Water Composition Question

Hi All:
I have a question on something I was thinking about. I have now read large portions of the on-line version of "How to Brew" just recently having read the sections on water composition and how it affects the styles you are brewing.
Mr Palmer specifically cites the brewing cities of Dublin and Pilsen as extremes in hard and soft water which affected their mashing techniques, and choices of beer style.
It occured to me that rather than trying to doctor the water that you have, couldn't you just buy (or manufacture) distilled water as a base, and then add the appropriate levels of minerals to make the ideal water base for the beer which you intend to brew.
Has any company ever created a mineral pack (to be added to distilled water) for brewing with this purpose in mind? Sounds like it could be an interesting possibility, and remove the water composition as a variable in AG brewing.
It would also be helpful to those who have very unfavorable conditions for one style or another and who don't want to play chemist for the water they have. It would be hard to balance water with existing minerals as one addition would throw something else off.
It may be that it would be cost prohibitive as well. Just one of those thoughts that drifts in your head. So I thought I'd ask.

Yeah that could be done but it's sort of re-inventing the wheel IMO. Most water can be manipulated with brewing salts or filtered or diluted or some combination of that to brew good beer. It's not the brain surgery that some posts seem to imply. Buying or making distilled water as a base is always an option for those with very unusual water but the added cost of buying your brewing water seems like too much of a burden for the typical cheapskate homebrewer.

I checked this out with my chemist, it can be done very cheap. Like smack packs, but minerals. It has to be aliquid addition to maintain chem suspention, and it must be used with PURE water. You would need to be able to get inexpensive acces to water thatmeasures 1 Megaohm or greater in purity, or a conductivity of les than 3 microseimen.

Thanx for the info. I realize it is overanalyzing and extra work and violates the KISS principle, but I still think that is interesting.
Get some high purity distilled water, and lets see, how about a stout today.
Bamm! Stout mineral pack in the water, perfect chemistry. Next day a true Pilsner, Bamm, Pilsner pack in the water, perfect chemistry.
So forgive me for asking, but why does a brewer named Hillbilly have a chemist.

MoreBeer apparently USED to do this.
Instant Water - Burton on Trent | MoreBeer

I do it all the time. Well, not a completely blank slate like 100% distilled. I have a profile for my tap water based on a water analysis. I then use a free piece of software that I found on the web for creating specific water profiles. You first input your tap water profile then you input your desired profile and it tells you how much of each ion (calcium, magnesium, sodium, chloride, etc.), you need to add, and/or how much distilled water to add to reach the desired profile.

<hmmmm....wondering what a beer made from heavy water used in nuclear production would taste like>

avi8tor said:

<hmmmm....wondering what a beer made from heavy water used in nuclear production would taste like>

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Mmmmm, deuterium pale ale...probably be the bomb.

Interestingly this is apparently already done by some. I caught most of HBT member The Pol's brewing webcast on Saturday and he began with all distilled water and built his water profile with salts.

Zen_Brew said:

Thanx for the info. I realize it is overanalyzing and extra work and violates the KISS principle, but I still think that is interesting.
Get some high purity distilled water, and lets see, how about a stout today.
Bamm! Stout mineral pack in the water, perfect chemistry. Next day a true Pilsner, Bamm, Pilsner pack in the water, perfect chemistry.
So forgive me for asking, but why does a brewer named Hillbilly have a chemist.

Click to expand...

Its a long story really but i work for a large conglomerate company that has a process that requires medical grade water(160,000 gal a day). I am responsible for water quality among other things, so i have chemist. By our estimate we can do what you are implying for about 2 bucks for a 5 gallon batch including water, but it will require a electrodeionization unit. Now thats cost to make, ROI depends on sales, and at a 1.5 markup if we move 10,000 units the rig pays for itself in 1 year. Anyone want perfect water for their brew for about 5 bucks a batch?