I thought I "did it right"

[Day-Day]

And remember, a Ward Lab water test is only a snapshot, pretty useless if the mineral content changes significantly and constantly.

^ This right here is why I use RO water. I buy Primo water from Walmart...which is suppossed to be RO water. Refills are $.39/gallon. I have two 5 gallon bottles that I carry in the store the night before I brew and purchase 10 gallons for $4...then build my water from that.

I believe it's advantageous to use RO or Distilled water for extract brewing, since all the water profiling/mineral additions, etc. were adding during the mash when they made the extract. I know some people still adjust water "chemistry" when extract brewing but I believe this are just kettle additions to adjust sulfate:chloride ratios, etc, and I believe most who are doing that are using RO or Distilled.

Adding tap water to extract could throw off the mineral content/water profile is all I'm saying.

 

[Mark Hansen]

Yes, I spund by either transferring to the keg with about 5 gravity points left and let it finish there or letting the beer finish in the fermenter and adding some sugar (maybe yeast), wait a few hours for activity and transfer the (newly) active beer.

How long are you letting carbonate prior to putting in the kegerator?

Do you have an RO filter?

No, so I'll be switching to @Day-Day's suggestion below - got a Wally right around the corner

Refills are $.39/gallon. I have two 5 gallon bottles that I carry in the store the night before I brew and purchase 10 gallons for $4...then build my water from that.

I'm definitely switching to this method moving forward. Think I could just fill my carboys? Or do they require plastic? (if you know)

 

[IslandLizard]

Think I could just fill my carboys?

You don't want to be transporting filled glass carboys...
Or even handling them too much.

You could fill any clean food-safe container. Any used gallon water jugs lying around?

 

[Bassman2003]

Timing to go to the kegerator or lager fridge is up for debate and situational.

For adding sugar after fermentation is completed, you might only need a few days for all of the sugar to be eaten up and carbonation levels reached. Since the beer is finished, you only need the new sugar to be consumer and you are ready to go to lager or serving.

For transfers before the original yeast is complete, many will move it after a few days. I will often let it sit at the fermentation temps for 4-7 days as i want the beer to have room to finish and the yeast to clean up. But, this is an area where research is showing is more homebrew dogma rather than necessary. The pressure builds rather quickly.

 

[Day-Day]

I'm definitely switching to this method moving forward. Think I could just fill my carboys? Or do they require plastic? (if you know)

The first time you go you can purchase the jugs... I think they are like $10 each but they are prefilled with 5 gallons of RO water.

You spend $20 (I think, don't quote me) for 10 gallons of water and two containers up front. Moving forward you just bring those containers back and refill. It's a solid investment, it pays for itself in one or two brews.

I might eventually get an RO system in my next house, but for now this works just fine, and my beer is excellent and consistent.

 

[IslandLizard]

The first time you go you can purchase the jugs... I think they are like $10 each but they are prefilled with 5 gallons of RO water.

You spend $20 (I think, don't quote me) for 10 gallons of water and two containers up front. Moving forward you just bring those containers back and refill. It's a solid investment, it pays for itself in one or two brews.

There seems a potential monkey wrench was thrown into this idea:
No more RO water, what to use now?

Not sure if this applies to Wally's World and such. Dang!

 

[Day-Day]

Wow, I never even thought of that, I'll have to go check tonight and see if they shut the machine down. I brewed last weekend and it was still running. I don't mind paying a dollar a gallon for bottled (gallon jugs) of distilled if I have too.