elsphinc
Well-Known Member
im thinking about making a brew with the crystal clear waters of lake tahoe...anyone make beer with lake water? safe?
lake water
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elsphinc
Well-Known Member
found the answer....forgot to use my eyes
Maybe after you purify the water to kill anything that is living in it (say some of those camping water purification tablets)??? I think that if you look at the water under a microscope, you'd see things living in it. If you insist, probably better to either use the water purification tablets or one of those portable purifiers.
fartinmartin
Well-Known Member
The rest of the brewing community go to great lengths cleaning and sanitising their gear and brewing environment, and you want to start with dodgy water , I trust you won't be offering beer to your friends ?
bigken462
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My first brew turned perfectly good tap water into fermented lake water, does that count? lol
Good luck with your brew. Ya might consider a Sawyer water filter. It filters to 0.10 Micron Absolute. I use them while back packing. Has a really fast gravity flow rate. Pretty cheap too. With that said, it will not filter virus pathogens, but I would think a quick boil would suit you fine there.
I have no idea how this would work with home brewing, but you can treat several thousand gallons with a 25 dollar filter. I have filtered filthy, muddy water from a puddle into thirst quenching sparkling clean water. But then again, when you're thirsty on the trail, even muddy water looks good.
Good luck with your brew. Ya might consider a Sawyer water filter. It filters to 0.10 Micron Absolute. I use them while back packing. Has a really fast gravity flow rate. Pretty cheap too. With that said, it will not filter virus pathogens, but I would think a quick boil would suit you fine there.
I have no idea how this would work with home brewing, but you can treat several thousand gallons with a 25 dollar filter. I have filtered filthy, muddy water from a puddle into thirst quenching sparkling clean water. But then again, when you're thirsty on the trail, even muddy water looks good.
I've seen it widely stated that if you can drink the water, you can make good beer with it..
Anything that may be alive in the water when you start certainly isn't likely to live through 60 minutes of boiling.
I would pour the water through a fine strainer (i use a 150 micron mesh), but beyond that, I wouldn't really be too concerned about it.
DO NOT use that water to top off after the boil though, use distilled or whatnot.
Anything that may be alive in the water when you start certainly isn't likely to live through 60 minutes of boiling.
I would pour the water through a fine strainer (i use a 150 micron mesh), but beyond that, I wouldn't really be too concerned about it.
DO NOT use that water to top off after the boil though, use distilled or whatnot.
Spring water is often used because it is filtered in the ground in the process of getting to the surface.
Lake water has a high potential to be microbiologically unsafe because fish and other things live in there and it must be boiled. Does it taste good to start with?
Lake water has a high potential to be microbiologically unsafe because fish and other things live in there and it must be boiled. Does it taste good to start with?
plumber_bob
Well-Known Member
If you're all grain brewing or at least doing full boils with no water additions after, it should be safe to consume. I'm not sayin' it will win awards, but it might be that good, don't know.
Remember that in the really old days, that's about all people had to brew with, and in Europe, the water was bad enough to make you sick. But once brewed into beer, people could safely drink it.
"How Beer Saved the World", covers this pretty well.
pb
Remember that in the really old days, that's about all people had to brew with, and in Europe, the water was bad enough to make you sick. But once brewed into beer, people could safely drink it.
"How Beer Saved the World", covers this pretty well.
pb
Hmmm...Bonanza beer anyone?! 
The ponderosa bordered Lake Tahoe. Anyway,I'd think boiling would be best after filtering. Our tap water comes from Lake Erie,& is pretty soft. But I started using White House Artisian Springs water,as they have 6 different wells drilled down into the pockets of spring water in the bedrock. Here's a page on what they do with it; http://whitehousesprings.com/OurWater.php
So it's a little more involved than just pumping it out. Or in your case dipping it out. It still has to be processed into something safe to use one way or another.
The ponderosa bordered Lake Tahoe. Anyway,I'd think boiling would be best after filtering. Our tap water comes from Lake Erie,& is pretty soft. But I started using White House Artisian Springs water,as they have 6 different wells drilled down into the pockets of spring water in the bedrock. Here's a page on what they do with it; http://whitehousesprings.com/OurWater.phpSo it's a little more involved than just pumping it out. Or in your case dipping it out. It still has to be processed into something safe to use one way or another.
MrNatural
The Original, beware of imposters.
I've been disposing of used beer in the Tahoe watershed for 40 years, occasionally a direct infusion in the lake.
Conditions improved a lot since the banning of 2-stroke outboards, but I still wouldn't want to drink it.
If you decide to do it, would suggest getting it away from any tributary outlets, maybe by Hidden Beach.
Conditions improved a lot since the banning of 2-stroke outboards, but I still wouldn't want to drink it.
If you decide to do it, would suggest getting it away from any tributary outlets, maybe by Hidden Beach.
elsphinc
Well-Known Member
yep i've recycled a few beers through big blue too. novel idea but the water coming out of the wel up here most likey fed by the watertable created by the lake anyway. perhaps one day when i'm out on the old ski nautique ill take my BK with me get a good center chunk.
Probably is, but then it's filtered by several hundred (if not thousand) feet of dirt and rock.
If you start with full volume and don't use the lake water to top up it is pretty safe. The hour long boil should take care of any critters you scoop up with the lake water.
rlmiller10
Well-Known Member
Go for it. How many people got sick from swimming and skiing in Tahoe last year? Think they didn't ingest lake water? Besides you will be boiling it and adding alcohol.
After it is brewed I would be happy to drink one with you. Life is full of risks and trade offs. This would be a small one
After it is brewed I would be happy to drink one with you. Life is full of risks and trade offs. This would be a small one
