BeerBorg

I've thought about getting RO water locally and there's none close nor would it be easy to work with transporting 9 gallons of water around.
I know there are portable systems around made for RV's and campers that do about 2 gallons an hour so that is an option for those who want it but as I have no experience with this nor know what is quality and what is crap, I'm curious if anyone uses a portable system and the pros and cons of them.

I bought one of these last fall
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000 ... 1_1&sr=8-1
The downsides are I have to use a pressure reducer ahead of it so it takes a little longer to fill my kettle. And in cold weather it sometimes clogs from ice and I have to tap it on my driveway a few times.
I use it with one of these to get the water to my little garage brewery.
http://smile.amazon.com/7612-50-NeverKi ... water+hose
My filter is supposed to be good for up to 200 gallons of water. So I should only need to replace it every other year.

Lucky for me, ice is not a problem. But, I was thinking about RO water so that I could start from scratch. I'm reluctant to spend the money because I already know what my water is and have adjusted it but wonder if I could do more. I'm likely overthinking the whole thing but it seems my water adjustments work perfect to pale ales, and my stouts are fine too but my IPA's seem to be lacking.

I use that filter on my camper, but I still will not drink the well water that goes thru it at the campground. looking around this sounds like what you are looking for Paul. http://www.reverseosmosisrevolution.com ... aQodf1IGgg

Thanks Steve. I bookmarked that site early this morning before posting about it. Amazon offers both the 4 and 5 stage.
I usually fill my pot the night before so waiting to get 9 gallons over 2 1/2 to 3 hours is not a big deal.

I've read about but still not sure about this:

Option #2. Water Re-Mineralization filter (contents 58 Minerals for your body). Filter restores natural calcium, magnesium and other minerals removed during the reverse osmosis process.

though this link does explain it a bit. I doubt I'd need or want this for brewing.

If your going to want to build your own water profile you don't want it to put minerals back in. You'd have to send that water for analysis to know what to add. And maybe not be able to build it up everyway you might want. May as well just analyze your tap water at that point and build on it unless it's totally hideous.

Even if you tap water is totally hideous, you can still use it. I dilute both mash and sparge water with distilled water, then add in the chemicals to reach the profile. Each recipe is different, so it requires a new water calculation each time.

Dave, I've had my water tested and have enjoyed some good results with 'most' of the beers I brew. I guess I should just try buying RO water locally and go thru the trouble of hauling it around to see if I can tell any difference.
I can say my Tale of Two Frankenpales came out extremely enjoyable and I don't think I'd change a thing for that type of beer though I do seem to be having some trouble nailing some IPA's lately.

I use my filter on my tap water coming through my hose mainly to remove chlorine. I am sure it removes a number of other contaminants as well. I really don't detect a difference in my beer. But by just filtering I am not changing the Ph, metal, or lime content.

The tap water here, basically Lake Erie, filtered, chlorinated and phosphated seems to make great beer.

I de-chlorinate it before brewing but other than that, it's great for dark beers, Belgians and IPA's...

Makes good Ambers and Pales but not anything that needs soft water...

Like Pilsners...

BigPapaG wrote:The tap water here, basically Lake Erie, filtered, chlorinated and phosphated seems to make great beer.

I de-chlorinate it before brewing but other than that, it's great for dark beers, Belgians and IPA's...

Makes good Ambers and Pales but not anything that needs soft water...

Like Pilsners...

Have found that most of the Great Lakes cities water profiles are very similar with small variances in minerals and alkalinity.

Dawg LB Steve wrote:I use that filter on my camper, but I still will not drink the well water that goes thru it at the campground. looking around this sounds like what you are looking for Paul. http://www.reverseosmosisrevolution.com ... aQodf1IGgg

That's not a bad price for an RO filter. The fourth stage, using the carbon block, will 'polish' the RO water on the way to your kettle. I have a three stage RO filter mounted on the side of my utility sink, it's basically the same type of filter and makes the same amount of RO water.

Dawg LB Steve wrote:

BigPapaG wrote:The tap water here, basically Lake Erie, filtered, chlorinated and phosphated seems to make great beer.

I de-chlorinate it before brewing but other than that, it's great for dark beers, Belgians and IPA's...

Makes good Ambers and Pales but not anything that needs soft water...

Like Pilsners...

Have found that most of the Great Lakes cities water profiles are very similar with small variances in minerals and alkalinity.

For most beers I just use my Eerie water too, just treated with campden, but at sterilization levels since I use it for topping up at times, and it gets to my house in 100 year old pipes of mystery.

Same as you - pretty much anything is fine, except for soft water beers like Pilsner. I'd just go buy some jugged water for a bohemian pils. I add gypsum and/or calcium chloride for a few types of beer, but not many.

Liked my water did ya. I'll start looking for a house for you. Are you bringing Chuck? It would be fun to watch Sharon when it snows!

Inkleg wrote:Liked my water did ya. I'll start looking for a house for you. Are you bringing Chuck? It would be fun to watch Sharon when it snows!

Yep. I rarely even notice water when I drink it and I drink lots of it all day. But when I tasted your water, I definitely noticed how good it was right away.
Your neighbors wouldn't like us bringing their property values down in your area but worse, you live there and that's way too much for me to deal with.