distilled water

[jpr210]

i asked my brother to run and buy me water for brewing, and he came back with distilled water, can i use it to brew? specifically, can i use it to brew without needing to add too much stuff to it, and if i do have to add stuff to it, how much would it all cost? a gallon of drinking water at walmart is like $0.78 so to buy 5 would be like $4 in change, whats the better (cheaper) option?

 

[Mrclasen]

Can you use your tap water? If your own water tastes good to drink then it will produce good beer. there is no need to purchase bottled water from a store.

 

[JJL]

You can use the distilled water assuming you are brewing extract, but yes you're tap water would work just as well, assuming it smells and tastes ok.

 

[BrewMedic]

+ 1 on the distilled water with extract. I made that same mistake and it turned out fine.

 

[bannonb]

in all grain circles (See John Palmer's How to Brew) they talk about target levels of elements
Calcium 50-100 ppm
Magnesium 10-30ppm
total alkalinity 0-200 ppm
sodium 0-150 ppm
chloride 0-250 ppm
sulfate 50-150 ppm

I think that distilled water is stripped of most of these elements. I would use tap and mix with distilled water. Buy a carbon filter that you can run your tap water through and it may do everything you need.

 

[jpr210]

im brewing extract, so sounds like ill be ok. as for the tap, its a little sulfur-y where i live, so i think ill try and steer clear, thanks for the input guys

 

[Jtc2811]

If you are worried about the quality of your tap, you could also pick up spring water. Personally, I have had no trouble with distilled, but if it worries you there is a guide here for varying bottled water quality ratings:

http://www.ewg.org/bottled-water-2011-search

 

[Yooper]

Distilled water is absolutely fine for extract brewing, and can be preferable if there is chlorine or chloramine in the tap water or bad tasting tap water. You'll be fine with the distilled water!

 

[Ravenshead]

Bannonb has the right idea. Distilled will be fine for now but a $20 charcoal filter for an RV from Wal-mart will save you from having to buy water ever again.

 

[birvine]

I picked up a Brita filter that threads onto the laundry faucet. All the chlorine-free water I could ever want.

B

 

[dantheman13]

As the others have said, distilled is fine for extract brewing. The reason is that extracts are creating by mashing grains and (sometimes) boiling hops, just like normal. Then the water is dehydrated out of the wort, resulting in the extract product that you buy. So, whatever minerals were in the water when the extract was created are left behind.