mjs483
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- Jan 2, 2008
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So recently (last 3 or 4 batches) I switched from using tap water to using distilled water. I'm brewing with extract and in Jamil's "Brewing Classic Styles" he says that you can "brew with confidence" using distilled water for extract based beers. The reason being that the extract already has all of the minerals and good stuff that good brewing water should have.
My results have been less than perfect. Most of the brews have turned out too sweet (even after substituting some corn sugar for a portion of the malt extract). I just couldn't figure out what was going wrong. I've been making yeast starters for all of my brews and using the "shake the hell out of the carboy" method for aeration.
Then finally last night it dawned on me. Distilled water probably has much less dissolved oxygen than tap water (maybe distilled has none). My guess is that using 100% distilled water probably drastically increased my need for a more sophisticated aeration method than shaking.
Does this theory sound correct to any of you guys?
I'm thinking maybe I should just go back to tap water or maybe do my extract boil with distilled and then top off the fermenter with tap water...
My results have been less than perfect. Most of the brews have turned out too sweet (even after substituting some corn sugar for a portion of the malt extract). I just couldn't figure out what was going wrong. I've been making yeast starters for all of my brews and using the "shake the hell out of the carboy" method for aeration.
Then finally last night it dawned on me. Distilled water probably has much less dissolved oxygen than tap water (maybe distilled has none). My guess is that using 100% distilled water probably drastically increased my need for a more sophisticated aeration method than shaking.
Does this theory sound correct to any of you guys?
I'm thinking maybe I should just go back to tap water or maybe do my extract boil with distilled and then top off the fermenter with tap water...