What do you think about bottled water?

I am curious what people think about using bottled water as a quick way to finish up a partial boil. I have been boiling 3 gallons, letting cool, and then adding to my finished wort but it adds time to my process.

If you are using bottled water, what about distilled? What is the best to use and what method?

Mr. Mojo Rising said:

I am curious what people think about using bottled water as a quick way to finish up a partial boil. I have been boiling 3 gallons, letting cool, and then adding to my finished wort but it adds time to my process.

If you are using bottled water, what about distilled? What is the best to use and what method?

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I use bottled spring water from the store if I need to top off. You know, Kroger or Giant brand, $0.89/gal. For two reasons: first, no need to boil for sanitation, and second, since it's unboiled, it's got lots of oxygen still in it, meaning I don't need to aerate the wort as much. Once you boil the water, you've removed much of the oxygen. I wouldn't use distilled for that very same reason.

I even boil bottled water. Am I being paranoid? Maybe, but I have yet to have a spoiled batch.

(as I walk off to find some wood to knock on)

I take it out of the faucet through a PUR filter and place it in the freezer for 4-5 hours to cool my wort.

I only boil 1.5 gal batches. I never boil my top off water.

3 very different answers so far. I know that certain state laws allow the bottling of tap water for resale as "Bottled Water" This is virtually the same thing I am doing now. I would like to be able to verify the filter process somehow. A PUR filter is a good idea.

I use grocery store spring water as well, for the partial boil and topping off as well.

AZ tap water is horrid.

When I did partial boils I would always top off with bottled spring water. I never had a problem that I attributed to the water.

- magno

magno said:

When I did partial boils I would always top off with bottled spring water. I never had a problem that I attributed to the water.

- magno

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Likewise.

I would also cool the top off water to just about freezing so I could use it to rapidly cool my wort.

I use the tap for the partial boil, and chilled bottled spring water as well. I've heard that using distilled water will lead to a flat or bland tasting beers--you need some of those minerals for the goodness (though if you add gypsum that might make up for it).

I use bottled water to top off without boiling (Monadnock Spring) and have not yet had any problems. My main reason for not boiling it is that I want to get as much dissolved O2 in there as possible.

I also have used store spring water - unboiled - for all of my brews and have not had any contamination issues at all. I cool two gallons in the freezer during the boil and add them bring the temp down before pitching.

I use water from my PUR filter and freeze some like mentioned above. Removes everything that would make it taste nasty and saves $$ and the environment from tons of plastic water bottles. My water tastes pretty darn good coming out of that filter. (Only problem before the filter is a chlorine taste, but the PUR gets rid of that). My beer always turns out.

I use bottled spring water for my top off and I also use purified ice to cool my wort. Is adding ice to the wort bad?? I hear people say not to do it for sanitation reasons but i've never had a problem doing it this way.

I used to brew primarily with Ozarka now I just use tap for everything, better mineral profile. I don't think it really matters for extract but I figure what the heck.

rcdirtbuggy said:

I use bottled spring water for my top off and I also use purified ice to cool my wort. Is adding ice to the wort bad?? I hear people say not to do it for sanitation reasons but i've never had a problem doing it this way.

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Depends on where you are getting the ice from. Ice from a store in a sealed bag? Iffy. Ice from your freezer? Not good, unless you froze it in a sanitized container.

rcdirtbuggy said:

I use bottled spring water for my top off and I also use purified ice to cool my wort. Is adding ice to the wort bad?? I hear people say not to do it for sanitation reasons but i've never had a problem doing it this way.

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Depends on where you are getting the ice from. Ice from a store in a sealed bag? Iffy. Ice from your freezer? Not good, unless you froze it in a sanitized container that is sealed.

I use spring water for my beer and top off as well with no problems thus far. Considering I haven't seen anyone cover this yet, you don't want to use distilled water for your beer. I can't remember exactly why (no minerals in it?), but I do know you shouldn't use it.

I used to use only spring water from the gallon jugs, the basic "store" or generic brand. Would boil 2-3 gallons and chill the rest. I then stopped doing that and just used regular tap water, not boiled, to fill the rest of the batch after cooling the wort. Usually about 2 or 3 gallons. Beer has always been fine and I haven't had any bad batches.

I have really only had 2 bad batches. One was because of old yeast and I repitched a week later with good yeast and it all worked out. The other was because I used distilled water.

Distilled water should never be used. The lack of minerals that are have been removed make all the difference in the world. Your wort will simply not ferment and the whole batch will have to be thrown out. Never used Distilled. Only use "spring" or "drinking" water from the bottles at the store if you still want to use the bottled water way.

Mr. Mojo Rising said:

3 very different answers so far. I know that certain state laws allow the bottling of tap water for resale as "Bottled Water" This is virtually the same thing I am doing now. I would like to be able to verify the filter process somehow. A PUR filter is a good idea.

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Forget using bottled water. The cost over even a modderate amount of time is significant and the cost over the longer term is ridiculous. Combine this with the fact that unless you know someone who knows someone in the water company you are not going to be able to get a complete water profile.
With this in mind I bought a good quality filter and haven't looked back. This way I can get a water profile from the city council and filter it. I then have the softist water posible. Then all it needs is to have the right mix of additives to suite the style of beer.

I went and bought a two bottles of good ol' Hinkley Springs, 2.6 gal. for my Clapton and Cream Ale I brewed Friday night. I have had poor attenuation so I switched up the yeast, aeration, and water on this batch. Needless to say, I am glad I had the blow tube handy.

I think the dissolved oxygen in tap or bottled is reason enough to use when doing an extract. I used HB Bill's method of adding my LME post boil and everything is good with the world so far on this batch. I am going to stick with the bottled water just because I am lazy and don't mind the cost really.

Thanks for all the input.

if distilled is so bad for fermentation i must have been dreamin when i was cleanin up my last hefe blow off. i use ro filtered and distilled water from walmart and have'nt had a problem yet with off tastes from lack of minerals

I also use bottled store bought RO water for my top off when I make an extract and I don't boil the bottled water.

Don said:

I also use bottled store bought RO water for my top off when I make an extract and I don't boil the bottled water.

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I highly recommend obtaining a water profile from the bottled water company. Chances are if they are distilling the water there are bugger all minerals and other nessisary elements left in the water. The only thing water that soft would be suitable for is Pilsners. I would reconcider the use of bottled water as a "better" alturnative to tap, on the grounds that you don't know what is in it. It might be perfectly suited to some styles but completely inappropriate for others.

distilling is defined as evaporating and then recondensing water how are any minerals getting in there they don't evaporate with the water hence ph. would be at dead even or 7 so it can't be soft or hard

eriklupust said:

distilling is defined as evaporating and then recondensing water how are any minerals getting in there they don't evaporate with the water hence ph. would be at dead even or 7 so it can't be soft or hard

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My point is you don't know the profile of the water in the first place. There is much more to a water profile than a ph reading. Infact ph is just one concideration of many when assesing a waters suitability for any given style. Might be worth your while looking into.
A starting point might be http://www.watershed.net/mineral.htm

You need to find out what syles are suited to this particular water profile.

Blaine said:

My point is you don't know the profile of the water in the first place. There is much more to a water profile than a ph reading. Infact ph is just one concideration of many when assesing a waters suitability for any given style. Might be worth your while looking into.

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there is no profile to worry about with distilled water. the process removes any and all chemicals and minerals from water when combined with ro beforehand

eriklupust said:

there is no profile to worry about with distilled water. the process removes any and all chemicals and minerals from water when combined with ro beforehand

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My point exactly!!! Some styles require higher levels of calcium ect. Therefore if the distilling removes all the minerals, as you pointed out, then it is going to be inappropriate for some styles.
Good luck