5 Gallon Batches of custom Water from RO

[Wagon_6]

Hello! I’ve been promising SWMBO to put 5 gallon batches of homemade water on tap from RO. Any 5 gallon water chemistry recipes to build up from RO using our regular brewing salts?

Thanks!

 

[Jetpack_Maniac]

This is a copy-cat Topo Chico recipe I was given. It's on tap constantly and the most pulled thing in my keezer. I'm kicking multiple kegs a month and everyone likes it.

 

[day_trippr]

Wait.
Water?
On tap?
I feel like I have entered The Twilight Zone...

 

[Wagon_6]

View attachment 824196

This is a copy-cat Topo Chico recipe I was given. It's on tap constantly and the most pulled thing in my keezer. I'm kicking multiple kegs a month and everyone likes it.

Thanks!!

 

[Wagon_6]

Wait.
Water?
On tap?
I feel like I have entered The Twilight Zone...

Haha same here. But she has some chronic immune stuff going on so every little bit helps (i.e. skipping the tap water.)

 

[beren]

Are you looking for a carbonated water or still? The co2 will make the water slightly acidic and carbonated. You could use a pure nitrogen tank to push still water without affecting taste.

 

[Wagon_6]

I’ll try the easy route first and see how much CO2 serving pressure carbonates it.

 

[beren]

It’s very soluble. Here is the chart: https://www.brewingcalculators.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Forced-Carbonation-Chart-US-v3.png

 

[Jetpack_Maniac]

My posted recipe assumes carbonation, the chalk won't dissolve otherwise. I serve at 35 psi.

I can't imagine nitro water being interesting at all. I serve nitro cold brew and the nitro gives a nice feel to the coffee but I imagine it wouldn't to water compared to soda/seltzer.

 

[beren]

That's not what I said at all. You don't use a creamer tap you use a normal one. The goal would be to push water without carbonation or anything else, in that case.

 

[Jetpack_Maniac]

It wasn't meant to be, either. It'll accomplish exactly what you said, although I would say is impractical despite being possible. I run an RO system and don't drink tap. I fill up gallon carboys with some minerals and it accomplishes the same thing. I use to solid bung it but got some polyseal growler caps that fit and use those. It's a good solution and I would suggest trialing that before attempting nitro.

Bonus part of my system is it uses gusset and push-in fittings which are Duotight compatible, so I spliced in a T-fitting and made myself a keg filling station.

 

[Wagon_6]

My posted recipe assumes carbonation, the chalk won't dissolve otherwise. I serve at 35 psi.

I can't imagine nitro water being interesting at all. I serve nitro cold brew and the nitro gives a nice feel to the coffee but I imagine it wouldn't to water compared to soda/seltzer.

Confirming your recipe is for 5 gallons of RO water?

Why won’t the chalk dissolve without carbonation?

 

[day_trippr]

The water probably needs to be acidic to have a shot at dissolving chalk. CO2 can help with that...

Cheers!

 

[Jetpack_Maniac]

Confirming your recipe is for 5 gallons of RO water?

Why won’t the chalk dissolve without carbonation?

Yup, day_trippr got it. The RO water will have about perfectly neutral pH and the heavy handed chalk addition will not dissolve in it without a little help. The CO2 addition will drop pH and it will then dissolve. You can sometimes accidentally serve it too soon and notice a cloudy drink because the settled, undissolved minerals got picked up by the dip tube.

I use a carb stone lid for this to help it along.

 

[SkyPilot]

Wait.
Water?
On tap?
I feel like I have entered The Twilight Zone...

Interesting. We only drink RO water, and add nothing. I do sometimes carbonate with a bit lemon. Is there some advantage of adding minerals other than personal taste?

 

[Jetpack_Maniac]

It affects taste and helps maintain mineral balance in the body. RO strips out a lot and drinking a lot of it can lower some things (like magnesium and potassium) in over time if your diet is not balanced.

 

[SkyPilot]

It affects taste and helps maintain mineral balance in the body. RO strips out a lot and drinking a lot of it can lower some things (like magnesium and potassium) in over time if your diet is not balanced.

Ok. I guess i can see some logic. Thanks.

 

[whattabrau]

It’s very soluble. Here is the chart: https://www.brewingcalculators.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Forced-Carbonation-Chart-US-v3.png

Zahm-Nagel has a chart for water. It's not *that* different from beer (0.few volumes for usual values), but saves you from doing math if you're looking for numbers outside the beer chart.
https://www.zahmnagel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Volumes-of-CO²-Gas-Dissolved-in-Water.jpg

 

[BeerAndTele]

Wait.
Water?
On tap?
I feel like I have entered The Twilight Zone...

Dude ... my buddies and I were pounding that keg all night long. Man, it was awesome; we were soooo bloated!! We all drove ourselves home!

 

[JAReeves]

I used this website to change my RO water to a Pellegrino profile for the family.

https://khymos.org/2012/01/04/mineral-waters-a-la-carte/

 

[Wagon_6]

I used this website to change my RO water to a Pellegrino profile for the family.

https://khymos.org/2012/01/04/mineral-waters-a-la-carte/

Thanks! I’ll give it a shot.

 

[Wagon_6]

View attachment 824196

This is a copy-cat Topo Chico recipe I was given. It's on tap constantly and the most pulled thing in my keezer. I'm kicking multiple kegs a month and everyone likes it.

Dude. This stuff is amazing. It was hilarious last night watching 10 guys kill a water keg while playing poker!

 

[Bobby_M]

The drag is that you'll have to keep refilling the keg. You can send the RO into the gas post and serve out of the liquid and you don't need to even put CO2 on it. The RO pressure will serve it just fine. If you want seltzer, the best little gadget is the continuous seltzer lid which lets you plumb your RO output into the keg so it just keeps it filled to the top. If you want to add minerals back in with that type of system, you can install a remineralization module inline. I don't put supplements into mine, but I do take a calcium/magnesium/potassium supplement via pills daily.

 

[day_trippr]

https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...ring-gourmet-water-infused-minerals-101305174

 

[Yooper]

Wait.
Water?
On tap?
I feel like I have entered The Twilight Zone...

I’ll try the easy route first and see how much CO2 serving pressure carbonates it.

I like mine at 40 degrees and 30 psi, and I use 25' of 3/16" beer line to serve it (like soda or other highly carbed beverages).

Yup, day_trippr got it. The RO water will have about perfectly neutral pH and the heavy handed chalk addition will not dissolve in it without a little help. The CO2 addition will drop pH and it will then dissolve. You can sometimes accidentally serve it too soon and notice a cloudy drink because the settled, undissolved minerals got picked up by the dip tube.

I use a carb stone lid for this to help it along.

One thing that helps is I dissolve the baking soda in hot water first, just a little, and add that and it stays in suspension even though the chalk wants to fall out until it's carbonated.

 

[Jetpack_Maniac]

Good notes. I keep 2 kegs chills and carbed and alternate/refill as they kick. I also batch make the mineral salts and vac pack them into speed "packs". I'll tear one open, drop it in the keg, fill with RO, chill and carb so the time hasn't been an issue with me in particular.

 

[beren]

Interesting. We only drink RO water, and add nothing. I do sometimes carbonate with a bit lemon. Is there some advantage of adding minerals other than personal taste?

There’s no harm. If you don’t eat normal food your body might be low on minerals after a while but for almost everyone you’ll be fine. You lose far more minerals from sweating than tap water has in it.