My predicament: right now, I brew using gallons of bottled spring water, which runs about a buck a gallon. For a full boil, that's over 7 bucks per batch.
My tap water at home, I run through a Brita filter before I drink it, but that may just be habit at this point, as I know some people in town drink it straight from the faucet. I have access to RO for about 50 cents a gallon.
Here's a local water report. It's a year old, from someone else who got the data (haven't had any luck past the 'confidence report') in my town, but it's a small enough town that I'd trust it.
Water Analysis
I.C. Tap Water
pH 8.9
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est. 17 Est. 170
Electrical Conductivity (mmho/cm) 0.28
Cations/Anions (me/L) 2.5
Cations/Anions (ppm) 2.4
Sodium (SO4-S) 12
Potassium (K) 3
Calcium (Ca) 18
Magnesium (Mg) 12
Total Harness (CaCO3) 95
Nitrate (NO3-N) 5.3
Sulfate (SO4-S) 12
Chloride (Cl) 23
Carbonate (CO3) 3
Bicarbonate (HCO3) 34
Total Alkalinity (CaCO3) 33
So what are my options here?
If I go with straight tap water, am I going to get beer that tastes like crap?
Filter through the brita before brewing?
Buy RO water and make additions on my own?
Continue to pay out the ass for spring water?
Which is the best option for return on investment? The easiest would seem, to me, to be to get a brita filter that hooks to my sink, and just load up empty gallon water bottles.
Brita obviously takes out the nasties that make it cruddy to drink, but does the Brita also take out the yummies that the yeast need to do their thing?
My tap water at home, I run through a Brita filter before I drink it, but that may just be habit at this point, as I know some people in town drink it straight from the faucet. I have access to RO for about 50 cents a gallon.
Here's a local water report. It's a year old, from someone else who got the data (haven't had any luck past the 'confidence report') in my town, but it's a small enough town that I'd trust it.
Water Analysis
I.C. Tap Water
pH 8.9
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est. 17 Est. 170
Electrical Conductivity (mmho/cm) 0.28
Cations/Anions (me/L) 2.5
Cations/Anions (ppm) 2.4
Sodium (SO4-S) 12
Potassium (K) 3
Calcium (Ca) 18
Magnesium (Mg) 12
Total Harness (CaCO3) 95
Nitrate (NO3-N) 5.3
Sulfate (SO4-S) 12
Chloride (Cl) 23
Carbonate (CO3) 3
Bicarbonate (HCO3) 34
Total Alkalinity (CaCO3) 33
So what are my options here?
If I go with straight tap water, am I going to get beer that tastes like crap?
Filter through the brita before brewing?
Buy RO water and make additions on my own?
Continue to pay out the ass for spring water?
Which is the best option for return on investment? The easiest would seem, to me, to be to get a brita filter that hooks to my sink, and just load up empty gallon water bottles.
Brita obviously takes out the nasties that make it cruddy to drink, but does the Brita also take out the yummies that the yeast need to do their thing?