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Good question. Hitz87 you definitely need to get rid of any chlorine or chloramine's in your water if you aren't doing so already.
Beer is not very good.
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Good question. Hitz87 you definitely need to get rid of any chlorine or chloramine's in your water if you aren't doing so already.
I have been just using tap i do have a carbon filter but haven't used it much since it is much slower. The filter prolly needs to be changed too. Maybe ill change it and try that too. I have heard people get ro water from the grocery would that be a good way to do it or is that going to make much difference?
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Now that i think about it the beers i have brewed the last 3'times have not been very good tasting but before that they were pretty decent i think i was using my filtered water before that.
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Yes reverse osmosis water can be used. You need to read up in here (I posted it earlier) https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/brewing-water-chemistry-primer-198460/ and at least have a basic understanding in order to do so though. The purchase of a good ph meter is also pretty much a must but that is a whole other topic.
I will not sit here and tell you I think you need to go back and brew an extract batch first as that would make me a hypocrite since I started out brewing all grain without ever brewing a single batch of extract or partial mash. You can do this but you need to slow down and utilize this forum more. A lot of your questions in here would be answered if you would just take the time and read.
People use RO water in all grain when they want/need to start with a clean slate for brewing. Certain things would need to be added into the RO water to get the correct water chemistry for mashing.
If you want to dive into the complexity of water chemistry there's plenty of info on here and free water calculators, but I think store bought spring water will serve your purpose just fine for now.
If you want to dive into the complexity of water chemistry there's plenty of info on here and free water calculators, but I think store bought spring water will serve your purpose just fine for now.
Ok well i did one kit brew and 7 or 8 brews allgrain using beersmith with half of them turning out decent for only doing it for 8 months. So with the more recent ones not turning out great and using nearly the exact same processes and carbonation method i am just confused i have read many articles on many subjects but as we all know experienced advice is great. For instance i was concerned about the break going into the fermentor causing off flavors, but then you have people say that some goes in and their beer is fine so i just wanted to have some guidance to find why my more recent beers have been sorta flat and off on flavor than the earlier ones. I appriciate the advice.
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![Craft A Brew - Safale S-04 Dry Yeast - Fermentis - English Ale Dry Yeast - For English and American Ales and Hard Apple Ciders - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [1 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41fVGNh6JfL._SL500_.jpg)
By all means this is the place to ask questions, that being said I have found if I Google a question like this "homebrewtalk can I use reverse osmosis water for all grain" I can usually find an answer to my question.
Good luck with your brewing
It depends on your grain bill.
Research this Bru'n Water Walkthrough: http://youtu.be/WMTA_VmqhbQ
https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/
Gameface
Well-Known Member
You basement is at about 68*?
You have the ability to control fermentation temps in a fridge but don't use it for ales?
IMHO 68* actual wort temp is on the high side. I prefer low 60s. If 68* is your ambient temp and you're pitching at 80* your wort isn't going to get anywhere near 70* until fermentation has stopped.
Pitching hot is a bad practice. Even though there aren't a lot of visible signs of fermentation right away there is a lot going on from the moment you pitch. Yeast going into a 80* fermentor are going to be overactive. The high activity level creates above average heat from fermentation, which will keep your wort temp higher than it would have been had fermentation started at a lower temp. It's like an exothermic feedback loop.
You have the ability to control fermentation temps in a fridge but don't use it for ales?
IMHO 68* actual wort temp is on the high side. I prefer low 60s. If 68* is your ambient temp and you're pitching at 80* your wort isn't going to get anywhere near 70* until fermentation has stopped.
Pitching hot is a bad practice. Even though there aren't a lot of visible signs of fermentation right away there is a lot going on from the moment you pitch. Yeast going into a 80* fermentor are going to be overactive. The high activity level creates above average heat from fermentation, which will keep your wort temp higher than it would have been had fermentation started at a lower temp. It's like an exothermic feedback loop.
Ok, here's a few things:
1. If you're at all inclined to DIY, but an STC-1000 temp controller. I just built one for my fridge, and it's awesome. The two batches I've done since are already looking and tasting better than anything I've done before.
2. RO water is perfect for all grain batches. I only use RO, but that's because I'm on a well, and the water profile is not all that great. Read the above links. Lots and lots of good info. But for me, I add 1 tsp or CaCl and 1 tsp of gypsum for my batches (mostly IPAs).
3. How is your cleaning and sanitation procedures? I find it odd that your beers have steadily declined since your first few... I replace any tubing that begins to show signs of age. Usually every few months if it's getting a lot of use. What kind of racking cane are you using? The plastic ones get stressed and scratched, the auto-siphons are impossible to really clean, and the stainless ones are easy to miss bits of funk in. Are you using a plastic fermentation bucket? Maybe it got scratched and there's some nasties hiding in there.
I had a couple of batches go south because of some older equipment that wouldn't get clean enough (even with star-san), and since then, I make sure everything is tip top.
Good luck!
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1. If you're at all inclined to DIY, but an STC-1000 temp controller. I just built one for my fridge, and it's awesome. The two batches I've done since are already looking and tasting better than anything I've done before.
2. RO water is perfect for all grain batches. I only use RO, but that's because I'm on a well, and the water profile is not all that great. Read the above links. Lots and lots of good info. But for me, I add 1 tsp or CaCl and 1 tsp of gypsum for my batches (mostly IPAs).
3. How is your cleaning and sanitation procedures? I find it odd that your beers have steadily declined since your first few... I replace any tubing that begins to show signs of age. Usually every few months if it's getting a lot of use. What kind of racking cane are you using? The plastic ones get stressed and scratched, the auto-siphons are impossible to really clean, and the stainless ones are easy to miss bits of funk in. Are you using a plastic fermentation bucket? Maybe it got scratched and there's some nasties hiding in there.
I had a couple of batches go south because of some older equipment that wouldn't get clean enough (even with star-san), and since then, I make sure everything is tip top.
Good luck!
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I use star san for everything that i use after the boil i usually fill my plastic fermentor bucket up with star san and put my racking cane and any hoses and airlocks in the bucket and it sits for about 4 hrs till i need them i always pump,solution through the racking cane and auto siphon before i use them.. I always pour out of the bottle and rinse them out right away so all i do at bottling is submerge them and fill them with star san for about 30 min and rinse them slightly before i fill and cap.
Anyways i am ordering a bottling bucket and i got a r/o system on the way. I am also going to start priming with corn sugar and see if that helps. Also am going to make sure i am pitching at a cooler temp especially now that i got a chiller instead of ice bath.
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I use star san for everything that i use after the boil i usually fill my plastic fermentor bucket up with star san and put my racking cane and any hoses and airlocks in the bucket and it sits for about 4 hrs till i need them i always pump,solution through the racking cane and auto siphon before i use them.. I always pour out of the bottle and rinse them out right away so all i do at bottling is submerge them and fill them with star san for about 30 min and rinse them slightly before i fill and cap.
Anyways i am ordering a bottling bucket and i got a r/o system on the way. I am also going to start priming with corn sugar and see if that helps. Also am going to make sure i am pitching at a cooler temp especially now that i got a chiller instead of ice bath.
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Gameface
Well-Known Member
An R/O system before a $20 temp controller? Not to be mean but...you're doing it wrong.
Stars an is a NO RINSE sanitizer. Stop rinsing it out all you are doing is possibly re contaminating what you have already sanitized. Do not fear the foam! Also starsan only needs about 2 minutes (it's actually less) contact time in order to sanitize clean items. No need to soak items for 4 + hours (although it's not really hurting anything)
Yeah, sounds like your sanitation is fine. How about actual cleaning? If you're just rinsing your equipment after you use it, you may be leaving bits of "funk" in the lines/racking cane. I only mention this because I messed up a batch or two early on doing just that. I thought just running some hot water through the equipment would do it, but sometimes it doesn't. If my stuff gets dirty, I soak it all in a hot oxiclean (PBW) solution for a few hours to overnight to really get all the leftovers out of there. Then a good water rinse, then starsan for a few minutes. It doesn't take long for the starsan to work.
Pitching temps are definitely important, but I've never had a problem with chilling to 75° in the pot, then transferring/pitching in the carboy. As it's been said many many times before, the SINGLE most important thing you can do for your beers is to control the fermentation temps. Buy a Johnson A419 if you don't want to build an STC-1000.
+1 on the RO system thing... I would've invested that money in the temp control and lots and lots of RO water from the grocery store. It's only like $0.37 a gallon around here...
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I do have a stc controller just not sure where to put it have a garage fridge just don't want to convert it totally. What do you guys have a fermentation chamber and a kegerator or what do you guys do? Hey i was able to convince the wife that r/o water would be much better for the kid and our coffee and tea so. Sometimes you have to show them women the benefits of thing and then there is sometimes that just ain't going to work, but i am definitely doing the r/o while i can.
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Sounds like a good plan.
Try to chill to the mid to low 60's to pitch, it will warm up as fermentation takes off. I had to buy a pump and recirculate ice water through the chiller to reach 65* but it was an easy $15 project.
Keep an eye out for chest freezers. They work well and can be had on CL for under $100. Normally a 7 CU FT freezer will hold two carboys depending on the compressor bump I side the chest.
Hang in there, your beers will improve. Keep reading and listen to Brew Strong if you're into podcasts.
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Try to chill to the mid to low 60's to pitch, it will warm up as fermentation takes off. I had to buy a pump and recirculate ice water through the chiller to reach 65* but it was an easy $15 project.
Keep an eye out for chest freezers. They work well and can be had on CL for under $100. Normally a 7 CU FT freezer will hold two carboys depending on the compressor bump I side the chest.
Hang in there, your beers will improve. Keep reading and listen to Brew Strong if you're into podcasts.
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Brew Strong is a great podcast series. Enjoy it!
One more quick tip, I only use my "garage fridge" as a fermentation chamber when I've got beers to ferment. Any other time, I just use the STC-1000 to keep it at a nice "fridge" temp. 😉
Happy brewing!
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