Water Profile for Distilling

Other discussions for folks new to the wonderful craft of home distilling.

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Rodan
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Water Profile for Distilling

Post by Rodan »

Hi, I'm new to distilling but have a background in brewing beer. In beer, when brewing a particular style of beer you can match a particular water profile of where that beer was brewed. I've been trying to find info on what kind of water is best for distilling. So far it looks like distilled water it what some recommend. Can anyone point me in the direction? Eventually I would like to open a micro distillery and would plan to use my city's water (less the chlorine). Its pretty decent water for brewing so I'd assume it would be good for distilling. What minerals do I want/not want? What concentration?

Cheers,

Rodan
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cranky
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Re: Water Profile for Distilling

Post by cranky »

Welcome to HD, home of the best and most knowledgeable home distillers on the planet. I don't think anybody here will tell you to use distilled water for anything but tempering after distilling. Most here use what they have, tap water, well water or rain water and make adjustments as needed. A beer brewing background is helpful, basically whiskey is distilled beer without hops. A good place to begin is the first link in my signature, it will get you through all the basics of this hobby and get you going in the right direction.
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Danespirit
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Re: Water Profile for Distilling

Post by Danespirit »

+1 on that Cranky..
Welcome in Rodan..
Well... of course you don't want to distill on contaminated water, that is for sure..
Depending on what you want to get as a "end product"..there are as many oppinions on the water as there are people in the world.
Irish whiskey (wiskey) distillers are up to puttting their "stuff" in a sack an let it get the water of the local river..
If one want to get a neutral (vodka) out of it...just use plain water, sugar and yeast..
Take a look around here http://ww.homedistiller.org/forum/viewt ... 52975//url" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow and start your journey of distilling in a safe way...
Edit..:Some info about getting started is here...http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=46
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=89
ShineRunnah
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Re: Water Profile for Distilling

Post by ShineRunnah »

Good, clean water is all that is necessary. I wouldn't get too deep into thought over it. Yes, the Scotch use the river waters that are usually rich in peat, etc, and Kentucky uses the limestone water for bourbon, but you can most certainly get by and produce a fine drop with basic clean and good tasting spring water or filtered tap water. You don't want to filter to the point you remove all the minerals and other good stuff, just the harmful contaminants.

Good luck with your journey!
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Kegg_jam
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Re: Water Profile for Distilling

Post by Kegg_jam »

After much dicking around with different water sources I've found that my best ferments are when I use my garden hose with spray nozzle hooked up to my basement mop sink faucet. City water, unfiltered.

Probably the aeration from the nozzle being the key ingredient... Maybe
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MitchyBourbon
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Re: Water Profile for Distilling

Post by MitchyBourbon »

About the only thing I would worry about with any home water is too much chlorine and too much iron. I don't have a problem with my own tap water. I only use unsoftened tap water and when I'm good about planning ahead it fill my mash tun with water the night before to allow chlorine to dissipate.
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Rodan
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Re: Water Profile for Distilling

Post by Rodan »

Hey all,

Thanks for the replies! I will check out the links! Looks like I have a lot of reading to do! Pretty glad that water doesn't have to be too complicated. One less thing to worry abut.

Cheers!

Rodan
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frunobulax
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Re: Water Profile for Distilling

Post by frunobulax »

For all grain mashes,I just make my water profile good for the yeast. I have very little calcium in my water, so I'll raise it to 50-60 ppm using calcium chloride and keep the PH at 5.2 - 5.5
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BENCO
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Re: Water Profile for Distilling

Post by BENCO »

Rodan wrote: Tue Dec 30, 2014 4:02 am Hi, I'm new to distilling but have a background in brewing beer. In beer, when brewing a particular style of beer you can match a particular water profile of where that beer was brewed. I've been trying to find info on what kind of water is best for distilling. So far it looks like distilled water it what some recommend. Can anyone point me in the direction? Eventually I would like to open a micro distillery and would plan to use my city's water (less the chlorine). Its pretty decent water for brewing so I'd assume it would be good for distilling. What minerals do I want/not want? What concentration?

Cheers,

Rodan
Hello, I read your old post:) (2014y) I have such question as you :) you have any research after many years?

viewtopic.php?f=46&t=85766
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elbono
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Re: Water Profile for Distilling

Post by elbono »

Kegg_jam wrote: Tue Dec 30, 2014 3:36 pm I use my garden hose
:thumbup: I've been using a cheap pvc hose. They leach all kinds of horrible chemicals (by modem standards) into the water but I'm sure the hundreds of gallons I drank from a garden hose as a child did their damage long ago.

I am very familiar with the taste and smell.of pvc plasticizers, I love them. My ability to make cuts is infantile but there's definitely none of that particular smell or taste coming through.
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bluefish_dist
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Re: Water Profile for Distilling

Post by bluefish_dist »

Honestly I think brewers have a better handle on water than most distillers. It’s one area I wish I had more knowledge. I simply used a carbon filter on my city water as I didn’t have any profiles of what it should be. Certainly an area to explore if I was doing more spirits.

I believe it was 10th mtn brewing that used ro water that they built like they wanted since vail changed water sources regularly, some times even different sources on the same day. Only way to get a reliable product. In the end since the wort is not consumed directly I think the water has far less effect of the final product than beer making. Too many other variables that have a stronger influence on final flavor for it to matter a lot.
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cranky
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Re: Water Profile for Distilling

Post by cranky »

Not to bust anybody's balls or anything but this was a welcome thread and the question and answers should be in their own thread because the mods get kind of touchy about things getting burred in welcome threads making them hard for others to find.
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Deplorable
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Re: Water Profile for Distilling

Post by Deplorable »

I agree with Cranky. This thread should be moved, but as far as water profile, unless you're trying to replicate something exactly I'd just use your clean tap water or what every water you like to drink. Just make sure your city doesn't use chloramine. I'm told it's hard to remove.
I'm very fortunate to have very tasty tap water, so I use that. It's got good flavor, pH of 7, and isn't very hard. I think it makes a good drop.
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BENCO
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Re: Water Profile for Distilling

Post by BENCO »

Deplorable wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 6:26 pm I agree with Cranky. This thread should be moved, but as far as water profile, unless you're trying to replicate something exactly I'd just use your clean tap water or what every water you like to drink. Just make sure your city doesn't use chloramine. I'm told it's hard to remove.
I'm very fortunate to have very tasty tap water, so I use that. It's got good flavor, pH of 7, and isn't very hard. I think it makes a good drop.
in water ph 5.5 is better for spirit
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Ben
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Re: Water Profile for Distilling

Post by Ben »

BENCO wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 5:48 am
Deplorable wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 6:26 pm I agree with Cranky. This thread should be moved, but as far as water profile, unless you're trying to replicate something exactly I'd just use your clean tap water or what every water you like to drink. Just make sure your city doesn't use chloramine. I'm told it's hard to remove.
I'm very fortunate to have very tasty tap water, so I use that. It's got good flavor, pH of 7, and isn't very hard. I think it makes a good drop.
in water ph 5.5 is better for spirit
Its not that particular, and it depends on what your doing. I often run mid 4's on a sour mash, yeast take it no problem. pH is over-emphasized as some sort of golden ticket... it isn't. As long as you aren't in the >4 or 8< you are fine.

Even in beer its not that big of deal unless you are way off. Grab your water profile, duplicate. The pH lands wherever and it will be fine.

Palmers how to brew has a great article on this:
http://howtobrew.com/book/section-3/und ... d-minerals

It will really help you to understand your water. Either contact your local water dept, or spend the $45 for a ward lab brewers test. Between that information and that palmer article you have all the tools necessary to hit your pH using malts or salts. It WILL improve your product, possibly more than any other $45 piece of equipment.
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Deplorable
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Re: Water Profile for Distilling

Post by Deplorable »

BENCO wrote: Tue Jan 18, 2022 5:48 am
Deplorable wrote: Mon Jan 17, 2022 6:26 pm I agree with Cranky. This thread should be moved, but as far as water profile, unless you're trying to replicate something exactly I'd just use your clean tap water or what every water you like to drink. Just make sure your city doesn't use chloramine. I'm told it's hard to remove.
I'm very fortunate to have very tasty tap water, so I use that. It's got good flavor, pH of 7, and isn't very hard. I think it makes a good drop.
in water ph 5.5 is better for spirit
I'd think if you start with a pH of 5.5 before you dough in, your gonna have a pH crash in fermentation. I regularly end up at 5 to 5.2 after cooking the corn. But Im still new at this whole thing.
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Bee
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Re: Water Profile for Distilling

Post by Bee »

If you have good water, chemistry doesn't make any difference. If you have bad water, it's everything.

Water chemistry is the most important part of brewing that is regularly ignored here. I don't know about AG using malt, but if the pH isn't correct you *won't* get enzyme conversion and you'll end up having to add sugar until you figure it out. For instance, my water is said to be about 7.8pH and about 14gr of hardness. I can't get conversion without adding acid. Apparently, my water has a pretty high buffering capacity. Last mash I did I had to add 20% backset, 5oz Fruit Fresh and 4oz lactic in a 25gal mash.

If I was going to start a distillery, I'd make sure I had a complete water testing kit on hand so I'd know exactly what adjustments need to be made. pH and hardness vary by time of year. As an amateur, I just keep adding acid until the pH paper shows some pink.

Iron is notorious for making off-flavors.
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