Sparge water

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DavidHawman

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So the water in my home is quite hard with ~280ppm CaCO3 with little magnesium.

Is it OK if I use the tap water for the sparge step? For mashing I am using bottled spring water. But my understanding is that sparging is just to more or less rinse the converted sugars out of the grain which leads me to believe the hardness of the water shouldn't matter. Is this correct? It will save me having to carry a few extra jugs of water back from the grocery store.

The tap water tastes fine on its own to drink so I am not worried about it being in my brew but am under the impression that my tap water may prevent the mash from reaching the proper pH due to its large buffering capacity which is why I plan to use bottled spring water.

Thanks.
 
I think it probably depends on what you're going to brew. If it's a pale color profile, you may find that your pH gets too high during the sparge, risking tannin extraction. i'd think you could combat that with an acid addition. for dark beer, should be no such worries.

i think these are accurate statements, but my knowlege of brewing water is pretty limited. hopefully someone with more expertise can give you more specific recommendations.
 
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