Sanitize Top Off Water??

[oregonhawk]

Is it crucial to boil/sanitize ALL of your water. I boil 3 gallons. (I use good fresh Portland, OR water). What are the chances of infection otherwise? Thanks.

 

[woodstone]

I've always topped off with VERY chilled (almost frozen) spring water, right out of the sealed container...NEVER had a problem. I'm more worried about getting the wort chilled and the yeast pitched as fast as possible - using the method I mentioned, the wort is almost at pitching temp after topping off and without really having to chill the wort (or the top off liquid). Good luck.

 

[Pharmguy]

Right from the tap every time, never a problem. I also use one step....OMG!

 

[oregonhawk]

awesome, that's the reassurance I was hoping for. Thanks be to all. !!

 

[lamarguy]

Depends on your definition of a "problem". Will topping off with non-sanitized water ruin your beer? Maybe, maybe not. Depends on the microbial content of the water.

Do I consider it to be a bad practice? Absolutely. But, I've tasted some beers with a mild infection that others think taste just fine.

It's all relative...

 

[Pharmguy]

That is some great taste buds, what does a mild infection taste like? Bitter cant be an answer.

 

[lamarguy]

That is some great taste buds, what does a mild infection taste like? Bitter cant be an answer.

Actually, no. These are just people with a poor palate or just don't care.

Most people recognize when a beer is "off". Without experience, you probably won't be able to identify the exact flaw (or source of the flaw), but you certainly know something is wrong.

 

[DeathBrewer]

Depends entirely on the water. I used to top off with tap water. Never had a problem until they changed the water profile. Now I always use bottled water, or filtered (and boiled) water.

 

[lamarguy]

Depends entirely on the water. Never had a problem until they changed the water profile.

Yes, specifically, the microbes living in the water. And, I see the expression "never had a problem" used in this forum often until, well, it becomes a problem.

Why chance it? Just pasteurize the water to remove any doubt - 170F for one minute.

 

[Pharmguy]

Not to be a smart ass but you can not "pasteurize" in 1 minute at 170, these microbes you speak of are much tougher than that. The water treatment plants take care of that. Check your water profile oregonhawk, I would worry more about the chlorine than any microbe that may get through.

 

[lamarguy]

Not to be a smart ass but you can not "pasteurize" in 1 minute at 170, these microbes you speak of are much tougher than that. The water treatment plants take care of that. Check your water profile oregonhawk, I would worry more about the chlorine than any microbe that may get through.

Glad you called it before I did. For your reading pleasure.

Flash pasteurization, also called "High Temperature Short Time" processing, is a method of heat pasteurization of perishable beverages like fruit and vegetable juices, beer, and dairy products. Compared to other pasteurization processes, it maintains color and flavor better.

It is done prior to filling into containers in order to kill spoilage microorganisms, to make the products safer and extend their shelf life.

The liquid moves in a controlled, continuous flow while subjected to temperatures of 71.5 °C (160 °F) to 74 °C (165 °F), for about 15 to 30 seconds.

 

[Pharmguy]

Look up spore and spore formation. Longer and much hotter.

 

[lamarguy]

Look up spore and spore formation. Longer and much hotter.

Correct, we're not talking sterile (e.g., 250F for 20 minutes), just pasteurized (170 for 1 minute). The goal is to kill the common yeast/bacteria that can live in beer and cause off flavors - wild yeast (including brett), lacto, pedio, aceto, etc.

BTW, soil runoff is the primary source of contamination in public water systems. Every water system has some level of soil runoff, but it does vary considerably by area.

I remember growing up in a small town in Southeast Texas where the tap water had an almost undetectable level of chlorine. There was an incident with a small child becoming ill due to soil runoff contamination when I was 13, so they responded by at least doubling the amount of chlorine in the water.

 

[AnonyBrew]

Why chance it? Just pasteurize the water to remove any doubt - 170F for one minute.

That's good advice in my opinion.

 

[mattmcl]

20 years of brewing with tap water in probably 15 different locations, never had a problem.

 

[lamarguy]

20 years of brewing with tap water in probably 15 different locations, never had a problem.

There's that phrase again...Priceless!

I drive fast in the rain, never had a problem...

 

[Pharmguy]

Oregonhawk, as you can see...one question leads to a variety of answers. I am very comfortable with my tap water. However, lamarguy supplied us with alot of good science to back up his point. You just have to decide what you are comfortable with. Happy brewing.