does water really matter that much?

[dad_of_jon]

i've been brewing with RO water, which is pretty much free of all "impurities" like gypsum etc.

i know commercial breweries like to make a big deal about their water, like Burtonizing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewing_methods#Burtonisation or water from the Colorado Rockies, etc

but does such tiny trace amounts of additives make any noticable difference to the final taste really?

thx

I have to say i've only ever used tesco's value water as the stuff that comes out of the tap is awful. So yes i'm a believer in water being important. the tesco's water has been great in a wide range of beers. As myqul has discovered bottled water has improved his pales, and I've found it's also been fine for my darker beers.

 

[Dutto]

Most potable RO water (whether produced from seawater or groundwater) is "re-mineralised" after the RO process and at the same time the pH is adjusted to somewhere between 6.8 and 8.1.

In view of this, I recommend that you get a water report from your local supplier to establish what has already been done to the water before you start with any additives.

Hope this helps. :thumb::thumb:

PS

One fun job I had when I was working was as Commissioning Manager on a 20,000TPD water treatment plant in Riyadh.

The plant took Treated Sewage (they took the lumps out) from the Riyadh Sewage Works and ultimately produced Boiler Feed Water by a process of RO and Ion Exchange.

Happy Days! :thumb: :thumb: