters at Manitou Springs are extremely high in minerals. Enough that the various springs all have very distict flavours.

Terje

Stratotankard said:

AZ- did you decide to do this or not? I would totally do it just to see how it turned out.

Fatbloak- The mineral waters at Manitou Springs are extremely high in minerals. Enough that the various springs all have very distict flavours.

Terje

Click to expand...

Yes - I'm going to do three half-gallon batches (yes, I know that will only yield me ~5 12-oz bottles per batch) using three of the different spring waters....

I don't want to waste that much honey if it sucks. I'll just use cheap clover honey, as this is a mead where the water is the star.....

Stratotankard said:

-----%<-----
Fatbloak- The mineral waters at Manitou Springs are extremely high in minerals. Enough that the various springs all have very distict flavours.

Terje

Click to expand...

Sure, that much I understood, but if you tried water from some "high mineral" locations (Reykjavik maybe or Rotorua) then you're sure as hell gonna be able to find water that is totally bleargh! Which is why I mentioned that if AZ_IPA liked the taste of the water(s) then WTF, give it a go......

AZ_IPA said:

Yes - I'm going to do three half-gallon batches (yes, I know that will only yield me ~5 12-oz bottles per batch) using three of the different spring waters....

I don't want to waste that much honey if it sucks. I'll just use cheap clover honey, as this is a mead where the water is the star.....

Click to expand...

Sounds like you're doing like a lab bench test. Presumably as you're trying for the water difference(s) everything else i.e. honey, yeast, nutrient etc etc will be identical ???

regards

fatbloke

fatbloke said:

Sounds like you're doing like a lab bench test. Presumably as you're trying for the water difference(s) everything else i.e. honey, yeast, nutrient etc etc will be identical ???

regards

fatbloke

Click to expand...

Yes - honey, yeast, and nutrient schedule will be the same....

AZ_IPA said:

Yes - honey, yeast, and nutrient schedule will be the same....

Click to expand...

Well I haven't a clue about how much of a difference you'll notice, if any, but well done on taking the scientific method to test.....

Me ? I'm trying to locate a cheap, small volume reverse osmosis filter, to try and remove all the calcium etc from the local tap water to see if that makes a difference....

I think it was "Brother Adam" who said that all you need to make good mead is good honey, soft or rain water, yeast and good barrels.....

regards

fatbloke

AZ_IPA said:

So what do you think?

I thought about also getting some local CO honey, but at $9/lb, I think I'll just use clover with this first go around.

I'm thinking about ~1 gallon of water from the Cheyenne Spring, 3 lbs of clover honey, usual nutrient additions, and probably D47 yeast (maybe EC1118).

http://www.manitousprings.org/pdf_mineral_springs/brochure_web.pdf

Has anyone used pretty high mineral content spring water for making mead before?

Click to expand...

I know it's a fairly old thread, but I want to (1) ask how it went because I'm also considering the use of mineral spring water from Manitou Springs and (2) post the new location of the PDF (they have since moved it):

http://manitoumineralsprings.org/pdf_files/Mineral_Content_Chart.pdf

I never made it.

Life got in the way, and I ended up dumping or drinking the manitou spring water.