What area of the US has the best brewing water for most styles?

[the-adjunct-hippie]

Been scratching my head on this a lot lately. Some areas have hard or soft water. I know as a beer drinker I absolutely love most beer that comes from Michigan. Is it "in the water"? Or does everyone just have RO systems?

Cheers

 

[SanPancho]

Golden, CO.

 

[deadwolfbones]

Anywhere there's an RO machine.

(Most good breweries treat their water. Though there are exceptions, of course.)

 

[grampamark]

Olympia, WA.

 

[RM-MN]

As you can see from the previous posters, the idea of the best brewing water changes depending on the brewer. For all beers, there needs to be some minerals in the water. Buying RO or distilled water gets you a blank slate and you can add the desired minerals when you brew. Water from areas next to the mountains often is quite soft as the water doesn't spend much time in the aquifer absorbing the minerals. Some aquifers have more soluble minerals, some have different compositions. Where I live I had a choice of 3 aquifers when my well was drilled and I'm quite sure each was of different mineral composition. I happened to choose the best water in the nation for brewing the beers I like.

 

[bobeer]

I have a pretty decent situation going on right now for my brewing water but I have no idea what's in my water as I just moved in June and haven't gotten it tested yet. However, I almost live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge so the water is decent. My old house, right before the mountains, the water was pretty hard since I was a lot closer to the wva line and their water is pretty hard. My new place has a filter and softener on the main waterline so it's pretty good for American style ales. Even darker beers come out nice. I can pull water right off of the street as well if I don't want the filter/softener and I also have an RO system tap at my kitchen sink if I want to build my own water.

I'd imagine CO, or WA would have the best water for brewing but it's all in the mouth of the beerholder. There's a lot of springs around the country that I would assume have good water as well.

 

[the-adjunct-hippie]

As you can see from the previous posters, the idea of the best brewing water changes depending on the brewer. For all beers, there needs to be some minerals in the water. Buying RO or distilled water gets you a blank slate and you can add the desired minerals when you brew. Water from areas next to the mountains often is quite soft as the water doesn't spend much time in the aquifer absorbing the minerals. Some aquifers have more soluble minerals, some have different compositions. Where I live I had a choice of 3 aquifers when my well was drilled and I'm quite sure each was of different mineral composition. I happened to choose the best water in the nation for brewing the beers I like.

How would you build a mineral profile? Like with Burton salts and calcium carbonate etc?
Thanks

 

[kevin58]

Like

How would you build a mineral profile? Like with Burton salts and calcium carbonate etc?
Thanks

Start with a base profile of the water you are using.... then compare that to a target profile of the style you want and adjust your base profile to match the target. Water is a complex enough subject that there have been books written about it but that is a simple explanation.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Lake Erie water is pretty good, and that's why N/E Ohio is the home of many well respected to award winning microbreweries. Unfortunately for me, I'm on a well, so I don't benefit from living where I do.

 

[catdaddy66]

Olympia, WA.

Lol!! When I was in college in the '80's my buddies and I drank a LOT of Olympia. I would cover up the word "the" in their slogan to improve its accuracy.

Truth in advertising, right?

 

[snowtiger1987]

A lot of the water we get here in the Front Range of Colorado comes through the Moffat Tunnel, a 6.2 mile limestone lined tunnel going through the Continental Divide. I find the water I get from that (after it goes through my municipality) has very little mineral content (so it is soft) and a fairly high Ph. I find it very easy t o brew with.