Mashing with Tap Water

[Tom Wrinkles]

Is it imperative to rid the tap water of chlorine? I am going to try my first all grain batch this weekend using Henderson water.

[sirgiovanni]

As I understand it, you will reduce levels during the boil. Fermentation is where you want to avoid high levels in order to avoid off flavors and aromas. To be safe, I use a carbon filter. If I had to roll the dice, I would believe you would be safe. But I would filter if you can.

[Ritchie]

I filter and boil. and i am just learning my self.

My understanding is the cleaner the water the better.

I done 2 all grains just to let you know that you are not alone.

Ritchie

[Michael Erwin]

If it's Evansville water, you've got bigger problems than chlorine. You've got chloramine. It won't boil off.

I use tap water, sometimes cut with distilled for lighter colors, but usually not.

Crush a campden tablet and mix it in your water before you start. That removes the chloramine almost instantly. One tablet can treat 20 gallons.

[john mills]

I'm still learning to make better beer too.

Last I heard Evansville switched back to chlorine last fall when they cancelled the contract with American Water. City claimed for just a couple of weeks to help change up the sanitization process a bit to kill off the bugs that have grown used to cloramine. 2 months later they were still using chlorine. I don't think they've changed back. Chlorine is cheaper! Better/easier for us to remove.

Best to buy a charcoal filter from Rural King. It's the cheapest insurance to brew better beer. Period.

[psfred]

There is more to that discussion than cost, there is also the issue of nitrosamines (powerful carcinogens). For brewers chlorine is better.

More on that at the meeting!

Peter

[Michael Erwin]

Last I heard Evansville switched back to chlorine last fall when they cancelled the contract with American Water.

The recent water report says that in one step of their process, "Chlorine, a disinfectant, is used to kill pathogens."

Then, in the next paragraph, "Ammonia is added to form chloramines, providing adequate residual disinfection throughout the distribution system."

Peter understands the chemistry better, but I think that means, the ammonia is added to react with the chlorine to form chloramines. It's not clear to me whether all of the chlorine is used up in that process or not.

So, at the very least, we are now dealing with chloramines. And possibly chlorine as well. In my understanding, and truly it's a very limited understanding, a charcoal filter doesn't remove chloramines.

[psfred]

Charcoal filters will remove chloramines pretty well, but the best way to deal with them (and chlorine) is to add a couple ppm of sodium or potassium bisulfite. Any extra will blow out with the CO2 during fermentation and the chlorine will definitely be gone.

I'll do the calculations for the next meeting to make it easy.

Peter