Tap Water Contamination(?)

[Iowa Brewer]

Bah! Just got my wort neatly cooled, was adding another round of water to the ice water, and the ruddy kettle hovered over (on some ice?) and went very briefly under the running tap. I'm using the tap water for the brew, so more concerned with adding contaminants. I have two questions:

1. Should the active yeast eat up any problems?

2. I have to boil in two kettles because my microwave clearance is too low. Should I throw the kettle that the water went into and make it a 3gal batch?

Thanks!

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Have you ever made a hopped extract kit homebrew, one of the tins where you just add water (and maybe extra malt extract or dextrose)? They are made by dissolving the thick extract in hot water, then adding cold water to get the starting volume. The cold water comes straight from the tap (I've not seen anyone boil it first). Contamination from these is rare as long as your water is clean (all town water supply in the US would need to meet guidelines, so would be considered clean). I've made a few batches where I topped up with cold water before fermentation to boost my volume, using rainwater collected off my roof that has sticks, leaves, bugs, bird poo and possum piss (no chlorine). None of the beers were contaminated.

So, to answer your questions:
1. Yes, the yeast will eat up any problems as long as your pitching rate is good.
2. Keep the full 6 gallons.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Odds are it will turn out just fine.

 

[GPP33]

Not sure I can get behind using rain run-off from your roof but I’d bet water from your tap is just fine, especially if you give it a healthy pitch of yeast. Come back in a couple weeks and let us know how it turned out.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Not sure I can get behind using rain run-off from your roof

I wouldn't either in most places (especially large cities) so don't recommend others do it. I'm fortunate to have some of the cleanest air and rainwater in the world.

 

[HopsNTails]

I wouldn't either in most places (especially large cities) so don't recommend others do it. I'm fortunate to have some of the cleanest air and rainwater in the world.

Wild yeast is literally everywhere. A high pitch rate definitely counteracts this, but my guess is if you topped off with your rain water and didnt pitch, you'd end up with some interesting (not necessarily bad) beer

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Wild yeast is literally everywhere. A high pitch rate definitely counteracts this, but my guess is if you topped off with your rain water and didnt pitch, you'd end up with some interesting (not necessarily bad) beer

If you didn't pitch yeast you'd end up with interesting beer just from air-born microbes. We don't produce sterile wort (it would be close to if you put boiling wort in a container and sealed it to chill, but I digress). Yes, my water would have higher levels of biological contaminants than treated water, but they are still low enough to not cause problems. It's all off topic anyway, assuming Iowa Brewer lives in Iowa and uses municipal supply water, his brew should be good.

 

[HopsNTails]

If you didn't pitch yeast you'd end up with interesting beer just from air-born microbes. We don't produce sterile wort (it would be close to if you put boiling wort in a container and sealed it to chill, but I digress). Yes, my water would have higher levels of biological contaminants than treated water, but they are still low enough to not cause problems. It's all off topic anyway, assuming Iowa Brewer lives in Iowa and uses municipal supply water, his brew should be good.

Agreed[emoji109]

 

[Iowa Brewer]

I've made a few batches where I topped up with cold water before fermentation to boost my volume, using rainwater collected off my roof that has sticks, leaves, bugs, bird poo and possum piss (no chlorine). None of the beers were contaminated.

Brilliant answer Gnomebrewer!
So did the bird poop and possum piss add to the IBU?

 

[Iowa Brewer]

Not sure I can get behind using rain run-off from your roof but I’d bet water from your tap is just fine, especially if you give it a healthy pitch of yeast. Come back in a couple weeks and let us know how it turned out.

Thanks GPP33, and I sure will let you all know how it comes along.

 

[Iowa Brewer]

If you didn't pitch yeast you'd end up with interesting beer just from air-born microbes. We don't produce sterile wort (it would be close to if you put boiling wort in a container and sealed it to chill, but I digress). Yes, my water would have higher levels of biological contaminants than treated water, but they are still low enough to not cause problems. It's all off topic anyway, assuming Iowa Brewer lives in Iowa and uses municipal supply water, his brew should be good.

Yup! City water source. Good water, too. Thanks everyone for all the insight. It’s my wife’s fav beer, so I sure don’t want to mess it up (I’m too tall to sleep on the sofa!)

 

[Knkbrand]

i was chilling an oatmeal stout outside with a wort chiller connected my garden hose. at about 100 degrees and dropping, my dog came out and i was worried she would hit the still hot propane burner, turned back to the wort chiller, and the hose water from the chiller was going straight into the fermentation bucket. Best oatmeal stout I have made...called it hose water stout. You will be fine.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

So did the bird poop and possum piss add to the IBU?

Possum piss is so thick and syrupy (and has a distinctive smell that all Australians know) I'm wondering if it might increase specific gravity. My roof is actually too steep to get them so my water should be 1.000!

 

[HopsNTails]

Bah! Just got my wort neatly cooled, was adding another round of water to the ice water, and the ruddy kettle hovered over (on some ice?) and went very briefly under the running tap. I'm using the tap water for the brew, so more concerned with adding contaminants. I have two questions:

1. Should the active yeast eat up any problems?

2. I have to boil in two kettles because my microwave clearance is too low. Should I throw the kettle that the water went into and make it a 3gal batch?

Thanks!

Way to late now, but why not split the fermentation and see what happens? You wouldn't be out anything more than if you dumped the pot of concern.

 

[SEndorf]

@Gnomebrewer..... I like your style....