Kit Brewer

[dam-re1]

still on the kits

can i use tap water?mate told me that sa water has high chlorine count and will effect the yeast(destroy it) if you use it

is this true,or can I use it?

if so,

straight from the tap or boil the bugger up first let it cool then use

cheers for any help

noob Dan

 

[smollocks]

I was told that if your tap water is good enough to drink, it's good enough to brew.

 

[dam-re1]

me also..but my mate is a ex brewer and goes and says this..gets you thinking..used spring water and cocked up on that..temp was too high..another story...

not looking for the pinnacle of beers,just a decent sinkable beer on the cheap..any sa tap water brewers out their?

 

[jonocarroll]

can i use tap water?mate told me that sa water has high chlorine count and will effect the yeast(destroy it) if you use it

is this true,or can I use it?

if so,

straight from the tap or boil the bugger up first let it cool then use

Firstly, you'll get specific help if you put your location in your profile... Adelaide? Regional SA?...

I've always used Adelaide mains water for my brews. For kits I used it straight from the garden tap no less. Never had an issue. If you have the means to boil that much water and cool it in a sanitary way, it probably won't hurt, but you can get away with just putting the cold water in.

Adelaide water is particularly good because it's hard water - full of nutrients for yeast. The chlorine is hit and miss - if you can really taste/smell it, perhaps mix half tap water with half spring water. As above, if you can drink it, you can brew with it.

Good luck :icon_cheers:

 

[brendo]

it is a good idea to filter your brewing water... it will remove chlorine along with anything else that might be hanging around.

More than anything, it will probably affect taste - when I started I didn't bother, but once I started I noticed a definite difference.

Up to you mate - but I would definitely filter it.

Cheers,

Brendo

PS - welcome to the boards...

 

[JSGA Fan]

I stopped using tap water a month ago. Not a big fan of the water where I'm from.
I'm about a week away from trying my new bottled water brews, this will give me the decision wheather to continue using the bottled water or not.

What I read somewhere was, if your water has strong chlorine or other flavours, it will probably come out in your beer.

 

[Pennywise]

When I first moved to Melb and really got into my brewing I used to buy the 10 litre spring water bottles, but brewing once a week (sometimes twice) and starting to use spec grains and yeast it got a tad expensive. So I just started using the tap water, can't tell the difference to be honest. I say give the tap water a go and if doesn't turn out, well, lesson learnt :icon_cheers:

edit: speelang

 

[drsmurto]

still on the kits

can i use tap water?mate told me that sa water has high chlorine count and will effect the yeast(destroy it) if you use it

is this true,or can I use it?

if so,

straight from the tap or boil the bugger up first let it cool then use

cheers for any help

noob Dan

Lots of urban myths about Adelaide's tap water...

Its actually softer than people think with a relatively low level of the important brewing cation Ca2+ (~25 ppm). It does have quite a high sodium and chloride content. The smell is from the chlorine/chloramine.

If you are worried about the chlorine/chloramine smell, fill up your fermenter the day before you brew to let most of the chlorine escape. This is what i do. If you have a water filter (other than a jug filter which will take you a week of sundays to do a 20L batch) you can do use that.

Some people boil it, others use a sodium (or potassium) metabisulphite to remove it (and leave behind another chemical(s) in its place).

For all my kit beers i used straight tap water.

For most of my AG beers i use straight tap water the exceptions are for the odd pilsner when i use rain water (unfiltered, untreated) .

Edit - fat fingers

 

[robbo5253]

I went from using Rain water to tap water in the adelaide hills due to moving, didnt notice a difference - (only doing Kits & Bits)

Cheers and Beers

Robbo

 

[Phoney]

I use Sydney tap water, I dont know if it would be any better if I filter or not?

Anyone know?

 

[Bribie G]

Whenever we visit Sydney we always take home a few litres of tap water to annoy people with. It's beautiful off the sandstone, should be bottled and sold worldwide. :icon_drool2:

 

[pdilley]

pray to the beer gods the water does not have chloramine in it

with chlorine you can simply let the water sit overnight and the gas will dissipate for the most part. not so lucky with chloramine though

 

[silver_streak67]

On brew number 56 with adelaide water straight from the tap and never had an issue. Dont believe the hype dwrhahb and enjoy the love

 

[loikar]

Edit - fat fingers

I'm Just big boned!

 

[tcraig20]

me also..but my mate is a ex brewer and goes and says this..gets you thinking..used spring water and cocked up on that..temp was too high..another story...

not looking for the pinnacle of beers,just a decent sinkable beer on the cheap..any sa tap water brewers out their?

If you are willing to go to the expense of bottled spring water, you might as well just do fresh wort kits...

 

[jonocarroll]

Lots of urban myths about Adelaide's tap water...

Its actually softer than people think with a relatively low level of the important brewing cation Ca2+ (~25 ppm). It does have quite a high sodium and chloride content. The smell is from the chlorine/chloramine.

Well whatdayaknow... '07 report from this post (although the link in that post is currently slightly broken) seems to agree with you.

My area (Hope Valley) equal worst on average (with Barossa) but worst maximum for total hardness as CaCO₃: 139 ppm avg, 197 ppm max.

From Wikipedia;

• Very soft: 0-70 ppm
• Soft: 70-140 ppm
• Slightly hard: 140-210 ppm
• Moderately hard: 210-320 ppm
• Hard: 320-530 ppm
• Very hard >530 ppm

Which would put it in the 'soft' category on average, at most 'slightly hard' but then, none of the averages creep into the 'slightly hard' at all. How about that.

 

[jonocarroll]

And the 2008 report. Hope Valley total hardness: 128 ppm average, 186 ppm max.

Maybe someone needs to drop a little blue pill in the reservoir... h34r:

 

[dam-re1]

keep the sa love comimg you guys love the sa know how truth..want to drop my coopers real ale soon

 

[staggalee]

Isn`t there some place in Adelaide where the public can buy untreated water the same as a brewery there uses?
Thought I read that somewhere?

stagga.

 

[Nick JD]

I'm on tank water from the roof and there's so many leaves in the gutters my beer has a delicious eucalyptus aroma.