# Rain Water



## 3G (29/5/09)

Has anyone in Adelaide had rainwater analysed? My ph meter reads it at around 7.5. 
Obviously it varies with location. What sort of salts levels have you been reading.

Cheers for any help you can give.


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## drsmurto (29/5/09)

3G said:


> Has anyone in Adelaide had rainwater analysed? My ph meter reads it at around 7.5.
> Obviously it varies with location. What sort of salts levels have you been reading.
> 
> Cheers for any help you can give.



I did last winter. 

From memory the levels of brewing related ions were <0.1 ppm. 

Tested on an ICP-MS. Didnt check pH but with the absence of almost anything i would assume its pretty close to 7. Will stick some pH paper in some on the weekend if i remember.


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## dj1984 (29/5/09)

What do you guys add to adelaide tap water to make pilsners ect. 

Sorry for the off topic question


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## 3G (29/5/09)

dj1984 said:


> What do you guys add to adelaide tap water to make pilsners ect.
> 
> Sorry for the off topic question



To rain water i add the following
For a czech pils calcium to 50ppm, magnesium to 15ppm for yeast.
Balanced sulfate to chloride ratio of low levels.


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## 3G (29/5/09)

DrSmurto said:


> I did last winter.
> 
> From memory the levels of brewing related ions were <0.1 ppm.
> 
> Tested on an ICP-MS. Didnt check pH but with the absence of almost anything i would assume its pretty close to 7. Will stick some pH paper in some on the weekend if i remember.




Hmmm, wonder what is making my PH up to 7.5?


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## hatchor (29/5/09)

3G said:


> Hmmm, wonder what is making my PH up to 7.5?




what's being dissolved off your roof? Bird crap contains concentrated bird piss (the white dollop on top)......

cheers


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## 3G (29/5/09)

hatchor said:


> what's being dissolved off your roof? Bird crap contains concentrated bird piss (the white dollop on top)......
> 
> cheers



Yeah, bird poo, colorbond roof and zincalume tank.


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## A3k (22/12/10)

Hi guys,
I got a rainwater tank a few months ago. I have used it for my last few brews. All beers were good, but couldn't if the water had anything to do with it.

Ive been reading Noonans New Brewing Lager, and he explicitly says that rain water is unsuitable for brewing. (See exert at the bottom of post)

I think ill still use it once my tank has water in it again, but i was curious what others thoughts on this are.
The comment about HCO3 may be when stored in a Concrete Tank, maybe.

Rainwaier should be the purest
natural source of water, but because it assimilates 
atmospheric gases and organic mineral particles wherever the air is
the least bit polluted, most rainwater is absolutely unsuitable
for use in brewing. Precipitation in areas far removed from 
large fossil-fuel burning plants more often than not is still
polluted by Highly corrosive sulfuric add (H2SO4). Free
hydrogen carbonates (HCO3, usually referred to as bicarbonates)
are also common in rainwater. They rob the calcium
from the mash, wort, and ferment by forming bicarbonate
salts that are precipitated from solution during boiling.

Cheers,
Al


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## kalbarluke (22/12/10)

I live in a rural area and the only water I use is rainwater as I don't have mains water connected to my house. Seems to work fine for me. I always thought rainwater would be better because it has no chlorine.

I may be wrong, but I remember reading in a beer magazine an article on one of the main microbreweries in Melbourne (Mountain Goat, maybe?). They collect rainwater from the roof of their brewery in massive tanks and are self sufficient in water. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.


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## matt white (22/12/10)

Been using rainwater for 10 years with no problems.


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## warra48 (22/12/10)

If I was Noonan, I wouldn't use rainwater from somewhere like Pittsburgh USA, for example, either, or from many other major USA cities. It's sure to be polluted to a major degree.

However, the rainwater where I live is perfect. I get it from my neighbour's tank. I've been up on her roof, and as far as roofs go, it's as clean as you'll see. We use it to make our tea, and the improvement in taste compared to even filtered tap water is very noticable. If it does that for our tea, I figure it will have a similar effect on my beer, and that's good enough for me. 

It's also much easier to manipulate tank water to get to the profile I want than to do it with tap water.


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## Ducatiboy stu (22/12/10)

Rain water is perfect for pilsners... no real need to add anything

Does need Gypsum, Epsom salts etc for a good english bitter in the Burton-On-Trent style of ales


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## A3k (23/12/10)

Cheers guys,
I was pretty much expecting (and hoping for) a response like that. I did think that Noonan was being a bit dramatic with that.

Im about 5mins south of CBD Adelaide which isnt very poluted. Rain water seems good here, so ill probably still use it. I do like being able assume RO water when adding salts, and also starting with something other than Adelaide water (which i do like the taste of)

I was just a little put off when I read that statement.

Cheers,
Al


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## wiley (23/12/10)

warra48 said:


> If I was Noonan, I wouldn't use rainwater from somewhere like Pittsburgh USA, for example, either, or from many other major USA cities. It's sure to be polluted to a major degree.
> 
> However, the rainwater where I live is perfect. I get it from my neighbour's tank. I've been up on her roof, and as far as roofs go, it's as clean as you'll see. We use it to make our tea, and the improvement in taste compared to even filtered tap water is very noticable. If it does that for our tea, I figure it will have a similar effect on my beer, and that's good enough for me.
> 
> It's also much easier to manipulate tank water to get to the profile I want than to do it with tap water.



Does the rainwater have to be boiled as for making tea, or can it be used straight from the tank?

w


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## RdeVjun (23/12/10)

wiley said:


> Does the rainwater have to be boiled as for making tea, or can it be used straight from the tank?


Kits: Depends. What ever goes into your fermenter needs to be sanitary and while some rainwater tanks may indeed be so, some certainly aren't (mine is one of those). If you're confident the water won't be a source of infection, then don't boil it (and perhaps cross your fingers)...
All- Grain (nb. this sub- forum is AG & Partials): Part of the process is the actual boil, so it is inevitable that the water will be boiled anyway.


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## warra48 (23/12/10)

wiley said:


> Does the rainwater have to be boiled as for making tea, or can it be used straight from the tank?
> 
> w



Well, for tea it gets brought to the boil, we brew the tea, drink it, and we'fve survived nicely so far.

All my water for my beers get boiled for at least an hour anyway in the brewing process.

I don't use the tank water unboiled.


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## DU99 (23/12/10)

run it thru a water filter...


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## drsmurto (23/12/10)

A3k said:


> Cheers guys,
> I was pretty much expecting (and hoping for) a response like that. I did think that Noonan was being a bit dramatic with that.
> 
> Im about 5mins south of CBD Adelaide which isnt very poluted. Rain water seems good here, so ill probably still use it. I do like being able assume RO water when adding salts, and also starting with something other than Adelaide water (which i do like the taste of)
> ...



Hi Al

I use rainwater and make adjustments depending on what style i am brewing. I live in the hills so rainwater quality is excellent, i drink it unfiltered. I grew up in the country and only drank rainwater. I filter mains water before drinking it.

Whilst i respect Noonan and think his book should be on every brewer's shelf, his comments on rainwater are shortsighted and ignorant.

Rainwater quality depends on a number of things, the air through which the rain falls, the roof which it falls on and the way it is stored and dispensed.

Can you drink the water without filtering/boiling it? What does it taste like?

A few experiments with recipes you have already brewed and are happy with would be where i would start. Adjust the water back to whatever profile you were using and see if you can taste any differences.

Cheers
DrSmurto


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## Batz (23/12/10)

3G said:


> Hmmm, wonder what is making my PH up to 7.5?




Do you have a concrete tank? PH can go off the scale with them.

Batz


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