newb question, topping off the fermenter

I'm hoping to get a batch started today. Here is my question:

After siphoning the wort into the fermenter I need to top it off with water to get to the 5 gallon mark...I will be using some bottled spring water from the store. Do I need to boil this spring water first? Or can I just pour it out straight from the gallon containers?

burnsy1 said:

I'm hoping to get a batch started today. Here is my question:

After siphoning the wort into the fermenter I need to top it off with water to get to the 5 gallon mark...I will be using some bottled spring water from the store. Do I need to boil this spring water first? Or can I just pour it out straight from the gallon containers?

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Be careful with the order of your methods. If your wort is still warm or hot and you pour it in your carboy and then top off with water, the hot or warm wort could crack your fermenter.

I use cold tap water and just pour it in my sanitized fermenter first and then pour in my hot wort. I'm not sure about spring water.

I use reverse-osmosis water from the store to top up. I siphon all of the chilled wort into the fermenter first, then top up to the 5.5 gallon mark. I go over 5 gallons so I end up with at least 5 gallons when it's done; the recipes I make take this into consideration.

I don't boil the bottled water, I just pour it straight in. It's supposedly guaranteed to be bacteria-free.

I do what Orpheus does. - well somewhat

I use wal-mart bottled spring water. Add about two gallons to the fermenter, add the warm wort, top off with more bottled water.

I do not boil the bottled water. Its good to go as is... You might pour yourself a shot glass to make sure it tastes good. You should be ok with it is right out of the bottle.

I firmly believe this water is what make my beer super-clear. Is a less than 180TDS. Its much cleaner than my tap water at 320.

I would never use reverse osmosis water. As least not from what I get at work. Its only 25PPM TDS. Its too pure for brewing. Most brewing books don't recomend it unless you are doing AG and want to hit a certain mineral content with additives.

TDS - Total Dissolved Solids
PPM - Parts Per Million

Schlenkerla said:

I use wal-mart bottled spring water...

...I firmly believe this water is what make my beer super-clear. Is a less than 180TDS. Its much cleaner than my tap water at 320.

I would never use reverse osmosis water. As least not from what I get at work. Its only 25PPM TDS. Its too pure for brewing. Most brewing books don't recomend it unless you are doing AG and want to hit a certain mineral content with additives.

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I am curious if you you have ever considered 'splitting the difference' between your tap water and RO water? Mixing the two would get you close to the same TDS as the spring water. But maybe it is not worth the hassle.

FlyGuy said:

I am curious if you you have ever considered 'splitting the difference' between your tap water and RO water? Mixing the two would get you close to the same TDS as the spring water. But maybe it is not worth the hassle.

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No I haven't. I borrowed my water meter at work to measure the water here along time ago. I work at a factory so I'd have to transport water back and forth to bring RO water into the house.

I recently got a local water report and my water is similar to London, so its ideal for ales. Not so much for pilsners and some lagers.

Fiddling around with the water is some what a pain. I'm not a purist so I don't feel the water has to be exact to match the style.

I do know that if the water is too pure the yeast won't have all the nutrients it needs to work well. I think this applies more to AG though.

I like the wal-mart water. Per the label: Its carbon filtered, UV treated, micro-filtered and ozonated. Its very clean and highly filtered. ~$0.58 per gal. About two weeks ago we got some bad stuff. Tasted like plastic. Did some reading phenols leave a plastic tastes behind. Found out this can be from bleach.

99% of the tiem it works out very good for me.

I also use bottled water and just pour it into the fermenter to top up after adding my cooled wort.

Thanks for all the replies, I am using a wort chiller but I think ill go ahead and add some water to the fermenter before adding the wort as suggested.

I top up with unboiled RO water, but the rest of the brewing water is boiled tap water. (Or at least it's boiled by the time it hits the fermenter.)