R/O and fermentation

[eye-of-ra]

Can someone confirm for me? I've recently moved. We get bottled R/O water delivered to our new house which I used for my last two batches (Cream Ale and Irish Red Ale). Everything seemed to go fine with the boils but when I got them into the carboys the fermentation took longer to kick in and the krausen was far smaller then my batches I've made in the past with spring water. Gravities turned out ok when finished, just took longer.

Is this because of the lack of minerals in the R/O?

 

[LakeErieMonster]

Yes.

I would recommend checking out the "Brew Science" page for tips on water chemistry and get a water calculator to dial in mineral additions. I use Bru'n Water.

 

[mabrungard]

The mineral content of the water shouldn't affect the performance of the ferment or the lag phase duration. More than likely, your fermenter is in a cooler spot than at your old house.

 

[depper]

I can't imagine that's the case. I just brewed my first batch last weekend using R/O and my fermentation kick off within 8 hrs of pitching and went crazy for 3 days. I added Fermcap after pitching and my krausen was still pretty high (good thing I did, otherwise I would have had a mess).

The question I would ask is how was your yeast prepared? I used a starter on a stir-plate and it took off great. Maybe your yeast had something to do with the slow fermentation. Just my 2 cents......but I don't feel R/O had anything to do with a slow fermentation.

 

[PoppinCaps]

All grain or extract?

 

[eye-of-ra]

The Cream Ale was an Extract w/steeping grains. The Irish Red was my first attempt at a partial mash.

At my old place my batches would ferment at about 67-68 F. At my new place its closer to 64 F. I'd love to warm it up a couple of degrees but I'm not sure what I can do. Well, cheaply and easily.

Since this was my first attempt at a partial mash I've been trying to get my head around water chemistry but it isn't sinking in. I've played around with Bru'N but am having trouble figuring out how to convert grams to tsp or oz. I'll keep reading, maybe it'll click before my next batch in a couple weeks.

Thanks all!

 

[PoppinCaps]

I'd second taking a look at the Water Chemistry Primer stickie in the Brew Science section. I wouldn't read the whole thing, just the first post. There are some very important minerals needed that are removed in RO water, some that may come with grain and extract, but not all.

I also wouldn't use BruN water until you've got all the basics together, those programs have a way of telling you to add 5lbs of chalk or something to otherwise fine water.

Again, none of this may have had anything to do with your fermentation issues, but working with new water definitely deserves a look.

 

[eye-of-ra]

Pretty sure I'm switching back to the spring water I'm familiar with. I've have the cream ale bottle conditioning for over two weeks and opened a bottle today to a flat beer. It's very tasty but no fizz what so ever. Pretty sure this batch is a no-go. Am I correct in assuming if there is no carbonation at this point that it probably isn't going to carbonate?

 

[WoodlandBrew]

It can take longer than two weeks to carbonate. It depends on how much priming sugar you used, how much viable yeast was in suspension, and the temperature.

RO water is great for extract brewing. The extract already has sufficient mineral content from the maltster that made the extract. There is no need to add any minerals to extract beers, but you can add some to alter the taste slightly.

 

[gatsby174]

If your ferment took longer than normal, then it follows that the carbing up will take longer too. I use ro/di water. No minerals added for extracts, but I do add cacl for all grain. I love using ro/di water, because I get constant results and can accurately share a recipe and know that it can be reproduced. Fyi, a few buddies who use tap water were getting homebrew"tang" in their extract beers, until they brewed at my house with my ro/di water. Water matters!

 

[osagedr]

I use RO almost exclusively.

But you need to take care of your mineral additions.

The EZ Water spreadsheet is pretty good!

http://www.ezwatercalculator.com/

 

[eye-of-ra]

Thanks for the awesome feedback!

Woodlnad Brew: Since I was uncharacteristically impatient in bottling this batch, I'll regain my patience and give it some more time to carb up.

Gatsby174: Since I'm starting to get into partial mashing I'm curious how my CaCl you add to the RO water for the mash? I know this is kinda cheating but it might help me start to better understand water additions.

 

[gatsby174]

Well, I've never partial mashed, so I'm not sure you need to worry about it. I think partial mash is more for flavor than fermentables? In a 3.5 gal mash, I usually use 1/4 teaspoon of cacl. Hope this helps.