Where do you get the right water?

[EZmacncheese]

I have been learning about AG brewing from How to Brew but I'm stumped on the water portion.

Where do you get your water?

Do you start from distilled water and add minerals from there?

Are there any good charts that will tell me what kind of water profile I need for each style of beer?

Is there a general guide for water available? I find the chapter in How to Brew needlessly wordy and lacking in practical information. To me its like telling someone about photosynthesis, how plants use water and minerals from the soil, the chemical processes that happen inside the plants, then expecting them to know how to grow some tomatoes.

 

[reverendj1]

I get my water from my faucet. I have never added anything to it. The general rule of thumb is that if it doesn't taste bad, then it's good for beer.

 

[duboman]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/brewing-water-chemistry-primer-198460/

This is a great place to start. Basically, if you have good drinking water you can start with that, if not then R/O or distilled is what people will go with. If you start with your own then get a water report. Most people use Ward Labs and send in a sample, they email you back a report pretty quick. In reality you don't want to just add things without knowing where your water is starting at as you can cause more harm then good

 

[EZmacncheese]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/brewing-water-chemistry-primer-198460/

Yes, that is exactly what I am looking for. Many thanks! :rockin:

 

[ajf]

I get it out of the faucet, but it is not ideal for the beers that I brew.
I started with a water report from my supplier, and then use bru'n water to adjust it: https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/
It may take you a little while to understand it, but it works fine for me.

-a.

 

[greenhaze]

Read Palmers How to brew. He has a great section on WATER. If you have a report from your water company you can plug your numbers into his nomograph on the back page which tells you what type of beer suits your water.
Also in the water chapter he goes into how to adjust your water profile if you want to brew a different style.
GET THE BOOK
Slainte

 

[tgmartin000]

I use distilled and add salts back.

 

[kiblerjd]

I just started diving into the wonderful world of water chemistry. Are you doing 10 gallon batches or five gallon batches? Either way, just my two cents, you do not want to get in the business of going to the store and buying water ever time you want to brew. Brewing takes a lot of water. My 10 gallon batches typically use 15 gallons of water.

Use your tap water as a starting point and modify it if you really think it is necessary. Send your water to Ward and get a water sample done. They have one specifically for brewers... I got the W-6 and it has everything you need.

I just did my first batch where I modified my water a little bit and my initial reaction is that it was worth it, but only time will tell because it isn't even kegged yet. I brew beers on the lighter side so I found that the most important thing I needed to correct was my mash ph. I also needed to add Gypsum to get the SO4 levels up.

Not sure if anyone else on this site uses it, but i purchased a membership to brewersfriend.com. I have used every single calculator mentioned on this site and for me the advanced calculator on brewersfriend is by far the easiest to work with. It is a very powerful tool and in my opinion it is leaps and bounds better than promash.

 

[highgravitybacon]

The faucet, some lactic acid, and Colorphast strips work for me.

 

[dyqik]

In Boston, the faucet, a quarter of a campden tablet and some salts (Burton salts if you're being lazy and making an English style) works fine.

 

[smyrnaquince]

Where do you get your water?

Do you start from distilled water and add minerals from there?

I think the answers are highly dependent on the water the individual brewer has and may not apply to you. You really need a water report; the one from your water department maybe good enough. It depends on how detailed the report is and/or how helpful the water department is when you ask questions. (Mine was great.)

I'd say that if some components of your water profile are out of whack high, then you'll need distilled or RO water to dilute or replace your tap water. If components are out of whack low, then you'll probably be able to make additions to bring them up to where you want them.

I think that if you really want to get exact with your water, though, you might need the Ward Labs analysis.

 

[LibertyBrewer]

If I'm brewing a pilsner, I get if from the water softener.