Uhh guys, oxygenation is a crucial part of the first phase of fermentation. Why do you thing we sometimes use a bottle of oxygen and a fancy pants oxygen stone to bubble oxygen thru the brew? Yeast need oxygen to replicate. Yeast growth is an aerobic process, the problem with oxygen in the fermentation is that it leads to oxydized flavors. It would be virtually impossible to put to much oxygen into you wort, especially just sloshing around 21% air on the surface of a fermentation vessel. Taking yourwort for a ride is actually good for it.
The is a theoretical debate about when is it beer and when can you get in trouble for driving around with 5 gallons of open beer in your car. If you don't add yeast it ain't beer. If you do add yeast it might be able to be called beer but there is no measurable amount of alcohol in it in the first few hours. Kaiser won't add theyeast to his wort till he gets home because of this. Me, I say damn the torpedoes and toss it in when I get to temp and buckle the fermenting vessel in tight.
And yes, I use the tap water here. It is a little hard, I've never gone to the bother of going down to the water department in town to see what the chemistry is but it makes great porters and stouts, real freaking good pale ales, and pretty good pilsners. I don't do any adjustments at all.
I use it straight from the tap. I have a splitter on the hose bib so we can have 2 hoses running at once, and if Jay brings a 4 way then we have a ton of options.
PTN