Snow for brew water...

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WhatsOnTap

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I've been thinking a lot about melting down some snow and using it as water for a brew. Before anybody thinks I'm nutzos let me explain: I've heard it said that snow is "poor man's fertilizer" which leads me to believe it has some nutrients in it that might make the yeast go bonkers. Also, it seems to me snow would be naturally soft (no calcium), right? I know it might be a colossal pain in the rear to get enough snow water melted and sterile, but might as well use the dang stuff if it's laying around. Might just be a killer ingredient for a winter brew, sort of like a tradition. What do you think?

WOT
 
Don't brew with snow. You never know where it's been. It may not have much in the way of calcium, but if you're anywhere near a settlement it will almost certainly contain sulphur compounds, lead and other nasties. "Killer ingredient" might actually turn out to be an adequate term...
 
Yellow snow. More nutrients. Hmmmmmm..... Is this beer salty or is it the pretzels LOL :tank: I think the snow up here in the great white north should be fairly clean, though you never know. I suppose the only way to find out is to get it tested. Good point.
 
WhatsOnTap said:
Yellow snow. More nutrients. Hmmmmmm..... Is this beer salty or is it the pretzels LOL :tank: I think the snow up here in the great white north should be fairly clean, though you never know. I suppose the only way to find out is to get it tested. Good point.
Click to expand...

Just because the snow fell in the great white north doesn't mean it wasn't formed from moisture that originally came from the hudson river or (even worse) lake erie.

I wouldn't use snow unless it came from antarctica.

-walker
 
Walker said:
Just because the snow fell moisture that originally came from the hudson river or (even worse)

I wouldn't use snow unless it came from antarctica.

-walker
Click to expand...


as long as theres no dead chicken heads from china in it i wouldnt worry about using snow. Im pretty sure dead jockeys in oil drums dont evaporate either ,ive never heard of anyone getting sick from eating snow? ((and i grew up in jersey eating alot of snow, usually not on my own accord))i would use new snow of course, from an upper layer, (you dont want any ground material in it where botulism clostridium endospores are found) other than that i wouldnt worry, your boiling it anyway so save for trace elements like lead, which are found in tap water as well, theres nothing in ther that poses danger...
 
I dont think I would use snow either. With all the pollution and dust etc in the clouds who knows what is going to be in it. Also from all the road salt, dirt and everything outside it may be tough to get enough clean snow unless you are catching it as its falling in which case you would need a really really big bucket to get anywhere near 5 gallons of water.
I guess, in theory, it could work but doesnt seem worth the chance to me.
 
'Course I could brew up a batch and test it out at my brothers wedding on people I don't like, he he he :D If they develop a twitch or turn green and need a liver transplant I'll know not to drink it! Seriously, though we get a lot of "lake effect" snow up here, meaning it comes from Lake Michigan, and I've drank plenty of that water and ate lots of the fish out of there too <twitch, twitch, drool> :cross: so I don't think it will be too big of an issue if we get some lake effect, but I know what you mean about Lake Erie, Walker :drunk:
 
Snow is unsuitable for brewing as much as rainwater is. Due to airpollution (for example acid rain)

...Rainwater should be the purest natural source of water, but because it assimilates atmospheric gases and organic mineral particles whereever the air is the least bit polluted, most rainwater is abselutely unsuitable for use in brewing. ...
Noonan - New brewing Lager Beer.

Kai
 
WhatsOnTap said:
I know what you mean about Lake Erie, Walker :drunk:
Click to expand...

I remember once when the Ohio River caught on fire near Cincinnati.

Yeah, that's right... the WATER was on FIRE.

-walker
 
I seriously doubt that snow is any worse than well water. I'd try it, but it hasn't snowed in San Diego since 1968. And it didn't stick then.
 
WhatsOnTap said:
I've been thinking a lot about melting down some snow and using it as water for a brew. Before anybody thinks I'm nutzos let me explain: I've heard it said that snow is "poor man's fertilizer" which leads me to believe it has some nutrients in it that might make the yeast go bonkers. Also, it seems to me snow would be naturally soft (no calcium), right? I know it might be a colossal pain in the rear to get enough snow water melted and sterile, but might as well use the dang stuff if it's laying around. Might just be a killer ingredient for a winter brew, sort of like a tradition. What do you think?

WOT
Click to expand...

Umm.... sure.... come around my place... between my dog and 4 others I'm sure we can give you a lot of nutrients in your snow.....:D I wouldn't go there really.
 
Assuming there are no pestcides, heavy metals and other cack in the ground well water will be great for brewing as it will have been naturaly filtered through layers of rock.
Snow on the other hand is a bit hit and miss as the ice crystals are formed by supercooled water vapour freezing on condensation nuclei which could be any old c£ap that is floating in the atmosphere so it doesnt really matter where it was formed even. It could contain anything from volcanic ash to carbonised skin cells from the chimney of a crematorium, it all depends which way and for how long the wind has been blowing.
 
I don't think that anything in the snow would hurt you. But I would definitely melt down a glass of it and just drink it to see if it tasted good. I remember eating lots of snow as a kid and it didn't taste bad but it definitely had a hint of flavor to it (due to above mentioned air pollutants, I'm sure) that isn't found in cleaner water sources. Just taste it man . . .

AHU
 
I was gonna try it until the thought of dead skin cells and crematorium ash came up...BARF!!
 
I'm not sure, but tonight's snow is a Alberta Clipper coming down from up north along with a bit of "lake effect", should drop 6-10" of fresh snow tonight. Might give you the best opportunity to try it out. The snow seems to be orgininating somewhere in Canada.....so why not? Throw some in a bucket and give a good look. At least that's what the forcast is for us on the "sunrise side"
 
Dat's why the Canadiens make such good beer, eh? I found dere secret! We're supposed to get some snow tonight too. Might have to just scoop some of that arctic beer making fluffiness and give it a rip! Hold down the East side for us :rockin:
 
WhatsOnTap said:
Dat's why the Canadiens make such good beer, eh? I found dere secret! We're supposed to get some snow tonight too. Might have to just scoop some of that arctic beer making fluffiness and give it a rip! Hold down the East side for us :rockin:
Click to expand...

Then you should try some of this..
Last year was a poor year for icebergs around here but one did come up our bay and was grounded. A local company that makes iceberg vodga had a ship harvest the ice and land it here to be shipped to the distillery.I managed to get enough iceberg ice to make a 23 litre brew with. Yummy, can anyone say iceberg pilsener. Sadly it is gone but if chance permits another berg gets within my grasp then I'll make another and try to save a few to age a little.
 

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