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hi guys
last night i thought i'd try something
i went and bought 24L of spring water to use with my next brew

can i expect a difference between it and the sydney bog-water i've used on all my other brews?

Turner wrote:hi guys
last night i thought i'd try something
i went and bought 24L of spring water to use with my next brew

can i expect a difference between it and the sydney bog-water i've used on all my other brews?

I have heard Sydney has quite good water for brewing, though I can not say for sure.

I know here I did notice a big difference!

It's worth a shot. Basically try it and see. The biggest difference you will notice will probably be due to the lack of chlorine.

Should work really well with a kit or extract brew. If you are brewing all grain, you may need some adjustments to suit the style you are brewing.

Chris wrote:It's worth a shot. Basically try it and see. The biggest difference you will notice will probably be due to the lack of chlorine.

And a difference in the weight of your wallet.
Never had a problem with Sydney water myself.

I never did either. I did get into the habit of pre-boiling it though. That got rid of a lot of the Cl.

$8.00 for 24 litres of spring wayer at ALDI supermarkets.

I've always boiled the water before using it to remove the chlorine.

Our water here is pumped from a near-by mountain river and treated with chlorine.

I'm from Grafton, and there used to be a Tooheys factory here.

They used the local water to brew, and I have been informed that the beer that came from here tasted alot better back then.

I was too young to sample it back then, so I can't say for sure.

I think that the residual minerals in the water must aid the fermentation.

I'd say that they simply cut costs.

Getting slightly off-topic.
I remember reading somewhere once that you shouldn't use reverse osmosis filtered water for brewing. Can anyone confirm this? And if so: does it only apply to AG brewing? or kits as well.

It's not really any good for AG, but I see no major reason why you couldn't use it otherwise. I don't think it would do the flavour of your beer any favours though.

Thanks Chris.
I have used my RO filter a couple of times and didn't notice any discernible difference. Think I'll just stick to tap water.

As far as I can see, RO is just an extra step/cost/level of complexity that I see no real advantage in doing. I guess it's fine if you are happy to then adjust your water chemistry thereafter.

I've heared that chlorinated water can stuff up some beers more than others. Apparently it really ruins the smoky flavours in Rauchbier. That said, I made a Rauchbier with standard Melbourne tap water (unboiled) and it was awesome .

Personally, I've only ever used tap water and never boiled it. I haven't had any problems with any of my K&Ks, partials or AGs

The biggest problem with chlorine is basically chlorophenol production. Some styles probably can hide this flavour, others can't.

....

Ok, it's not good for AG 'as is.'

In actuality it gives you the most absolute starting point possible from which to adjust mineral levels.

...

chris. wrote:

Chris wrote:Ok, it's not good for AG 'as is.'

In actuality it gives you the most absolute starting point possible from which to adjust mineral levels.

<moderated>

Putting up a challenge to Kevin?

What did I miss this time?

Yes. Leave it.