New to homebrewing

[Wolfhausen]

Totally new to homebrewing and excited to learn and get started. I purchased a kit and it should be here soon. One ? I have is my well water is super hard, would it be good to brew with or should I go a different way like buying some till I can get a good filter. Great site here with a TON of info!!

 

[Lemon]

Spring water from the grocery store is so cheap & takes away a worry. Its what I do

 

[bdoubled]

I agree with lemon. Just buy distilled water for like six bucks and save yourself the worry. Good luck on ur first brew. Remember to sanitize everything!

 

[BrewinHooligan]

For extract brewing, distilled water is ok. For all grain brewing, you need minerals in the water so spring water is the way to go. I personally buy r/o water and treat it with salts, but that is a few steps down the road (it is easier than it seems at first though).

 

[steber]

I agree with lemon. Just buy distilled water for like six bucks and save yourself the worry. Good luck on ur first brew. Remember to sanitize everything!

Watch with distilled water. Sometimes it lacks the nutrients/minerals that help with a water profile. I use cheap spring water. 99 cents a gallon. Makes life easy

 

[Dan]

If your water taste good and you are doing extract batches try a batch of your favorite style using your well water and see how it comes out. That's what I would do. (Edit: that last sentence is just my opinion, I'm not an expert brewer by any means)

Brew water chemistry is something I'm just starting to dwelve into. But from much of what I've read water profiles are not as important in extract brews as in all grain as long as the water going in taste good to begin with.

 

[steber]

I agree with Dan, I have city water so I always buy. If I had well water id give it a whirl as long as it tastes good to you. Any bad tastes in the water can possibly show up in the beer.

 

[bdoubled]

Watch with distilled water. Sometimes it lacks the nutrients/minerals that help with a water profile. I use cheap spring water. 99 cents a gallon. Makes life easy

Hummm. I had no clue about this. I was told to use strictly distilled because it didnt have the added stuff. I will keep this in mind. Thanks.

 

[bdoubled]

Repost

 

[CBXBob]

I like others, use spring water. I also have a well, it's only 50 ft deep, I'm in a good water area. My water looks good (clear) ,smells good (no smell) and doesn't stain or leave bad deposits on my sinks or plumbing. But for drinking, coffee, and brewing, it's .99 a gallon spring water for me.

 

[gandalfiii]

I also have well water that is pretty hard. I've never used anything but and my brews(not including my first 2 or 3) have all been good. I do have a sediment filter but that's it.

 

[Keithww]

I'm in San Antonio and if your on the Edwards then we have the same water and it is way to hard to brew with. You might want to look at going 20 to 25% well water with the rest RO water from the store. Buy a couple of 5 gallon refillable jugs at HEB and use the machines to get refills, really drops the price and you will always have plenty of water.

The Water report for the city water coming from the same source as your well.
http://www.fbgtx.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/272
Bicarbonate Average 297 Range 284 - 310
Hardness as Ca/Mg Average 368.5 Range 349 - 388
pH Average 7.65 Range 7.6 - 7.7
Sulfate Average 32.65 Range 31.2 - 34.1
Total Alkalinity Average 297 Range 284 - 310
Total Dissolved Solids Average 484.5 Range 457 - 512

And with the drought we are having we are in the higher end of the range.

 

[Dan]

(Edit: After writing, posting and reading this, it's a bit of a ramble. Some things aren't just said in two sentences...for me anyway.)

Hummm. I had no clue about this. I was told to use strictly distilled because it didnt have the added stuff. I will keep this in mind. Thanks.

Don't get to freaked out by water, especially if you are using Dry or Liquid Malt Extract (DME/LME)

If you are using all grain, yes those minerals that are not found in distilled water could be a major loss in your beer's flavor if you are mashing grains. In this case a water's chemistry has much to do with how well an all grain mash will achieve the right pH balance along with other factors that make a "wort" highly fermentable and tasty.

Extracts are based on a grain, or grains that have had the fermentables mashed out for you. If they are from a reputable house most of the grains potential will be brought out through the correct use of water, grain crush, temperature and so on during their mash stage. What they will deliver you is a form of grain extract and this powder or syrup is gold.

There is a small price to pay. (Well actually there is a bigger price $$ to pay for the extract than for grain.) LME or DME will give you the flavor of whatever the malt brewer (if that is a job title) produces and passes on to the homebrewer. You can certainly make good beer using extract.

All grain just leaves it a little more in your hands to make a beer of your choice. It's not a real tough thing to do. Just takes some practice and knowledge. The latter can be found here on HBT.

It's a lot of fun making beer. Some people will tell you that you have to go all grain to make good beer. I say phooey on that. You will make good beer either way.

I'm sorry this post is to long and I"m straying off the main topic.. It happens

To anybody who reads this.. dont let water bring you to a confused point, especially when you first start out. Much more critical things to understand (and not hard to control) as a new homebrewer such as proper yeast count, fermentation temp and sanitation.

This is of course my own humble opinion. If I'm wrong. For the sake of beer red pen me!