Relatively New (2 years) AG Brewer Considering Using Tap vs RO Water

[Jiffster]

Perhaps the sour taste your talking about isn't really sour, you are just describing it poorly? (no offense) Are you treating the water to remove chlorine? Do you have any idea what the iron and magnesium levels are?

It's possible I'm describing the taste wrong. I'm not treating the RO water to remove chlorine. Should I be?
No idea what the iron and magnesium levels are.

An excellent point worth repeating. Has the OP been tossing a lot of Epsom salts into his RO water?

No Epsom salts used so far.

 

[ajdelange]

Sour is a pretty distinctive taste but it does come in variants. An interesting experiment is to go to the LHBS and buy a little of all of the carboxilic acids he has in stock (malic, lactic, tartaric, citric) and make up solutions of them to pH 4, do the same with vinegar and taste them all. But you did put sour in quotes.

As to the chlorine - if your source water has chlorine (or chloramine) in it that needs to be removed before the RO membrane as it will eventually poison it. Most RO systems contain a charcoal filter for this purpose. If your RO water tastes or smells of chlorine replace the charcoal filter ASAP.

 

[Jiffster]

Sour is a pretty distinctive taste but it does come in variants. An interesting experiment is to go to the LHBS and buy a little of all of the carboxilic acids he has in stock (malic, lactic, tartaric, citric) and make up solutions of them to pH 4, do the same with vinegar and taste them all. But you did put sour in quotes.

As to the chlorine - if your source water has chlorine (or chloramine) in it that needs to be removed before the RO membrane as it will eventually poison it. Most RO systems contain a charcoal filter for this purpose. If your RO water tastes or smells of chlorine replace the charcoal filter ASAP.

I'll seek some other opinions to see if others have the same perception of sour as I do. If you tasted my beer, you might describe the taste I'm describing totally different - and I would bet you would know exactly how to address it.

Shall I send you a bottle? ;-)

Regarding the RO water I use - I get it from the RO water dispenser at my local Kroger.