Brewing with rain water

[Brewpastor]

We have been getting hammered lately with rain and I am in the process of putting together a rain catchment set-up. Which has me thinking about using that nice soft rain water for brewing. I have never done it before and don't remember reading anything about it, so I thought, "Why not post it to the forum?"

I believe rain water is close to distilled water, if not the same, but who can fill in the blanks? It would be very nuetral I would guess, but I am looking for insight here. I should add that I am aware of the problems of brewing with distilled water and fear rain water might be chasing down that same alley.

 

[Jaybird]

I have heard negitive things on brewing with distilled H2O because it dosent have the nessessary minerals needed to assist in things like hop saturation and starch conversion. I personally wouldnt try it because I like alot of calcium in my beers. calcium is one of the biggest factors when concidering hop additions.
Just a thought.
JJ

 

[uwmgdman]

This might be of interest:

http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/ASK/rain2.html

 

[Brewsmith]

I would never use rain water, but then again, I'm in Los Angeles. I wouldn't want smog as an ingredient. Plus, except for the record rain last year, I'd need an area the size of a football field to collect enough water.

Brewpastor, I know you're out in God's country, so I would think the quality of your rain water is better. I say try it. It would be a good experiment. Maybe in what not to do, but who knows.

 

[Brewpastor]

This might be of interest:

http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/ASK/rain2.html

Thanks. From this article I take it that rain water isn't nuetral in the same way distilled water is. What I was thinking of was brewing an Oktoberfest with some. I know Munich has soft water, but I am weighing the pros and cons before I commit.

 

[Brewpastor]

I would never use rain water, but then again, I'm in Los Angeles. I wouldn't want smog as an ingredient. Plus, except for the record rain last year, I'd need an area the size of a football field to collect enough water.

Brewpastor, I know you're out in God's country, so I would think the quality of your rain water is better. I say try it. It would be a good experiment. Maybe in what not to do, but who knows.

I am finding myself in agreement with the "go for it and see what happens" camp. But I haven't fired up the kettles, so, keep up with the input.

The air is really pretty clean out here in New Mexico and we are over a mile high. It can't be any more contaminated then my well.

 

[G. Cretin]

Well being that your 5,000 ft. in elevation you might have some C02 problems. CO2 combines with H2O to make carbonic acid. I dont know if it's stable at boiling temps. or if it would denature. One other consideration is that rain water has a ton of dust and crap in it like pesticide when I lived in Ks. that would have been a huge inhibitor to me.
JUst the thought of Anhydrous ammonia makes my junk hurt definetly would not want that in my beer.

 

[Beer Snob]

Why dont you collect a sample of water and test it out.

 

[Axegod]

:cross: Using rain to sparge may be difficult (temperature) unless you have a Tesla coil.
Make sure the coil is properly grounded..and wear rubber boots.

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

At a minimum I would check the pH of the water and not use it if it is acidic.

 

[budbo]

Easy way to tell put your car in the sun after a rain.. if the drops scar the winshield and you need sulfuric acid to get them off (like they do in Hawaii) bad.. if the spots rinse off you should be fine

 

[RichBrewer]

Couldn't there be pollutants on the water even where you are located? Things like dust and ash from Forest fires?
It sounds like a hellava idea if your rain water is clean.

How about filtering it before you use it with one of those Pur carbon filters or something like it?

 

[Exo]

Folks around the world use rainwater for drinking and such. Australia comes to mind. Houses have collection tanks and either supplement the well water or use it. Folks around the world are now supplementing drinking water with fully processed sewage water. Folks around the world are also bathing in their own s**t and some drink it as well. Folks right here in this country dump raw sewage in a river only to have it pumped out later on downstream to be filtered and drank...the Colorado river comes to mind.

Don't ever think the water coming out of the tap and the water you use to make beer is anywhere close to perfect. Boiling has to free up a lot of the contaminants...but I'm sure not all of them.

I say, boil the rainwater and see what happens! Fly me down for the taste-test!! I'd be interested in knowing the pH as well...

 

[Brewpastor]

I think I will give it a try. I am sure it will have STUFF in it but so does beer (methane comes to mind). And if I die, well it will be in the name brewing knowledge!

 

[D*Bo]

Collect a sample and bring it down to the water department, see if they'll test it.

 

[joker_x]

I agree with D*Bo, you should definately have some tests run on the water first, and if you're not doing a full boil, I'd boil all the water you plan to use beforehand, to make sure you kill off any bacteria/wild yeast the rain happened to pick up along the way.

Cheers!
-Rick

Primary: Honey Amber Ale
Secondary #1: Oatmeal Stout
Secondary #2: empty
Bottled/Aging: Octane IPA
Bottled/Drinking: American Amber Ale

 

[Born Brewing Co.]

How much rain water are you planing to use during brewing? It seems it would be difficult to collect 10+ gallons of rain water for brewing. I'm a self proclaimed treehugger, so I like the idea of conservation. I cringe when I watch gallons and gallons of water from my wort chiller run down the driveway.

 

[cweston]

I cringe when I watch gallons and gallons of water from my wort chiller run down the driveway.

I use the first 5 gallons to make a batch of iodophor to sanitize the fermenter, hoses, etc.

Then I direct the rest to the flower beds and other parts of the yard that the sprinklers don't reach.

 

[Brewpastor]

I would use a full batch worth, which means I would collect 40 gallons or so. I have a sloped metal roof and when it rains I get gallons and gallons of water. And it will get boiled.

 

[Jsin]

Brewpastor, go for it. I live out in Madrid, NM and I use rain water for brewing all the time without any problems.

 

[Brewpastor]

Madrid? So are you enjoying the Hollywood invasion, going Hog Wild? I had some good friends who lived out on one of the mesa south of town (Frank and Joyce) but that has been some time ago. Come to think of it, pretty much all the water we drank out there was rain water.

Do you have any observations about brewing with rain water. I was specifically thinking of brewing lagers with it.

 

[RichBrewer]

I think I will give it a try. I am sure it will have STUFF in it but so does beer (methane comes to mind). And if I die, well it will be in the name brewing knowledge!

I can see it now! You are going to produce a whole category of beer and people all over the world will be trying to duplicate your water!

 

[Cheesefood]

BP -

I'd collect the water and (if you have the time and patience) run it all through a Brita filter prior to boiling. That'll at least get the dirt out of it and mellow out some of the flavors.

 

[D*Bo]

Might want to try a batch filtered and unfilterd of the same recipe/mash schedual.
Maybe those flavors of the unfiltered might be something desirable and unique.
Taste the water before brewing, and possibly after testing.

I think it would be cool to have a unique soruce that would impart a very distinct taste to your brew.

 

[Jsin]

Madrid? So are you enjoying the Hollywood invasion, going Hog Wild? I had some good friends who lived out on one of the mesa south of town (Frank and Joyce) but that has been some time ago. Come to think of it, pretty much all the water we drank out there was rain water.

Do you have any observations about brewing with rain water. I was specifically thinking of brewing lagers with it.

Holly weird has left town, it was definitely an experience while it lasted. Most of the time it was fun but they really F#*ked up the traffic for about two months.

The only way that I modify rain water is to add a tsp of gypsum for stouts and porters. I can’t help much for lagers because all I brew are ales. Hope your brew comes out great.

 

[Pumbaa]

How much rain water are you planing to use during brewing? It seems it would be difficult to collect 10+ gallons of rain water for brewing. I'm a self proclaimed treehugger, so I like the idea of conservation. I cringe when I watch gallons and gallons of water from my wort chiller run down the driveway.

You'ld be shocked how much water you get pouring off your roof for even something as little as .5 inchesof rain, IIRC it's like 100 gallons off of a 1500sqft area

 

[WortMonger]

Brewpastor, did you ever brew with your rainwater? I have been back and forth debating if I should or not. Anyways, just wondered about you.

 

[blacklab]

I use the first 5 gallons to make a batch of iodophor to sanitize the fermenter, hoses, etc.

Then I direct the rest to the flower beds and other parts of the yard that the sprinklers don't reach.

+1, collect it in the pot you use for heating sparge water, and you've got preheated water for cleanup.

 

[RegionalChaos]

Just the other day I was thinking about a rain water catch basin, that would feed a solar hot water heater. Then you would have on demand hot water for a HLT, with no electricity used to heat it. Sounded worth researching to me!

 

[MTpilot]

I think Edwort made a Rainwater Kolsch that he mentioned last summer when I was thinking about collecting some. He said it turned out well, but maybe he could chime in on this one.

I really wanted to do this, but realized collecting rainwater would be difficult without some equipment I don't have. But I would definitely filter the water and obviously boil all of it.