What Water Do You Use

[muse435]

I recently read that you should not use a water filter for your beer because the activated charcoal is a perfect place for microbes to grow. The article went on to say that the microbes are almost never that would harm a human, however are perfect for ruining beer. I was just wondering what kind of water everyone uses.

 

[BendBrewer]

Yeah, whatever might grow in a filter isn't going to survive a 60 minute boil. I think people refrain from filters because they strip out minerals that are desired for making beer. Others use filters and adjust their water profile.

I use water from the hose.

 

[muse435]

Yeah, whatever might grow in a filter isn't going to survive a 60 minute boil. I think people refrain from filters because they strip out minerals that are desired for making beer. Others use filters and adjust their water profile.

I use water from the hose.

I completely understand using tap water in the boil, unfortunately I can't handle a full boil in my apartment. So I was really thinking more about adding cold water, I thought about boiling the tap water then cooling it during the boil of the wort.

 

[mikebowman]

I completely understand using tap water in the boil, unfortunately I can't handle a full boil in my apartment. So I was really thinking more about adding cold water, I thought about boiling the tap water then cooling it during the boil of the wort.

I don't even do that. Boil with tap water, then top-up with water straight from the tap. It's nice and cold, gets the wort chilled quick

 

[Airborneguy]

I use straight tap water for everything.

 

[ceannt]

I'm a straight from the tap guy.... my water is very high in carbonates, so I will occasionally dilute with distilled, if a particular style wants soft water.

 

[Scooby_Brew]

I just use my tap water/garden hose. BYOB. I am fortunate enough to live in a part of the country with one of the best drinking water.

I completely understand using tap water in the boil, unfortunately I can't handle a full boil in my apartment. So I was really thinking more about adding cold water, I thought about boiling the tap water then cooling it during the boil of the wort.

For partial boil I would just buy ice cubes, they not only made out of drinking quality water, but you are also cooling the wort at the same time.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Tap water from a well.

 

[BendBrewer]

I personally wouldn't recommend ice cubes. Ice can definitely harbor bacteria.

If your tap water doesn't make you sick or taste bad, just top off with that.

 

[Rev2010]

Tap water here as well. Supposedly my areas water is relatively good, always tastes fine too. Besides, bottled water can get quite expensive with the many gallons homebrewers use and to be honest, I've seen all the water reports and since bottled water isn't regulated by the FDA it often contains much more contaminants than tap water.


Rev.

 

[muse435]

Dumb question for all of those who say tap, have you ever had an issue with infection?

 

[Acoma]

I used a Brita jug to filter the water. Can you post the link? I'd like to read it. Thanks.

 

[BendBrewer]

Dumb question for all of those who say tap, have you ever had an issue with infection?

Nope. Does your tap water make you sick?

 

[BendBrewer]

used a Brita jug to filter the water.

Wow. You have a lot of time on your hands. I hate it when I have to wait for enough water in my Brita jug for a batch of coffee. I can't even imagine doing it for a brew.

 

[Acoma]

Wow. You have a lot of time on your hands. I hate it when I have to wait for enough water in my Brita jug for a batch of coffee. I can't even imagine doing it for a brew.

It was actually my first batch. I had no idea it took so long for that jug to filter it. It took for-fn-ever. I'm going to try something different next time. I'm in AZ and the tap water sucks. It doesnt make me sick but I'd hate to risk using it on beer.

 

[muse435]

Thank you verymuch for the advise, I think i am going to use my tap water from here oon out and see what happens. My tap water does not make me sick and i often drink water that has been sitting out a day or so later.

This is where I read about the filters and made me curious what others do in the first place.

Essentially all tap water, whether it is water from a private well or municipal water that has been treated with biocides, may contain significant concentrations of viable microorganisms as well as organic and inorganic substances that may have a detrimental impact on winemaking or brewing. And home water treatment systems can further complicate the situation. Microorganisms are likely to flourish on the large surface areas provided by beds of activated carbon and water softener exchange resins.

The Original Article

 

[Airborneguy]

My friend in Colorado Brita's all his brewing water also. I HATE brewing with him when I visit!

 

[GuldTuborg]

I use tap, but I treat it for chlorine and chloramine.

 

[Acoma]

Thank you verymuch for the advise, I think i am going to use my tap water from here oon out and see what happens. My tap water does not make me sick and i often drink water that has been sitting out a day or so later.

This is where I read about the filters and made me curious what others do in the first place.

The Original Article

 

[BendBrewer]

I used to fill my HLT with tap water out of my sink one gallon at a time. It took awhile. Bought a white food grade RV hose and a sight glass from Bobby and now I get 10 gallons in the the tank in about a minute.

 

[muse435]

I use tap, but I treat it for chlorine and chloramine.

Does that make your water/beer taste chlorinated?

 

[rwmiscik]

I believe by treating it he meant he got rid of the clorine and chloramine. I am wondering what you use to treat for clorine and chloramine because I recently brewed my first lighter color beer and it tastes like soap which, from what ive read, is from having too much cholramine in the water. I know it can also come from being on the yeast too long but it was only on the yeast for seven days.

 

[muse435]

I believe by treating it he meant he got rid of the clorine and chloramine. I am wondering what you use to treat for clorine and chloramine because I recently brewed my first lighter color beer and it tastes like soap which, from what ive read, is from having too much cholramine in the water. I know it can also come from being on the yeast too long but it was only on the yeast for seven days.

IMHO, 7 days is not considered a long time on the yeast, if anything most people keep it on the yeast even longer

 

[Zamial]

I use a Pur filter that attaches to the sink. While I am not a subject matter expert, water only has an effect on the mash and that is all pre-boil. I can not say I have an issue with "topping off" as I boil to my target volume normally 13.5 gallons to 12-12.5 gallons. Using exotic water seems a bit silly to me esspecially for extract brewers.

Do you know how to make crystal clear ice? Do you know what causes haze inside an ice cube? Let me explain and feel free to try this at home!

Take a pot of water and boil it. Take it off of heat and let it cool to room temps naturally (artificially may also work never tried it that way). Carefully decant the water like you are pouring a homebrew leaving the bottom water in the pot into a different pot. Boil and let cool as before, decant and freeze it. Those ice cubes will be crystal clear!

So what was taken out? well, minerals and oxygen mostly but other contaminants as well. While we do not double boil I contend that minerals "fall out" during the boil anyways...not all of them but a good portion.

Use what you are comfortable using. I started out using Ice Mountain and have now switched to tap. The only place water matters IMO is the mash and then it is a matter of the right PH and minerals per style, if you care about it that much. (some folks do.) The best rule of thumb I follow is pre boil, no real worries, post boil anything that touches my wort gets sanitized at the very least. My water filter has nothing to do with anything lol.

I have only had 1 infection and it was 100% my doing. Meh, it is a sour beer now...lol.

 

[azscoob]

I live in AZ and I have to deal with extremely hard water, depending on what I am brewing I blend R.O. water with tap water that has been treated with campden tabs to clear up all the chlorine and chloramine in our water. So I get the minerals needed from the tap water, and just tweak to desired levels with the R.O.

 

[GoldMiner]

I started out using bottled water and slowly switched to all tap water from a well.

I've since switched back to all bottled water after several batches had the same off-taste - different styles, different yeast strains, different grains .

May be a coincidence but no more off-taste.

 

[kingmatt]

I get a couple of those big 2.5 gallon spring waters from the grocery store.

 

[Rev2010]

My friend in Colorado Brita's all his brewing water also. I HATE brewing with him when I visit!

I would think that would get expensive too no? Filtering so many gallons with those things and having to replace them. Those filters are not cheap.


Rev.

 

[bowiefan]

Our city has very deep municiple wells that bring up VERY soft water. I use a carbon filter to remove the chlorine and sent a sample of my filtered water to the lab for annalysis. Turned out that, once filtered, my tap water is almost identicle to the water profile of Pilsen. Easy base line to start with and build up to style.

 

[remilard]

I would think that would get expensive too no? Filtering so many gallons with those things and having to replace them. Those filters are not cheap.


Rev.

Probably cheaper than the 30 cents a gallon I pay for brewing water.

Brewing is the only hoppy I've been around where people obsess about being cheap.

 

[freakshow10mm]

Nope. Does your tap water make you sick?

Not talking about us getting sick, the beer being infected by bacteria and minerals from the water. There are things in water that are fine to drink but will ruin the beer. That's what he was talking about.

 

[GuldTuborg]

Does that make your water/beer taste chlorinated?

Haha, no, I'm not adding chlorine. I'm treating for chlorine and chloramine, not with them. I use campden tablets (sodium metabisulfate). One tablet clears 20 gallons of water. My water smells like a swimming pool if I don't use it. Afterwords, my tap water tastes and smells pretty good.

 

[muse435]

Haha, no, I'm not adding chlorine. I'm treating for chlorine and chloramine, not with them. I use campden tablets (sodium metabisulfate). One tablet clears 20 gallons of water. My water smells like a swimming pool if I don't use it. Afterwords, my tap water tastes and smells pretty good.

I should have read more clearly

 

[knotquiteawake]

I don't like the taste of my tap water so I wouldn't use it in brewing.
I just buy the $0.99 per gallon albertsons "spring water" and that seems just fine for my uses in partial mash.

 

[Airborneguy]

Brewing is the only hoppy I've been around where people obsess about being cheap.

It's not always being cheap. Why would I buy water when my tap water produces great beer? Bottled water has no inherent aspect that makes it better than tap. In a lot of cases, you are merely buying a filtered version of your tap water anyway.

 

[GuldTuborg]

^^^ Several bottled waters in my area state on the label which municipal water supply they use. Many of them are just steam distilling or filtering someone else's tap water (or maybe even yours). I'm not claiming you shouldn't use bottled water, just that it's often nothing special or different from standard tap water, once treated for a few remaining nasties.

 

[tucsonmike]

I have hard water, so I use 1/2 tap water(for mash) and 1/2 RO water. It's been working good.

 

[azscoob]

I have hard water, so I use 1/2 tap water(for mash) and 1/2 RO water. It's been working good.

I have had pretty good luck with a 50/50 ratio myself, makes for a fantastic ESB!

 

[ktm250]

I have always used untreated tap water. Never have had an infection. My well is hand dug, 20 ft. deep, 130 yrs old., filled in with 57's and 2's and covered. We get it tested for nitrates and such every couple of years due to the fact that we live in a village where everybody has a well and a septic system on their half acre lots.

 

[cklages]

I selected other. Usually I get my water from an artesian well in a ditch about 50 miles south of town. That stuff is crystal clear, cold and tastes awesome, but is pretty light on the minerals. I've started adding a bit of calcium to try to keep the haze down, but that is subject to some further experimentation.

My latest batch is an experiment with my 'tap' water which is just untreated lake water. I am interested to see if I can detect any off flavours or odours, but seeing that I shower in the stuff, I might not be the best judge. Of course its not like I enter competitions, so if I can't taste it then who cares...kind of a tree falling in a forest that nobody hears.