Adding water after partial boil question.

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EzMak24

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If I am only able to do a partial boil and need to top it off after am I suppose to use boiled water or can I use water right from the tap?
 
you will get a lot of controversy about needing to boil tap water before using it in a partial boil.

Some people will say they have never boiled their tap water first and just used it straight from the faucet with no ill-effects.

Some will say that in order to make sure you have the best chances for a clean, infection free beer, you boil your water prior to using in a partial boil.

I, personally, have done both with no difference. It depends on how dirty your faucet head may be, water quality, and how anal you are.

*edit* like greg down there, i too have taken to bottled water when making my beer.
 
Boil the water first(2.5 gallons or how ever much you need) or get bottled water from the store, which is what i find easier, and its cheap.
 
I have always used water straight from the tap and have never had a problem.

One thing to watch is the temperature of your tap water. If it is too cold (as it is in some parts of the country), it can bring the overall temperature too low for pitching. If I do a 2.5 gal. partial boil, I usually let the wort get down to about 90 before adding 70* tap water to it. Just something to keep in mind.
 
As i said, i dont think there is a wrong way to do it unless your tap water is of REALLY low quality.
 
I use bottled water because I'm unsure of what's in my tap water (chloramines and such), plus I can put the bottles in the fridge and speed my wort cooling that way.
 
I know this is an old thread, but I have a related question...

Anyone boil a couple gallons of water 1-2 days in advance and keep it in the fridge (maybe in sterile milk jugs) to add to a partial wort boil to bring it up to full batch size?
 
I know this is an old thread, but I have a related question...

Anyone boil a couple gallons of water 1-2 days in advance and keep it in the fridge (maybe in sterile milk jugs) to add to a partial wort boil to bring it up to full batch size?

Should work fine. I buy gallon jugs of water for brewing and put the ones I top up with in the fridge so they're cold. Helps cut down my cooling times by a whole lot.
 
I buy two gallons from the store and put them in the fridge the night before brew day. After the boil I cool the wort to 75 degrees then add the chilled gallons of water which brings it down to 65 degrees, perfect for pitching.
 
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