How important is water

[permo]

I brew all grain and I am quite satisfied with my beers. I am exclusively an ale brewer, usually pale ale of some sort but I have dabbled in wheat and also stout beers.

I have never requested or looked at a water report for my city, but I know for a fact that our water is fairly soft and tastes perfectly fine when drinking. Do you think my water my lend itself to certain styles better than others?

I know the old adage is if it tastes good you can brew with it, but I want to be sure I am not undermining my brewing efforts with the water.

I have found that without question my darker brews turn out better, nut browns and stouts.

 

[beerthirty]

If you like your beer then dont worry about it. Its true that different styles use different water chemistry, but the fact remains you only need to please yourself with your efforts. The rest of them can brew their own damn beer. IIRC hard water tends to lean towards pales. Regardless of style the water coming out of my filter has always worked for me and my mooch friends.

 

[CrazyBrew]

I personally think bottled spring water makes a much better tasting beer. I get the Kroger brand spring water. It really is not too expensive.

 

[Yooper]

My water is very hard, high carbonate water. I make ok beer with it, but NOT very light beers like kolsch. My kolsch is harsh. My water is ideal for stouts, though. Unfortunately, my favorite styles are APAs and IPAs.

So, I got a water report ($15), and now I found an easy fix. I buy RO water at the store- the kind that you refill jugs for $.78 for two gallons. So, for about $1.50 a batch, I get 4 gallons of RO water which I mix with my tap water. Sometimes, I add a little gypsum to it to for the calcium and sulfate, in really hoppy beers. But that's about it.

What I'm saying is that if your beers are great without looking at water, that's awesome! If you're completely satisfied, then there is no reason to go further into water chemistry.

But my lighter beers always had a little "bite" to them. Not bad. Just not as good as I thought it could be. I've found that my fix of a combination of water works well for me.

 

[TokyoRoad]

Water is the single largest ingredient by volume in beer, to say it is important is an understatement.

 

[ChadLeBald]

If you like your beer then dont worry about it. Its true that different styles use different water chemistry, but the fact remains you only need to please yourself with your efforts.

I second that

Though, it never hurts to experiment a bit either, right? That's very much the fun in this hobby. Maybe you'll turn a beer you like into one you absolutely love.

I'm brewing today, and am going to add salts for the first time...to bring the pH down a bit. I'll do a side-by-side later on to see if it made an impact!

 

[toman8r]

Where do you guys get RO/distilled water for so cheap? I've only seen it in bottles, usually for over $1/gallon.

What should I search for on google to find a place that sells water like that?

 

[nealf]

Around here they have refill stations at Wally World and some grocery stores.

 

[jdc2]

I brew all grain and I am quite satisfied with my beers. I am exclusively an ale brewer, usually pale ale of some sort but I have dabbled in wheat and also stout beers.

I have never requested or looked at a water report for my city, but I know for a fact that our water is fairly soft and tastes perfectly fine when drinking. Do you think my water my lend itself to certain styles better than others?

I know the old adage is if it tastes good you can brew with it, but I want to be sure I am not undermining my brewing efforts with the water.

I have found that without question my darker brews turn out better, nut browns and stouts.

What are the other variables in your brewing like? Do you use a starter?
Do you control temperature? Those things are probably more important
for beer than the water. My experience with water treatment tells me
that as far as taste is concerned, the harder waters emphasize the
bitterness, while soft water with NaCl added improves the body and
gives a smooth "burn" to the hop bitterness, almost like a hot pepper.
If you're doing all grain, the buffering quality of the water via the
presence of Ca/Mg sulfates is going to effect your extraction efficiency
and the amount of tannins you extract from the grain (i.e., plain hot
distilled water is probably not best for sparging).
Jim

 

[toman8r]

I know the old adage is if it tastes good you can brew with it, but I want to be sure I am not undermining my brewing efforts with the water.

This is really only true for extract brewing. With all grain you need to start worrying about mash pH as well as other factors. But since you have had good results, your water is fine.

have found that without question my darker brews turn out better, nut browns and stouts.

You should request a copy of your water report from your city (it might even be available online). You might be able to improve your pale, hoppy beers with a simple gypsum addition.

 

[permo]

This is really only true for extract brewing. With all grain you need to start worrying about mash pH as well as other factors. But since you have had good results, your water is fine.



You should request a copy of your water report from your city (it might even be available online). You might be able to improve your pale, hoppy beers with a simple gypsum addition.

I have been adding gypsum to make the water a little harder for my pales and IPA's. The last one I brewed, I ommited the gypsum so I am very interested in seeing how it turns out.

I have very good control over my fermentation temps and all of the other variables, it is the water that is the last wild card. I need to request a water report.