Water from bottles or tap?

[Graham]

I am currently on my fourth kit brew and have always used bottled water for my brews.

I notice from reading this forum that most homebrewers seem to use tap water and treat it with a campdem tablet.

does it make any difference? Are there advantages/disadvantages to each approach?

I ask this question because I find my brews tend to come in a bit under the ABV I was expecting.

PS I tried searching the forum for an answer to this as I am sure it will have been asked before, but the forum search engine doesnt like it when you search for a common term like water. It was a case of "Computer Says No".

 

[tbert33]

Id like to know th e answer to this question too Graham. Ive been using the cheap asda bottle water as SWMBO has banned us from drinking anything from the tap due to 'lead pipes'.

 

[Graham]

I get mine in Lidl. Works out about £2-50 for enough water for a 40 pint brew.

 

[tbert33]

I pay 1.70 for 20 litres. Its the propper cheapo stuff.The slogan on the bottle says 'Good for Hydration'... well no **** sherlock i didnt realise that water had hydrating qualities! Always cracks me up.

Its probably from a local sewer or pond but apperantly its 'its better then lead poisoning'.

 

[Zedilly]

I pay 1.70 for 20 litres. Its the propper cheapo stuff.The slogan on the bottle says 'Good for Hydration'... well no **** sherlock i didnt realise that water had hydrating qualities! Always cracks me up.

Its probably from a local sewer or pond but apperantly its 'its better then lead poisoning'.

My grandparents had lead pipes in their cottage round the corner from us and I swear it was the best tasting water I've ever had.

 

[mabrungard]

When brewing with malt extracts, using water with low mineralization is preferable. That is because the extract already contains a measure of minerals from the maltster's water supply. Distilled or RO water are examples of low mineralized water, but there may be other sources locally (maybe the tap water has low mineralization?).

You can always add a little more chloride or sulfate to suit the beer style.

 

[Graham]

When brewing with malt extracts, using water with low mineralization is preferable. That is because the extract already contains a measure of minerals from the maltster's water supply. Distilled or RO water are examples of low mineralized water, but there may be other sources locally (maybe the tap water has low mineralization?).

You can always add a little more chloride or sulfate to suit the beer style.

I dont honestly know what the mineral levels are in my local tap water. I only use bottled mineral water to save me from dechlorinating the water prior to use in homebrew.

 

[Robbo100]

You can download a water report from your water supplier's website and get all the details.

There is a calculator available that let's you put the details from your water company in, and it tells you what you need to do to treat your water.

That said, I have only ever used straight tap water for my brews, but I am not a particularly "pro" brewer.