Best beer I ever made due to 1 variable

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Unibrow

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I've done about 40 batches in 1.5 years so far, since starting this hobby/obsession. I've tried MANY different set ups: extract only, partial mash, all grain, fruit additions, dry hopping, full boil, partial boil, brew kits, home made recipes, big yeast starters, light beer, dark beer and everything in between.

Most of my beers ended up with decent results...some were very good and others were sub par. But I finally isolated the 1 variable that elevated home brew from good to outstanding: using only store-bought spring/distilled water

We actually have great tap water here in Cleveland - but when I made a Brewers Best English Brown Ale kit using only spring water during the grain steep/boil, and topped off with distilled water, it came out like the most amazing Newcastle/Bass style beer I've ever tried.

Of course, you need to have pristine sanitation + good yeast temps + patience...but the entire game changed when I used no tap water, and only bottled water. Even though it adds an extra $5-$7 to every batch, I think I'll do this from now because it made all the difference in taste. Just my experience so far.
 
Just to provide a counterpoint, I love the beer that my tap water makes and wouldn't dream of buying water. YMMV.

Congratulations on an outstanding brew!
 
Right! That's the beauty of this hobby - different methods can easily yield different results. So tap water may be better than spring/distilled in some cases.

I wanted to share my epiphany just in case another home brewer is out there saying "I'm doing everything right, and it's still not perfect yet...what else can I try?"

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Did you have your water tested? Does your tap water have chloramine or chlorine? Just curious as to what the difference could be. I have pretty hard water where I live and plan on diluting it with my RO and treating it for Chloramine.
 
I used bottled water for years and in the last 12 months or so, after speaking with my water company (who have 2 homebrewers working there) I switched to tap water. I do fill my pot the night before I brew as a precaution and sometimes use campden tablets but I cannot tell the slightest bit of difference. My mates love my beer and sometimes brew themselves and sometimes say they don't know what I do to make such good beer. FWIW, theirs is excellent to me as well.

Do what works for you is the only advice I can give.
 
I've looked for a water report, but didn't get the details. I did, however, find the water report for Deer Park spring water and it falls within all the acceptable ranges.

Again, my tap water actually tastes good and works great for light beers...I made 4 dark beers that all came out bad, found out it was because the darker malts clashed with my water too much.
 
Try adding some gypsum to the boil next time you make a darker beer. I would recommend a tsp for 5 gallon batch.

I would also recommend some calcium if you are doing AG into the mash. I usually add 1 tsp of calcium chloride.
 
Distilled water just like RO water lacks some of the essential nutrients needed for good yeast health, flocculation, clarity of beer and many other important factors. Some styles (like Pilsner) will benefit from 100% RO/distilled when others will not. Its all depends on your water chemistry. Just plug your numbers in BrunWater and see where you need to be. I use 50% RO water in all my brews and add various amounts of lactic acid, CaCl2 or gypsum based on style I'm brewing. It is much better approach then just use plain distilled water.
 
Distilled water just like RO water lacks some of the essential nutrients needed for good yeast health, flocculation, clarity of beer and many other important factors. Some styles (like Pilsner) will benefit from 100% RO/distilled when others will not. Its all depends on your water chemistry. Just plug your numbers in BrunWater and see where you need to be. I use 50% RO water in all my brews and add various amounts of lactic acid, CaCl2 or gypsum based on style I'm brewing. It is much better approach then just use plain distilled water.

This is why I choose to steep/mash with spring water, and then top off with distilled. Healthy mix of both seems to cover all the bases.
 
This is why I choose to steep/mash with spring water, and then top off with distilled. Healthy mix of both seems to cover all the bases.

But without water report for your spring water you still have no idea how much Ca for example you have. This simple element have big impact on yeast health down the road. I used 100% RO water in past and made good beer with it. It was good but was lacking something, boring sort of speak and blunt in taste. That changed for better when I started to add minerals to brewing water and understand water chemistry a little better. BrunWater is great tool
 
OK, OK,

Let me add my 2 cents!

I live in an area which has terrible tasting tap water. I hate it. You can tell when it's simply tap water @ a restaurant & I refuse to drink it. There is no guess work. Good tasting water in our area is a luxury.

Now common sense dictates beer is 99% water. So. If you start with a better product, won't you end up with a much more superior product?

I use a reverse osmosis filter at home but it takes me a whole day before to fill up the 9 gallons for my brewing project the next day. But based on your suggestion, I'll try this bottled water next. Walmart sells a 5 gallon jug for $10. Includes the #2 plastic bottle. I'll never buy another Better Bottle again.

I know, I'm just a overzealous nerd.
 
OK, OK,

I use a reverse osmosis filter at home but it takes me a whole day before to fill up the 9 gallons for my brewing project the next day. But based on your suggestion, I'll try this bottled water next. Walmart sells a 5 gallon jug for $10. Includes the #2 plastic bottle. I'll never buy another Better Bottle again.

I usually buy 6 gallons to end up with 5 gallons in the bucket from the boil off. And just check to make sure if you're getting spring or distilled, cause there is a difference between the two.

My method has been mash/boil with mostly spring and top off with distilled.
 
I found that my water is great for stouts, but all of my other beers were not as great as they could be. I got a water report, then starting diluting my tap water with RO water.

The RO water worked so great that I finally bought my own RO system!
 
I found that my water is great for stouts, but all of my other beers were not as great as they could be. I got a water report, then starting diluting my tap water with RO water.

The RO water worked so great that I finally bought my own RO system!

That's weird because I'm the exact opposite - my water does wonders with light beers...but anytime I tried to make a darker beer (even with minimal amounts of roasted barley or dark malts) it was always below average, and sometimes even straight up bad.
 
That's weird because I'm the exact opposite - my water does wonders with light beers...but anytime I tried to make a darker beer (even with minimal amounts of roasted barley or dark malts) it was always below average, and sometimes even straight up bad.

I have alkaline water, with lots of bicarbonate. That's why my kolsch with my tap water is harsh, while my oatmeal stout is fantastic. By getting a water profile, now I'm able to mix my tap water with RO (or use all of one or the other, depending on what I'm making) and get the perfect mash pH.
 
If you can get out to White House Springs, you can get 10 gal (self fill) for a buck. They'll mail you a very detailed water report as well. Cleveland water is quite alkaline, but has been historically cited as good for amber/dark beers, not so much for lighter. I'm just beginning to delve the water minutiae, acidifying my sparge water is my next trial. Cleveland water must be OK, I'm sure Great Lakes doesn't buy their water.
 
Walmart sells a 5 gallon jug for $10. Includes the #2 plastic bottle. I'll never buy another Better Bottle again.

As long as it's really #2 plastic. Some of these water bottles are made of different plastic that's suitable for water and not much else.
 
If you can get out to White House Springs, you can get 10 gal (self fill) for a buck. They'll mail you a very detailed water report as well. Cleveland water is quite alkaline, but has been historically cited as good for amber/dark beers, not so much for lighter. I'm just beginning to delve the water minutiae, acidifying my sparge water is my next trial. Cleveland water must be OK, I'm sure Great Lakes doesn't buy their water.

Well,this makes me wonder what water I should use for my 1st partial mash kit I have lying in waiting? I'd like to get this cascade pale ale kit to come out great with this PM experiment.
 
I have very hard water and do the same thing. I use half distilled and half spring water. I do partial mashes and mash with the spring water and then add the distilled water to the boil. It does add a little money to the overall cost but considering what I have in equipment and the time and wait for a brew to be done I dont mind spending the extra 6 dollars.
 
I used to cut my tap water with 50% distilled water for $1.00 per gallon but recently switched to buying RO water from a vending machine at my grocery store for $0.25 per gallon. The only difference I can perceive is the price. YMMV.
 
I think the extra money for buying water is justified, as somebody else pointed out, beer is 98% water...would anybody want to use mediocre grains or hops or yeast? Our tap water is good, but it's not ideal, so I prefer to upgrade if I can
 
Well,this makes me wonder what water I should use for my 1st partial mash kit I have lying in waiting? I'd like to get this cascade pale ale kit to come out great with this PM experiment.

You're close enough to White House, take some jugs out there & fill em up! I'll try to dig up the water report I got from them & post it.
 
I have a water store near my house that sells RO for .40 per gallon. Lately I have just been using RO from my own system, usually taking a gallon or two per day to fill my (2) 5 gallon bottles. By brew day I have the 10 gallons I need without having to buy any. I use BeerSmith and treat the RO water to achieve the water profile I want for the particular style I am making.

For AG I always use some CaCl in the mash and always acidify my sparge water. Don't use Chalk (CaCO3) as the Calcium source because the bicarbonate ion will make the mash too alkaline. When I need to add MgSO4, CaCO3, NaHCO3 (baking soda), I add then to the boil kettle...only CaCl or CaSO4 (gypsum) go in the mash tun...and usually a little acid too to adjust pH to 5.2-5.4
 
But I finally isolated the 1 variable that elevated home brew from good to outstanding: using only store-bought spring/distilled water

I would respectfully amend your statement to say: Don't just assume your water is good. Understand brewing water chemistry enough to provide good water for your brew!

That may mean you can use your tap water, or buy water, or get an RO filtering setup, or whatever.

But don't just blow it off, or buy the "if your water tastes good it's good for brewing" advice. That's a recipe for possible disappointment and waste of good money and time. I made that mistake and ended up brewing way too much beer that just wasn't good due to astringency, aftertaste, etc. My water is chock full of minerals, but really isn't bad for drinking water, IMO.

So pay attention to your water first!
 
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