Water

[lower1310]

SO I am fairly new to all grain, and have up until now buying water to brew with. Does using home tap water work well? I live in seattle so I guess the water here would obviously affect the taste, but how much? Thanks to anyone who can help.

 

[HVBrewtality]

if it tastes fine to drink, it will be fine to brew with. you can always just use a simple charcoal filter if you are worried (i always use one, and my water is great)

 

[Zen_Brew]

When you say you have been buying water to brew with, what kind of water have you been buying? RO and distilled lack certain minerals that are necessary to the finished product. Low mineral content water doesn't really matter as much if at all for extract, but for all grain it can make a big difference.

Seattle has very soft water with low mineral content. Here is a link to the Seattle water analysis perfromed by the city. Seattles tap water does OK for light beers, but can be problemtatic for full bodied and dark beers.
Seattle Public Utilities -- Water Quality Analyses

Chapter 15 of Palmers book how to brew is a good place to start learning about water. It can take a couple reads to start making sense. How to Brew - By John Palmer - Understanding the Mash pH

Also Brew Strong on the Brew Network did 4 hour long podcasts on how/when/why to adjust water quality.
The Brewing Network.com - Shows and Podcasts: Brew Strong

 

[IXVolt]

Brita is my friend. I have good tap water 90% of the time, but I still run it through a brita.

 

[schristian619]

I talked to a local brewery about this and they said that they just use a charcoal filter and that's it. I do the same and have been happy with my beers, although lately I've been experimenting with various salts and minerals. If you do buy water, RO and distilled are poor choices due to lack of essential nutrients.

 

[boredatwork]

if it tastes fine to drink, it will be fine to brew with

This is not always true.

The only way to find out is to try it. Some people have no trouble using their tap water, some do.

 

[salad 419]

This is not always true.

The only way to find out is to try it. Some people have no trouble using their tap water, some do.

I've used three different water supplies brewing at friends places. All of those beers have turned out wonderfully. My tap water tastes better than all of those, but I have yet to make a decent beer with it.

Try a 1 gallon test batch if you're unsure.

 

[boredatwork]

I also recommend the recommendation above about reading How to Brew and listening to the Brew Strong podcasts on water.