First brew with RO water

[Yooper]

Is Ro and distilled the same

No, but close enough that it doesn't make a difference.

 

[Braufessor]

Is Ro and distilled the same

For "practical" brewing purposes, yes. RO will have minimal levels of various minerals - but very low, close to none. Distilled should basically be "0."

 

[Braufessor]

Well RO systems are not that great of removing chloramines. So (aside from adding more chemicals) once they are in there, activated carbon is a better option IMO. Problem is that not all activated carbon filter are the same with respect to chloramines. It is basically a catalytic reaction (leaving more chloride in the water).
A non-acclimated cheap filter might require a bed contact time of 10min!
Problem is little under the sink filters just have a bit over half a liter of carbon, i.e. 3-4l/h if you want to stay on the super cheap/super safe side

True - Generally though, if one is buying RO water in the store, or installing RO filter, there is a Carbon prefilter. So, RO filtration does not usually happen in the absence of Carbon filtering as well. I was more pointing out that campden tablets are not a "solution" in place of RO filtering if high mineral content is the issue.

 

[chris000]

True - Generally though, if one is buying RO water in the store, or installing RO filter, there is a Carbon prefilter. So, RO filtration does not usually happen in the absence of Carbon filtering as well. I was more pointing out that campden tablets are not a "solution" in place of RO filtering if high mineral content is the issue.

well the reason for the carbon filter is to reduce the chlorine, that is correct. but the goal here is primarily to protect the RO membrane. Larger RO systems use bisulfite dosing instead. Chloramine is not such a big deal for RO membranes (well unless you have a Cu2+ source that catalyzes the Chloramine, but that's an entire different discussion).
What I'm trying to say, the amount of Chloramine in RO water you get from the corner store might vary depending on the system and the source water...

 

[MaryB]

I bought an RO filter from these guys http://www.buckeyehydro.com/premium-ro-systems/ the 100gallon per day RO cartridge which is more like 40 GPD with my cold water and only 40PSI water pressure. It will pay for itself in a year. But I do brew 2-3 times a month(myself or friends using my rig to brew for themselves, they chip in on equipment costs). They sell a LOT to home brewers and I believe they are a forum sponsor. Very responsive to questions!

Advantage of RO or distilled water... you can build your brewing water to match the style AND location that style comes from!