Water for rehydrating yeast

[SMOKEU]

My tap water has a pH of around 7.6-7.8. My BIAB sparge water is usually just under a pH of 6 (using lactic acid). Does it really matter what water I use for rehydrating yeast as long as it's chlorine free? I use campden tablets for dechlorinating water or I just boil for 15 min (local council says it's chlorine, not chloramine).

 

[AJinJacksonville]

I sterilize mine by boiling after adding campden tablets. Same with the municipal water here...I'd boil it off either if it didn't have chlorine or chloramine.

 

[day_trippr]

The pH of the tap water is only meaningful if the residual alkalinity is also known. Very low RA would allow the DME to pull the starter wort pH downwards more than very high RA. In any case, the pH of the starter wort may be important wrt optimizing yeast propagation. I know the conventional wisdom is to shoot for 5.4, fwiw.

I found this related thread interesting... Experimental pH manipulation of a yeast starter
Until it suddenly ended, anyway

Cheers!

 

[bkboiler]

I've used water as you mentioned with campden tabs...
As a side note, campden is used in winemaking to neutralize wild microbes in the must prior to pitching ...so i trust it to work in my water similarly...havent had issues (like band-aid taste indicating chlorophenol).

 

[MikeCo]

I’ve always used straight tap water, boiled and cooled. I have very hard water, and it seems to work fine. I have not measured the pH.