Reverse Osmosis water needed in Belgian blond ale

[Gunshowgreg]

EDIT: using all grain recipie in picture

Guys if anyone thinks this this is over my head and shouldn't dabble with it than feel free to tell me. I've got about 10 batches combined with beer, mead and cider under my belt and have been seeing some really good results lately. I found this recipe (see picture I took from magazine) in my Brew Your Own magazine for a Belgian blond ale. I thought this would be a good basic recipe and a good alternative to a pilsner beer for I lack the equipment for lagering. The recipe calls for RO water but I dont know much bout it. If I can find RO water is there anything I need to do with it before brewing or during brewing? Can I use regular filtered water from my tap if I dont have RO water? I've heard of using distilled water with some additions but I dont know if that something I want to mess with.

Any tips advice or constructive criticism are welcome.

Thanks
Greg

 

[tictoc43064]

Check out the “brew science” section and read the water chemistry primer. A lot of good info, but then establishes a “baseline” for folks to start experimenting with water treatments. I haven’t done the baseline yet, but will over the holidays. A good read nonetheless if you’re getting into water chemistry.

 

[ProblemChild]

distilled will work just fine for that. for the most part, RO and distilled amount to the same thing. There are tiny differences, but not enough to worry about here. Good bet is you would be hard pressed to find a single person that can distinguish between RO or distilled water in beer or all by itself. They are basically purified water where there is nothing left but water.

 

[Gunshowgreg]

I'll check out that side of the forum that tictoc mentioned. And I'll just go ahead and use the distilled water.

Since I'm still wanting to talk about this recipie. It calls for a step mash. Is this necessary? I mash now in a 48 qt. Coleman cooler and this sounds like a pain in the a$$ also the use of adding phosphoric acid and calcium chloride. I already have gypsum salt can I just use that? Dont want to buy something I already have.

 

[Lifer59]

All of his recipes start with RO water and acid. I brewed this up using carbon filtered water and took a third place in the category.

 

[Rob2010SS]

I'll check out that side of the forum that tictoc mentioned. And I'll just go ahead and use the distilled water.

Since I'm still wanting to talk about this recipie. It calls for a step mash. Is this necessary? I mash now in a 48 qt. Coleman cooler and this sounds like a pain in the a$$ also the use of adding phosphoric acid and calcium chloride. I already have gypsum salt can I just use that? Dont want to buy something I already have.

Just to touch on your brewing salts a bit... gypsum, calcium chloride and phosphoric acid all add different things to your water. Buying phosphoric acid and calcium chloride would not be duplicating what you already have. If you're open to using them, I'd pick up some of both.

 

[Rob2010SS]

I'll check out that side of the forum that tictoc mentioned. And I'll just go ahead and use the distilled water.

Since I'm still wanting to talk about this recipie. It calls for a step mash. Is this necessary? I mash now in a 48 qt. Coleman cooler and this sounds like a pain in the a$$ also the use of adding phosphoric acid and calcium chloride. I already have gypsum salt can I just use that? Dont want to buy something I already have.

And no, i wouldn't say a step mash is necessary. Would it be beneficial to the beer? Maybe, but not necessary. You can still make good beer without that. I might say just do a single infusion mash at 156-158, somewhere in there. I made revvys Belgian Blonde a while back and that mash was 158. Added some good body to the beer and kept it from being too thin.

 

[Gunshowgreg]

Ok thanks everyone for the input so far. I honestly dont want to get into water calculations and things like that yet.

Just put of curiosity could there be bad results by not using reverse osmosis water in this recipe and used filtered water from my Pur water filter instead? That's what I have used the last couple of brews Nd have yielded good results.

 

[Gameface]

Ok thanks everyone for the input so far. I honestly dont want to get into water calculations and things like that yet.

Just put of curiosity could there be bad results by not using reverse osmosis water in this recipe and used filtered water from my Pur water filter instead? That's what I have used the last couple of brews Nd have yielded good results.

That will be perfectly fine.

By indicating RO water with acid additions the recipe provider is just giving you all the information so that you can most closely match their results. It is not a make or break part of the recipe and many people do not indicate their water chemistry when sharing a recipe.

 

[Gunshowgreg]

That will be perfectly fine.

By indicating RO water with acid additions the recipe provider is just giving you all the information so that you can most closely match their results. It is not a make or break part of the recipe and many people do not indicate their water chemistry when sharing a recipe.

Very well. And thank you. What does RO water taste like.?

I dont think in this stage of my brewing adventures I want to be fiddling with water calculations and things. But I may give distilled water a try. I'm weary on it cause I actually dont like the taste compared to spring or filtered from my current system.

 

[deadwolfbones]

RO water should taste like... water. Very, very neutral. You wouldn't want to brew with it without adding salts, because the yeast needs certain minerals to work well.