Water sanitation

[MyLastGamble]

So, I've always been over paranoid about sanitation. The water out of my tap isn't the best, we don't drink it. We purchase spring water and drink that and that is what I brew with. If I'm topping off a batch after boil, I've boiled water and sanitized the gallon jugs to store a day or so before brew day and then add them to my wort. Is this being too paranoid? should I just spray the mouth of the jugs with star san before pouring in the water, and save myself some time?

 

[acidrain]

Have you tested your water? Is it safe to drink, or does it just taste bad?
If it's safe to drink, it should be safe enough to brew with. You may have to deal with chlorine, or chloramine, but it should not have microbial infection.

 

[processhead]

Are you on municipal water or a private source like a well?
While it may not taste that good, practically all municipal water in the US is safe to drink.
If its just chlorine taste and odor, you can boil it and eliminate most, if not all of the chlorine.

 

[MyLastGamble]

It's municipal. But as I've said earlier when I switched to using jugs of spring water the flavor tastes better. I don't mind shelling out an extra $5 for a few jugs and putting in more work for better tasting beer.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Home Brew mobile app

 

[acidrain]

Regardless of whatever water you use, you really have to know the mineral content. Enter that into a brewing water calculator: http://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/
Enter your grist info and play with the additions.

 

[LordUlrich]

While paying attention to sanitation is really important, if it were me, I would not worry about it, although if you are boiling the water I would just give each bottle a quck rinse with starstan before filling the jug. If you were using municipal water I would not even bother boiling, the chlorine should be enough to keep the water it self sanatized (that is why it is there).

It sounds like you are doing partial boil? If you are really worried about it I would try to move to full boils, in addition to alleviating any concerns it will also improve your beer in may other ways.

And to add a random bit of trivia, municipal water is actually held to higher standards than bottled water. Bottled water only needs to list the ingredients (water), public water supplies (which include municipal water) have to be held to a long list of quality and safety standards. In practice most bottled water is actually municipal water (check the label most even admit it). If the taste problem is chlorine (most people who dislike their water it is chlorine) it will get off gassed during boil and fermentation.

 

[Redcat]

You can brew with just about any water. For chloramine just crush up a Camden tablet to deal with chloramine potentially.

I've read a team in California brewed using pond water and the beer was fine in the end.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

"Pond water may cause Cancer in California".