Bought the wrong water Distilled with minerals added for taste

[jturman35]

I am wondering if anyone has used Parents Choice Distilled water with minerals added for taste? I picked this up at Walmart thinking it was plain distilled then i noticed after i got home it has minerals added for taste. It is actually water for mixing baby formula, probably won't work for adding salts as i do not know what's in it. I'm sure it is fine for using without adding salts but i like building up my own water profile for my NEIPA's.

For some reason Walmart quit carrying distilled water in one gallon jugs.

 

[z-bob]

You probably looked in the wrong aisle. Does it say what minerals? Let's see if I can find something...

Parent’s Choice Water Test | Bottled Water Tests - TestAqua.com

TDS of 10 is pretty low, isn't it? And not enough bicarbonate to raise the pH. I think you can probably ignore the minerals. HTH

 

[Albany brew guy]

Pretend it is regular distilled water and forge ahead. Doubt it will be a difference you can taste

 

[jturman35]

Thanks for the help guys! I just know in the past I have always heard of you don’t know what you are starting with don’t treat it. I’m brewing an IPA and really want to focus on the water.

 

[marc1]

Thanks for the help guys! I just know in the past I have always heard of you don’t know what you are starting with don’t treat it. I’m brewing an IPA and really want to focus on the water.

If you don't trust the linked water test you can test it yourself.

Do you have a cheap TDS meter? Give it a quick check. If it's low you can treat it the same as regular distilled. Small differences from zero in mineral levels won't make a noticeable difference in your beer.

 

[Jim R]

Agree with getting a cheap TDS meter (amazon, etc.). I wouldn't trust any bottled water without checking it with a meter to confirm low mineral content. You can't do good water management without reliably knowing what you are starting with. You will also probably find a good source of RO water that is cheaper than distilled water. I buy 5 gal jugs at the big box hardware store for practically nothing.

 

[IslandLizard]

Agree with getting a cheap TDS meter (amazon, etc.). I wouldn't trust any bottled water without checking it with a meter to confirm low mineral content. You can't do good water management without reliably knowing what you are starting with. You will also probably find a good source of RO water that is cheaper than distilled water. I buy 5 gal jugs at the big box hardware store for practically nothing.

That! ^

Some Walmarts, [ADDED] supermarkets, even Hardware stores have RO machines, fill your own jugs. 39 cents a gallon at the Walmart, last time I got some.
Use that TDS meter before you fill, to make sure the RO filter is working as it should. Anything under 10-20 TDS is still darn close to mineral free.

 

[crazyjake19]

Both Walmart stores local to me still carry distilled water in 1 gallon jugs, they're in the aisle with the bottled water.

 

[Buckeye_Hydro]

FYI - This is what you'll find in my tool box: TDS3 Handheld Meter - Buckeye Hydro
It's on sale.
Russ