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Choguy03

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Well, I just got the Water Quality Report for Chicago (from lake Michigan) in the mail for free! I'm pretty excited because I have seen talk of different amounts of certain elements. I'm not sure if it has all the necessary elements, but I am going to go into Promash and input what I have. I guess I will know if my water will give me satisfactory results when brewing.

Edit: Well, there is not Ca, Mg or HCO3. Oh well, maybe I will ask for a more detailed report.
 
I get Chicago water where I live, too. I don't trust it for brewing, with all of the chlorine, etc. added to it, not to mention the news reprts a couple of weeks ago about all of the trace elements of prescription meds that were recently found in tap water in the city. I use Ice Mountain spring water, instead.
 
I do have a Pur water filter on my tap, but I would have to look at the specs to see what kind of filtering it could do though for those kinds of things. I did use bottled water for my current batch though.
 
Sorry to bring this one back from the dead, but it’s of critical importance.

I’m using Lake Michigan water as well, although I’m sure different areas treat water differently. I’ve brewed a couple all-grain batches since I’ve been here in Libertyville (far north-northwest burbs) and both batches have turned out decent… but just a little ‘off’. Well balanced, and generally meeting the style profiles, but a little on the un-refreshing side.

At first I thought I was picking up some oxidation in my transfers to the secondary (both times I was using tubing with too large a diameter and my autosiphon was severely frothing the beer up on the way down to the secondary).

However, after offering samples of both beers to my resident expert at the local HB shop, he automatically identified a chemical/phenolic character. He seems to think that the water I’m using is too high in chlorine. Having given that a thought or two now, I’m prone to agree. We always filter our water, so I hardly ever taste the water from the tap, but after doing so just the other day, I think I can detect it. A slight but distinct pool’ish quality to it.

So, I’m hoping to open up this discussion:

1) Does anybody else live in my area and have you encountered the same issues?
2) What would people – of any location, race or gender – do about water with too much chlorine? Please don’t tell me I have to buy 8-10 gallons of distilled water for every batch I brew!!! NOOOOO!!!

I’ve got a 70 Shilling Scottish ale brewing under the stairs. For him, it’s probably already too late. I must bury my sorrow over that loss and turn my thoughts to future generations of beer.

For the children!!!

All good people, I implore you…. FOR THE CHILDREN!!!!
 
I live in the northern suburbs and I never use the tap water because it is ridiculously loaded with chlorine or chloramine (a harder to treat version of chlorine). It definitely tastes better after being filtered, but I'm not sure it's practical to try to collect 7-8 gallons of filtered water.

I use "drinking water" or "spring water," NOT distilled water, but only because I brew with grain. Distilled water has basically nothing in it, and will not produce a good yield for all-grain brewing, but will work fine for extract brewing.

I understand the desire to keep your costs down, but bottled water isn't that expensive - I pay $1.69 for 2.5 gallon jugs, and it always results in really delicious results. No water chemistry-based off-flavors at all.
 
All I can suggest is that you get a detailed water report and use campden tablets to get rid of the chloramine. If all you have is chlorine, leave the water out overnight in an open bucket.
 
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