OMG water what a mine field

bootneck · Mar 18, 2014

Just started brewing , two kits under my belt munt ons cider in second barrel and Taylors landlord in FV.
Nowhere in the kits did it mention the purity , hardness or chlorine factor of the water, and looking at some of the posts I can see it can have a huge effect on the beer.
I have used water out of the tap just as it comes , not sure if that's a mistake or not.
Also I do have access to the Malvern spring and wondered if I should use this for my brew ?
Any advise welcome.

krazypara3165 · Mar 18, 2014

As a new brewer I wouldn't worry too much about the water as its best just to get the basics nailed first. Most people remove the chlorine by using a campden tablet, spring water wont hurt and will usually be better than tap water but as a new brewer myself I would be unsure if i would taste the difference (ive used it on my wherry) but it will obviously increase the cost of your brew.

bootneck · Mar 18, 2014

krazypara3165 said:
As a new brewer I wouldn't worry too much about the water as its best just to get the basics nailed first. Most people remove the chlorine by using a campden tablet, spring water wont hurt and will usually be better than tap water but as a new brewer myself I would be unsure if i would taste the difference (ive used it on my wherry) but it will obviously increase the cost of your brew.

Roger that.

Will see how my first brew turns out and try a second with spring water.
But from all the reviews I have read on the cider kit it might be 6 months before that's drinkable

oz11 · Mar 18, 2014

Above and beyond campden, water treatment is not necessary for kit brewing. When you go all grain (and you should

) then you might want to look further :thumb:

pittsy · Mar 18, 2014

Dme and lme as already been malted with treated water , so to get as near as possible to whatever the malt house did you are better off using RO water or water with as little in it as possible because it will only add to what has already been done . It shouldn't make much difference by using tap water unless you have terrible water ( horrible to drink ) Distilled water is also ideal . You'll get better results by using kits and lme or dme and avoid brew enhancer or sugar .
Sugar itself is in the wrong state and the yeast has to change to eat it up which isn't wanted . Dme , Lme and candi sugar are in a different state and the yeast is able to eat it up without changing .
This is also why making a starter with sugar is a bad idea . hope this helps .

LeithR · Mar 18, 2014

I agree with the general sentiment at this stage of your brewing education water treatment is not necessary, its an advanced activity, but ultimately water needs to be correct for the type of beer you want to brew. It is also indicative of why Burton on Trent for instance is a brewing centre. The local untreated water is excellent for brewing the beer that Burton is well known for.

HERE is a link for some further reading on the subject but don't dwell on it yet, get your head around the process first.