water hardness

Hi,
I'm not sure how hard is the water in my town, but I would like to do some experiments with it. I would gamble its a shade harder then average.
1. what can I do to soften the water and what styles is it good for?
3. Can I use mineral water ? what styles is it good for?

thanks a lot!

BTW, I'm not in the USA (very expensive shipment), and have no water treatment product in my HBS

The easiest way to soften water is to just mix it with distilled or RO water. Where are you at? I'm sure there may be someone on this board that is near that can tell you experience with the water. The first rule is if it's drinkable, it's probably fine to brew with. With hard water it may be harder to brew lighter colored styles, but I wouldn't let that stop you yet. Get a copy of the local water report. Your city water information might even be available on a city website.

does anybody have experience using mineral water?

ohad said:

does anybody have experience using mineral water?

Click to expand...

Again, it's use is largely dependent on the chemical composition of the water and the style for which you intend to make. Most bottling companies have chemical analysis on their websites.

If you want more specific responses, you'll have to provide more specific information.

I have done a lot of playing with water profiles lately and it can get quite complicated. +1 on contact your city/localwater provider. They should give you a detailed water report for free. Post it on here, especially the values for:

Ca
Mg
Na
Cl
SO4
Bicarb

With those, some of us can give you much better answers.

Mineral water will be too hard for most, if not all, styles.