Extract and Specialty Grain?

[neo68710]

I have been trying to decide what kind of water to use for my first brew and I have read the pros and cons of all kinds but here is my question. I know distilled will work good for extract because of the mineral content already in it but what about steeping. Should I steep my grains in distilled water or does it not matter because of the extract that will be added later?

 

[Frodo]

Is your tap water drinkable? If it tastes fine (eg. without a chlorine taste) then it'd probably be fine for extract brewing, grain steeping included. With steeping grains for an extract recipe, water chemistry does not really matter - when you're steeping grains you're just trying to dissolve whatever sugar is already converted in the grains. Water chemistry matters when you're talking about getting starches to convert to sugars (partial mashes and all grain), and that's primarily only because water chemistry determines mash pH which factors into starch conversion. Not a factor when you're just steeping grains - the sugar is already there in the grain, you just have to dissolve it.

 

[neo68710]

Thanks for the quick reply, Cheers!

 

[Marsdude]

I am an extract brewer. I installed an under counter water filter and began using that water to brew. IMHO it made my beers much better.

 

[BuonAnno]

Personally I would use standard tap water for your first batch and then use a filter for your second and compare the results.

I have friends who have never used unfiltered water and were amazed when they couldn't detect any difference between their brews and mine ( I use tap water).