Does water matter when making beer?

[jeanguyd]

Just wanting to know from all your experienced people if water matters when making beer. Should we use water from the tap, spring water, etc...?

I used spring water for my first batch. Not sure of the taste yes as there is still time to wait.

Any advise is greatly appreciated.

Thanking you all in advance.

 

[Coastarine]

Gotta tell you, hopefully without sounding like a dick, that there is a ton of info both on this website and elsewhere about water and brewing. Do you have a more specific question?

If you are an extract brewer, spring water is a solid bet. Tap water works fine too if it tastes good, and even better if it is naturally soft (not soft from a water softener).

 

[jmp138]

Get a report on your water from the city and check it against some of the specifications done by John Palmer and others. You can just google this stuff, and yes it makes a huge difference. Since beer is about 95% water, you really should make sure that its quality.

 

[llazy_llama]

Should we use water from the tap, spring water, etc...?

Yes.

Here's the abridged version: if your tap water tastes good, it's probably okay for your beer. Note the emphasis on probably. If you tap water tastes like crap, it's definitely not okay for your beer. Crap in, crap out.

That being said, there are dozens of other variables. Mineral content is a big one, as is chlorine. Boiling water will clean it up quite a bit, but it won't remove chlorine. You'd need campden tablets for that. If your tap water tastes good and you want to try it out, go for it. If you have hard water, run it through a carbon filter first. You can buy inline filters that hide under the sink, or just invest in a Brita or Pur filter. Even easier is just getting the big 5 gallon Culligan jug and finding a place locally that can refill them. For me, that's Walmart but YMMV.

All that being said, this question has been asked and answered several times over. This forum has been around for years, and it's pretty easy to do at least a quick cursory search before posting a whole new thread asking a repeat question. I've done it too, it's not the end of the world. Just try to minimize that.