Natural water

[xvidasx]

Hi brewer's, I am from Ireland and I live near a water source in small forests, loads of people are using this water and is taste good, can i use it for beer brewing? Thanks for answers

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Yes. If you want to brew all-grain though, you'll need a bit more information about the water.

 

[Bellybuster]

yes you can brew with it. Even all grain.
I would hazard a guess that 70-80% of brewers never adjust their water and they are all making great beers.

 

[JonM]

If you have a "throw it against the wall and see if it sticks" attitude toward brewing, the go for it.

If you have the careful approach, then you can have the water tested for a few bucks and you'll know exactly what you're using and how, if at all, it needs to be modified to make the best beer.

 

[Bellybuster]

If you have a "throw it against the wall and see if it sticks" attitude toward brewing, the go for it.

really???

 

[chickypad]

I would hazard a guess that 70-80% of brewers never adjust their water and they are all making great beers.

I don't know, I would guess the opposite that at least 75-80% of experienced all grain brewers around here do something with water - at minimum using RO water with a little calcium. Many folks get away fine without water treatments, although some of that might be luck at having good water to start with. There's certainly plenty of threads around about off flavors that turn out to be water issues. Try it and see, then if you start having flavor issues or want to take it to the next level get a water analysis.

 

[Gavin C]

Hi brewer's, I am from Ireland and I live near a water source in small forests, loads of people are using this water and is taste good, can i use it for beer brewing? Thanks for answers

Yes you can.

Is it well suited or poorly suited for brewing? What beer styles is it suitable for? That's impossible to say without knowing the mineral content and hardness. If you care, have it tested.

The old adage if it tastes good it's good for brewing is complete horse ****. If you want to know, have it tested. Simple as that. You could also contact Uisce Eireann and inquire as to available water reports for your area.

Where bouts you from? ( Not that it's relevant, just curious)

 

[Bellybuster]

"try it and see" are the key words. Most brewers spend half their brewing life before ever getting into water treatments and then usually tail off of it later.

The OP simply wants to know if he can make beer with his water. Of course he can, all grain too.

 

[Hamaki]

Hi brewer's, I am from Ireland and I live near a water source in small forests, loads of people are using this water and is taste good, can i use it for beer brewing? Thanks for answers

Is this a spring or artesian well that no-one owns or maintains or is this something more developed, like a piped water system? If the latter, there may be some information available already. If it tastes good I'd say the chances of producing a good beer are better than if it does not taste good but still no guarantee. As stated, the more you know about the water the better able you are to produce the best beer.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

A fairly high proportion of water in Ireland comes through limestone, so is very high in calcium and bicarbonate. The water sources with the LOWEST alkalinity Ireland are much HIGHER in alkalinity than any surface water in Tasmania (where I live; source https://www.epa.ie/pubs/reports/water/waterqua/waterrep/Chapter 5 Groundwater.pdf ).

This is why Ireland is known for its dark beers. At the very least, if you are brewing all grain, boil your water first to remove temporary hardness before brewing anything pale to amber. Ideally, you'll do much better if you find out what's in your water.