Used distilled water, need advice

Gang,

I attempted my first brew last night. A friend recommended I use distilled water: obviously I should have done more reading before taking his advice.

Anyway, I did not realize until this morning that using distilled water was a bad idea. My brew is already in the bucket.

Is the batch ruined? Is there anything I can do?

This is the recipe I followed:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/delerium-tremens-clone-6963/

My OG was 1.086, and the output volume is 3.5gal (I started with 5.2 gallons of distilled water).

Thanks in advance.

Using distilled in an extract batch is not the end of the world. Distilled water has all of the minerals stripped out of if that the yeast need to do their job, but there's most likely enough minerals coming from the extract that you'll be fine. Probably will not taste exactly like it was intended to, but it won't ruin it.

aubrey said:

Using distilled in an extract batch is not the end of the world. Distilled water has all of the minerals stripped out of if that the yeast need to do their job, but there's most likely enough minerals coming from the extract that you'll be fine. Probably will not taste exactly like it was intended to, but it won't ruin it.

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Yeah, I think all grain brewing is where its best to avoid distilled water. I think its the conversion of the grains that requires more than just distilled water. Extract brewing shouldn't have the same issue as conversion is already done.

Thank you for the replies!

This was an all-grain brew: I will keep my fingers crossed that it comes out okay.

when making an extract only batch, not partial mash, it is fine to ise a distilled or RO water. the extract already has all the minerals and such from the water it was mashed in to make it for the batch.

you can also use RO or distilled water in all grain or partial mash batches but you need to amend the water with some type of minerals or 5.2 buffer.

What those guys said, get a copy of Palmers Mash RA version 2, and it will go along way in telling you what and how much to add to you water. I have it, but have no clue how to attach something here, but I could email it.

You're fine, But by the way....I notice by your use of the words "ruin your beer" that you have a typical new brewer fear that your beer is somehow weak, like a new born baby..and will be ruined or die of you look at it wrong...I want to put it into perspective for you, and save you a lot of new bewer nerves...

Beer has been made for over 5,000 years in some horrific conditions, and still it managed to survive and be popular....It was even made before Louis Pasteur understood germ theory....

If beer turned out bad back then more than it turned out good..then beer would have gone the way of the dodo bird, New Coke, or Pepsi Clear...

It is very very very hard to ruin your beer....it surprises us and manages to survive despite what we do to it...

I want you to read these threads and see..

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/wh...where-your-beer-still-turned-out-great-96780/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/has-anyone-ever-messed-up-batch-96644/

ANd this thread to show you how often even a beer we thnk is ruined, ends up being the best beer you ever made, if you have patience....
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/ne...virtue-time-heals-all-things-even-beer-73254/

There is a saying we have in the homebrewing community...RDWHAHB...make that your mantra and you will be a successful homebrewer...


Oh this thread is really good too...if you adopt the mindset in here you will do well...https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/youre-no-longer-n00b-when-24540/

Revvy, I really appreciate the piece of mind! You nailed it exactly. I just cracked a cold one and am going to relax while I read the threads you provided.

Cheers all!

Hmmm this gets me thinking... Since malt extracts are dried mash runoff, wouldn't you be getting all the dissolved solids ("hardness", etc) from the manufacturer's mash water, along with the minerals in your own boil water? depending on the makeup of the extract, this could be a reason extract beers often have "that twang" that is not present in an all grain beer.

I would expect that extract makers use pretty neutrally balanced water so that you don't get a lot of extras coming along with the extract.

how about spring water? would that be the perferred method? here in florida, the tap water has so much chlorine in it, its like drinking out of a pool, so for my current batch, i boiled and then chilled tap water. it was quite a pain, would spring water bypass the hours i spent boiling and refridgerating?

I think I would recommend distilled water for extract brew. As mentioned all the minerals from the water are already in the extract. I would suggest adding some yeast nutrient in the last 5 min of the boil too.

PintOfBitter said:

depending on the makeup of the extract, this could be a reason extract beers often have "that twang" that is not present in an all grain beer.

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many of us believe that extract twang is another one of those brewing boogeyman....it's usually simply that the brewer is drinking green beer, but has heard of the "dreaded twang" and is noobishly mis-self-diagnosing his young beer, and perpetuating this old chestnut.

Nowadays, if you are buying your ingredients online or from a high turnover store, you are pretty much getting really fresh malt and high quality ingredients, and if you are doing things like late extract additions, and also leaving you beer in primary for 2-4 weeks rater than rushing it off the yeast, so the they can clean up after themselves, you really aren't getting bad beer....just really young beer...

THough I really like this definition...

CiscoKid said:

Define "Extract Twang" slang
1) Term used by EAC all-grain brewers who feel that if you're not making all-grain you're not actually making beer. These are likely the same people who tell you that if it isn't a manual transmission car you're not really driving; you're just steering.

2) Excuse made by extract brewers for some flaw in their process that led to off-flavors.

3) Boogeyman (see also autolysis) that extract brewers are afraid of and attribute to the taste of their still green beers.

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I talk about that in this blog, somewhat....http://blogs.homebrewtalk.com/Revvy/Why_cant_we_all_get_along/