That inline TDS meter is a nice add. It sure is wonderful to have brewing water on tap like this.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
It really helps a lot to visualize the water thats coming out the other end. Plus its a surefire way to know when to change filters or the membrane
@CaptBeefy11 ай бұрын
My homebrew mentor told me to stick to RO for almost everything. Five gallons at Walmart runs about $1.50 and I get 30 gallons each trip. Sometimes I bring the carboys that look like water jugs.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Nice!
@SamC-sg4ce11 ай бұрын
My favorite find when I switched to RO was an "Adjustable Float Valve Mount". Got rid of the alligator spring clamp and able to set the float level to not overshoot how much water I need. Another nice $5 add is to put shutoff valves on all three lines. Shut off the output line, then the waste, then the input before closing the tap and disconnecting. This ensures the RO membrane stays fully wet if you're gonna have a couple of weeks between brew days.
@GREEENZO11 ай бұрын
Much better than how I do it: setting a timer for 3 hours because I did math wrong on RO gallons per hour, coming back and finding my kettle flooding lol
@SamC-sg4ce11 ай бұрын
@@GREEENZO that's called planned housekeeping - it was time to mop the floor anyway....
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
I'll have to add those extra shut off valves, thats a good tip!
@jwhomebrewАй бұрын
I just picked up an RO system myself for the same reason that you did with buying water for brewing. It never occurred to me to use a float valve to regulate the system. I do not have my fully hooked up yet, but mine did come with a 4 gallon reservoir as well. Once my barn project is finished and I get a permanent brewing area I may install that so that there is a 4 gallon buffer for the start of the whole brew day.
@clarabarton79410 ай бұрын
I have a Buckeye Hydro premium system but don’t need the chloromine filter as I have a well. I set up my system with a 25 gallon rectangular, food grade, marine/RV water tank. I got it without holes. I installed a tri clamp bulkhead that I used to suspend a 1/2” silicon hose with a hose connector and a SS coupling on the end to keep the hose about 1/4” above the bottom. I have a pump mounted on top of the tank that runs off a dedicated switched outlet. I have a 6” waterfproof screw top marine deck cover to access the tank inside of the tank for installation of bulkheads and the float valve. I use a quick disconnect from the pump to the silicone hose I use to fill my kettle. I make 20 gallon batches. I made a copper “U” outlet so it hangs over the edge of the kettle while it fills. I also installed a second tri clamp bulkhead that I use with a very fine screen to vent the tank when I am filling or draining water. The next time I empty the tank I will be installing a 13” thermowell so I know the water temp when I start my brew day. If you’re interested, I have photos…. Congrats on your latest upgrade!
@TheApartmentBrewer10 ай бұрын
Sounds like a great setup!
@ekorrladerbollar824711 ай бұрын
I have looked RO for a while. Nice coincidence that you made a video on the subject. This was helpful!
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Glad I could help!
@markm572211 ай бұрын
My well water is very hard, when I first started brewing I was disappointed how my lighter beers tasted. After learning about water chemistry and ph etc my beers have drastically improved once installing an RO filter, best investment I’ve made.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
It is a game changer!
@spawn2qc21711 ай бұрын
My RO system came with a 4 gallons storage tank. I had to wait for so long to fill my mash tank... I recently upgrade to a 14 gallons. BIG upgrade in my option.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Nice!
@mikeslostworld517811 ай бұрын
I have thought about an R.O. system but couldn't find much info on chloramine removal. This one seems clearly labeled , So thanks for sharing it with us.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Glad I could help out!
@TheFloaterjoe11 ай бұрын
I keep my r/o in a 55 gallon plastic drum and the waste water in a separate drum for cooling wort. It’s so nice to have way more water than you need on a brew day and use it for the final rinse. No need to dry off equipment because no water spots.
@TheApartmentBrewer10 ай бұрын
Thats a great idea if you have the space for it!
@BitterRealityBrewing11 ай бұрын
Great job and good to cover how to install an RO system. The PPM is very impressive without an inline Deionizer. I have the same in-line TDS monitor, with my deionized water, it is only a little lower as 14 is amazing as mine is usually between 2 to 4 ppm (My city water is usually around 255 ppm going into the filter system). I picked up my TDS monitor for $25 but noticed they've raised the price to $40+, but seem to keep it on sale a lot around $21.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
I got mine down to 7 as the membrane broke in! I almost went for the RODI but thats just a bit too expensive for me.
@kettleburnfit11 ай бұрын
I bought something similar to this about a year ago and it's the best thing I've ever purchased. I used to have to bring 40 1 gallon jugs downstairs every week which was terrible LOL
@TheApartmentBrewer10 ай бұрын
I completely agree, thats awful!
@jeffrichter573511 ай бұрын
I've been checking out the Buckeye system compared to cheaper versions on Amazon. I believe I'll squeeze the trigger on Buckeye as well since I respect your opinion in brewing so much. Thanks for the video.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Glad to help out! At the very least their customer service is outstanding
@GREEENZO11 ай бұрын
It’s a game changer! Pro-tip: make your Starsan solution with RO water. It lasts months and months that way. I use it in my spray bottle and it’s great peace of mind
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Great tip! No hardness means no pH change over time. I'm gonna go do that now
@joem274711 ай бұрын
One additional thing you may want to incorporate. I used to have a saltwater fish tank and had a RO DI system. I can't tell you how many times I said, "I'll make sure to turn the water off in an hour" and then totally forget, the float valve decided to stick or not work and dumped water in my unfinished basement. If possible, put the brew pot to be filled inside a utility sink if you have it.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
At this point, I'm still setting a timer based on the flow rate anyway despite seeing the float valve working well. I'd rather not have a spill, and I don't have a sink down there.
@guitarmike4ever11 ай бұрын
Good call Steve! I did this for the same reason, got many of my beers down to 15 cents a pint when I harvest yeast and buy bulk grains / hops. You won’t regret it! Mine doesn’t completely get rid of chlorides, even though I’m usually 8-12 ppm every batch, I add a couple campden tablets to completely isolate the minor chlorine flavor.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Well done! Campden tablets are a great way to help remove the chlorine/chloramine!
@BuckeyeHydro9 ай бұрын
Chlorine (not chlorides) should be at 0 before, and after the RO membrane
@DabbyCakes111 ай бұрын
Any shot we could get a video about brewery start ups? Figure you may have some pretty valuable input given your general experience in the brewing space. Love the content btw. So glad I came across your channel🤙
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
I don't have any info on starting a commercial brewery, strictly a homebrewer here, but I'm glad you are enjoying the channel!
@curtpick62811 ай бұрын
About time Steve! 😅 I just installed mine 6 months ago. I'll never look back.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Nice Curt! It is a game changer!
@brewinfusedyeti37983 ай бұрын
Thanks for sharing this video, ive been doing something similar for quite a while with buying water, planning on buying a similar system. 🍻
@TheApartmentBrewer3 ай бұрын
Glad it was helpful!
@WreckedBrewery11 ай бұрын
Very informative and thorough explanations on how to install an RO system. Thank you! This was something I thought about installing when I lived in PA as the water there wasn't the best for all styles of beer. Fortunately water where I now live in SC is much much better. Cheers!
@ianlaker916111 ай бұрын
I have to confess that my RO system has been sitting unused in the garage for some time now. I brewed some pilsners with it very successfully but was frustrated at how slow and wasteful it was. Although the waste water went in one of our water butts for the garden, they are filled to capacity with the water from my immersion chiller on brewday anyway. Since making the one-off investment for my tap water to be analysed by Murphy and Sons here in the UK, I just go by their recommendations in terms of water salts, relative to my source water profile. Just about perfect every time when I measure the PH of the mash.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
It depends heavily on your input water hardness, and the efficiency of the membrane inside. Unfortunately some people are going to have worse RO to wastewater ratios than others. Glad you have it figured out well for your tap water though!
@danbrown58611 ай бұрын
I installed a RO system earlier this year based on the video Short Circuit put out (which I trust you've seen). Like his system, I have the output going into a 30-gal barrel, with a pump on the output side, which means my kettle fills pretty quickly. And the float valve is then in that barrel, rather than in my brew kettle. And since I'm using well water, I know there's no chlorine in it.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
The reservoir is a great add-on, and I would have done that but I'm too short on space
@Leadership_matters11 ай бұрын
You can add a permeate pump to an RO system to reduce waste water. AND you could use that wastewater on the lawn. I have been doing that for years and it works exceptionally well. Not sure if waste water is ok for veggies but the lawn loves it.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Great tip!
@BuckeyeHydro9 ай бұрын
Remember that a permeate pump only works on systems equipped with a pressurized storage tank.
@ElementaryBrewingCo11 ай бұрын
Nice to have good brewing water whenever you want!!! Cheers 🍻
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
It certainly is!
@doesitstill11 ай бұрын
Got a link for the float system? I need that for my RO system for sure
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Its here: www.buckeyehydro.com/auto-shut-off-valve-kit/
@drp200711 ай бұрын
Awesome, thanks for sharing. I go buy RO water at Natural Grocers for $.29/gallon, and while inexpensive, no where near as convenient as having this in the home brewery.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
I wish I had a source that cheap near me!
@RegicideBrewing11 ай бұрын
Glad you got a membership now on here! I have joined!
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Awesome! Thank you!
@askaryambus11 ай бұрын
nice addition to your set up. thanks for sharing!
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
@edwardmeradith241911 ай бұрын
I’ve got a purch. Some merch - Cool T-shirt!
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Thanks Ed!
@jackhandy723711 ай бұрын
Great video! I think the Market Basket by me has distilled water for $1 a gallon but that’s for the Market Basket brand.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
I wish I had a market basket near me. The big stores near me are often out of distilled water or don't stock much of it.
@LagerThanLife10 ай бұрын
I just use my water, it taste great and lots of people chasing water perfection are just copying brewers using the water they have.
@TheApartmentBrewer10 ай бұрын
If that works for you, then great!
@DrunkDelilahBrewery11 ай бұрын
Steve, open up the pipe to the RO system, make the water in as wide as you can and step down as close as you can to the RO system. At 60 psi you will get much faster flow !!!
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
I am running at 60 PSI
@DrunkDelilahBrewery11 ай бұрын
But try it - the flow you get it much faster. Also at that PSI you should consider a permeate pump, you'll get much less waste water @@TheApartmentBrewer
@haydenhollenbaugh3027 ай бұрын
If everything goes as planned I will be setting one of these up in my basement this year. This was super helpful. I knew I needed RO and some kind of set it and forget it switch or float to be filled the night before or something. I have a rust filter because my water is super rusty and hard coming into the house. Do you think it would be ok for my water to hit the iron filter AND the softener before the RO or just skip the softener completely? Also, whatever beer you have in your hand looks amazing. I've watched for a long long time and I have noticed your beers looking more and more delicious. I went from shaking my head a bit in the early days to watching you follow similar practices as me. Now I come to your channel to learn new things. 🙇
@claytongarred387011 ай бұрын
I have thought about it, but also I feel I am lucky that we have some of the best water in Canada in my city, my water profile is pretty good and easy enough to match or get close to whatever water profiles im aiming for with adding very little salts City of Edmonton, AB, Canada CA - 43PPM MG- 12.9PPM NA- 8PPM SO4- 5PPM CL- 1.7PPM HCO3- 2.9PPM This being said I always add a campden tab about 24 hours before, i've also used Nutrafin aqua + in the past hahaha which is used for fish tanks but works the same
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Thats very impressive water! I hope it is consistent for you year round.
@claytongarred387011 ай бұрын
@TheApartmentBrewer it is great for most of the year except spring when there is run off, but they do weekly reports so I'll have to keep an eye on it this spring :)
@Karjakumpu11 ай бұрын
Good video. Thanks for information. We have good water as it is, but it's nice to know how these things work in practice.
@lordredbeard779111 ай бұрын
I pay .50 per gallon for RO water but I do have to drive about 25-30 minutes out to get it. My tap is actually decent brewing water so i don't make the trip often any more.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Yeah it can be tough to justify making the trip sometimes, thats one of the big reasons I installed this.
@jakobperkin741711 ай бұрын
Super cool device. On the topic of filtering, have you ever considered purchasing a filter for your beer? Your video on how to achieve crystal clear beer is great but I cant help but wonder if using a filter would be even more convenient. Would love to see you dive into that topic. Cheers!
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
I've tried it once before and I found it to be far more trouble than its worth. They increase the amount of wasted beer and are more expensive than finings, plus very tough to sanitize. I'd rather just stick to finings.
@drukawski11 ай бұрын
-Don't waste the waste water, use it to clean your equipment after a batch. -the DI resin is kinda expensive, and water that's only gone through the prefilter and RO membrane is probably good enough in many cases. -RO/DI is good for diluting a 4g batch after fermentation up to 5g. -Buy a couple prefilters and you can use the first stage or two to filter your beer after secondary.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Great tips, I definitely agree on the DI resin being unnecessary, 7 ppm is practically distilled water.
@Frozenwinter8410 ай бұрын
Been wanting to do this myself so I dont have to keep running out and buying RO or Distilled water any time I want to brew.
@TheApartmentBrewer10 ай бұрын
Yup! It's a great way to avoid those issues
@JoeGraves2411 ай бұрын
I’ve really been looking into these systems for a while. I think for my application I will need the pressure tank and a pump to get adequate flow through the system. Plus my municipal water supply has twice the TDS as yours. So I’m looking at a much more robust system.
@SamC-sg4ce11 ай бұрын
If you have good water pressure, it should work for you. Just may have to go with a slower output. I've got the same exact model - but configured for 24 gallons per day (different flow restricter and RO membrane). My source water varies from 300 - 350 TDS and pressure is pretty steady at just over 50 PSI. Output is within a point or two of 7 TDS, maybe up to 9 in the dead of winter when the ground water is in the low 50's.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
The only variable that would theoretically change with a higher input TDS is the life of your filters. The system should still be just as efficient.
@januszkszczotek858711 ай бұрын
I make my brewing water using a demineralizer resin (don't know the English word - it looks like golden sand and removes anions and cations) and use a conductivity meter to check. Usually, I easily reach conductivity levels of commercial demineralized water (about 10 µS, from tap water having nearly 500 µS). No waste water, but you have to buy the resin regularly. It's not dirt cheap, but way better than buying water.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Yeah so you have an RO/DI system. Those are a great investment as well, and you have extremely pure water at the end!
@BuckeyeHydro9 ай бұрын
So you have a DI filter w/out an RO. Check to make sure your DI resin is rated for potable water - most are not.
@FoScoJo11 ай бұрын
$3 or $4 per gallon for distilled water?! That is insane. It is only $1.40 per gallon where I am.
@qntum_jim11 ай бұрын
Yes, the pricing does vary. It’s ridiculous. By me it is anywhere from 1.79 a gallon to 2.79 a gallon depending upon availability and where you shop.
@cindy99toker11 ай бұрын
It's about 1.50 a gallon here in the puget sound area
@brezj21511 ай бұрын
I just get the Target brand distilled, and it’s ~$1.20/gallon in the Philadelphia area.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
$3-4 may have been an exaggerated estimate, but I just saw over $2.50/gallon the other day. Plus there's no guarantee that stores will have enough for me to take back with me, often times they only have a few gallons handy, and I have no fill location near me.
@Mikkogram11 ай бұрын
I had one of those and switch to a resin system. It is a bit more waste but 10x faster and has even less disolved minerals
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
I may make that upgrade eventually. It is far more expensive relative to the RO system though.
@Mikkogram11 ай бұрын
@@TheApartmentBrewerI built my system for 50 Euros plus the resin costs. But I had some.fittimgs laying around. So if from scratch it would have been maybe 70 euro. Comes with the price of throwing away 700ml of resin everytime I produce 55l of water. We have so damn hard water that it does not last long, but it is so much faster
@andrewbruch399311 ай бұрын
Hi Steve, nice video. Question for you: why not just get a storage tank? Messing with the float valance seems like a pain in the butt. Plus the possibility of an overflow and water damage seems like an unnecessary risk. Plus with a storage tank, the water is ready for you. Just curious, other than cost, why not use a storage tank?
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Because I do not have the space for that at all
@BuckeyeHydro9 ай бұрын
Some fun facts to know and tell: **The purity of the RO water coming right out of the membrane will be better than what comes out of a full pressurized tank. **You'll send much less water down the drain as concentrate if you use an UNpressurized tank rather than a pressurized tank.
@pmhartel11 ай бұрын
I've been kicking around the idea of getting an RO system. Do you have any information on the expected life or replacement frequency of the filters/membrane?
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
The filters will last a long time, they recommend changing them every 6 months ($25) and then swapping the RO membrane once you see the flowrate go down and the TDS go up, again this should be on the order of several years ($30)
@pmhartel11 ай бұрын
@@TheApartmentBrewer Thanks for the info! I currently use my tap water that I treat with campden tablets and adjust based on a water report from the city. I make good to great beer but I occasionally get an off batch. I can't shake the feeling that it might be an occasional source water change. So I've been trying to figure out an ROI on buying distilled from the store vs installing a RO system. Not as much of a slam dunk savings compared to you as DI is only $1.25/gal where I live.
@zymurgist6611 ай бұрын
Great informative video. How often do you think you will have to change filters? Also, if you don't brew often is there any concerns about "stuff" growing in the filters? Do you have to run water through periodically to prevent "growth"?
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Filters should be changed once every six months, and the RO membrane will last several years theoretically. As far as microbial contaminants, I'm not sure how quickly that would happen if left alone, but the system is easy to sanitize and theoretically only needs to be sanitized once a year. Plus any microbes would probably get filtered out anyway and then of course all the water is getting boiled.
@HOMEBREW4LIFE11 ай бұрын
This is awesome
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Thank you braj !
@tommanning733711 ай бұрын
What a great addition! 😎👍🏻👍🏻🍺🍺🍺
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Yes it is!
@AlexMoss00211 ай бұрын
What are the ongoing maintenance costs or filter replacements?
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
A complete filter swap runs about $25 for all three, the RO membrane is about $30, this would be something you would probably swap out every 6-12 months.
@BuckeyeHydro9 ай бұрын
Most people get 2 to 5 years from their RO membrane
@evananderson581211 ай бұрын
Sent my RO to an elevated tank with the float breaking an electrical connection on a solenoid valve on the water inlet. Just flip a switch and let it do it's thing.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Thats awesome!!
@spu31311 ай бұрын
Great informative video! Since I know you also delve (or delved) into coffee nerdom as well, have you looked into water chemistry for coffee as well?
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
I'm not into coffee as much as I am into beer, but it would be fun to play around with it!
@cmcurran511 ай бұрын
Would the waste water be ok for animals like goats and chickens to drink? Whenever I’m calling my beer with an immersion chiller I use that water to full all their buckets.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
I don't believe so, it may have too high hardness for healthy drinking over time, but its definitely good for cleaning or for watering most plants.
@joshseivwright730511 ай бұрын
Enjoyed the video, just installed a similar setup this past month but with a pressurized storage tank. Have you done a water test on the RO water and compared it to the source?
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
No, but the total ppm of everything in the RO water is 7 overall. It basically doesn't have anything in it.
@DanielPellan11 ай бұрын
I'm interested in how often you have to change filters too, as someone else commented. Also, how do you know when it's time to change? Is there a threshold value on the TDS meter that indicates when it's time to change?
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
The filters will last a long time, they recommend changing them every 6 months ($25) and then swapping the RO membrane once you see the flowrate go down and the TDS go up to something like greater than 10% of the input TDS, again this should be on the order of several years ($30)
@BuckeyeHydro9 ай бұрын
Here's a longer-winded reply from our FAQ's: A good rule of thumb is to replace your sediment filter and carbon block(s) after six months. A more precise way to maximize the usable life of these two filters is to use a pressure gauge to identify when pressure reaching the membrane starts to decline. This is your indication one or more of the prefilters (all the filters that touch the water before it reaches the RO membrane) is beginning to clog. Also be cognizant of the "chlorine capacity" of the carbon block(s). A good 0.5 micron carbon block for example will remove much of the chlorine from 20,000 gallons of tap water presented at 1 gpm. Best to change out the carbon block at no more than 50% of the chlorine capacity. Some original equipment suppliers commonly provide carbon cartridges rated at 2,000 to 6,000 gallons. Remember that all the water you process, both waste water and purified water, goes through the carbon block. Regarding your RO membrane, use your total dissolved solids (TDS) meter to measure, record, and track the TDS (expressed in parts per million [ppm]) in two places: 1) tap water, and 2) after the RO membrane. The TDS in your tap water will likely range from about 50 ppm to upwards of 1000 ppm. Common readings are 100 to 400 ppm. So for sake of discussion, let's say your tap water reads 400 ppm. That means that for every million parts of water, you have 400 parts of dissolved solids. How do we go about getting that TDS reading down to somewhere near zero? If you do some experimenting with your TDS meter, you'll note that your sediment filter and carbon block do very little to remove dissolved solids. So with your tap water at 400 ppm, you can measure the water at the “in” port on your RO membrane housing and you'll see it is still approximately 400 ppm. The RO membrane is really the workhorse of the system. It removes most of the TDS, some membranes to a greater extent than others. For instance, 100 gpd Filmtec membranes have a rejection rate of 98% (i.e., they reject 98% of the dissolved solids in the feed water). So the purified water coming from your 100 gpd membrane would be about 2 ppm (a 98% reduction). The lifespan of an RO membrane is dependent upon how much water you run through it, and how “dirty” the water is. Membranes can function well for a year, two years, or more. To test the membrane, measure the TDS in the water coming into the membrane, and in the purified water (permeate) produced by the membrane. Compare that to the membrane’s advertised rejection rate, and to the same reading you recorded when the membrane was new. Membranes also commonly produce purified water more slowly as their function declines. Additionally, don’t forget to sanitize the entire system at least once per year, and wash and lube your housing o-rings with food-grade silicone grease every filter change.
@qntum_jim11 ай бұрын
I’ve been searching RO on and off for a while and never came across Buckeye. Thank you Steve, this seems to be exactly what I was looking for. Question: Was there a specific reason why you preferred the RO vs the RO/DI system?
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Glad I could help out! To answer your question, I felt like the extra price on the DI was a bridge too far, but the RO system putting out only 7 ppm TDS is perfectly adequate for my brewing needs.
@BuckeyeHydro9 ай бұрын
Having sold countless systems into the homebrew world, almost 0% of homebrewers opt for a DI stage.
@pewpewgamers_11 ай бұрын
Boston area?! I’m in Northeast, CT!
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
The extra shutoff points is a great tip, and easy to install. I'll be sure to do that.
@GL46273 ай бұрын
I looked at the link to Buckeye and their Premium RO system is pictured with two hanging filters and the third one on top. You have three that hang down. What is the difference and is this an option that isn't listed? Thanks!
@ogm1988111 ай бұрын
I have a question, I am new to brewing beer. I did my first kit which was gifted to me last Xmas. My DME had hardened and the steeping grain seemed okay. I used bottled spring water. With that being said, I steeped for 30 minutes at 155, and boiled for an hour.I Just tasted it after fermentation, and well I get a bad hay, or straw taste. Any idea if the hardened DME caused this?
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Improperly stored ingredients can definitely impact flavor. I don't have that much experience with extract brewing so I can't be totally sure, but I think you're probably getting some impact from the age there.
@TheVindalloo11 ай бұрын
I found "spring water" in Germany with over 1000ppm hco3. Didn't want to use that 😊
@TheApartmentBrewer10 ай бұрын
Yikes!
@tensky11 ай бұрын
Just let me put some jazz in the background before starting. As it is the time of the year when I get really busy, I thought I'd brew several beers at once when I get enough time off. As it is my first time doing something like this, does anyone have tips or advice on what I should pay attention To?
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Good luck! A double brew day is doable but you'll be running around like crazy keeping track of everything going on at the same time. Plan as much as you can ahead of schedule and rehearse in your mind what you will be doing.
@tensky11 ай бұрын
@@TheApartmentBrewer The thing is, I'm not planning two beers side-by-side. I'm planning to brew 3 back-to-back-to-back so in that sense it's less hectic but takes a LOT more time and I'm asking for any advice or tips like cook your meals before hand and microwave them, is lightly hand washing and rinsing the kettle (no taps or pumps or any fancy toys) enough or do I actually need to clean it properly? This kind of things worry me a bit. But thanks for the good luck :) it boosts my morale.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Ah ok I misunderstood. That's gonna be a lot of effort, though. I would recommend planning out your meals and having some caffeine or something handy. Just a quick rinse down between brews should be fine if you're going to brewing again right away.
@jjdawg991811 ай бұрын
I'm curious as to what you are using for brewing salts and how much. It's been a while since I brewed but I recall that pure RO or distilled water needs to have minerals added for yeast vitality and brew flavor. There is also PH factor...all dependent on the style you are creating.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Depends on the beer. I make a water profile for every beer I brew and its on every video for those brews. I would not recommend brewing with pure RO water unless you're going for something like Czech water.
@JPch10811 ай бұрын
since 1999...ok...portugal
@seanrowland167011 ай бұрын
Yes RO is the best way to start. Just throw in a Campden tab in the mash water to get rid of the chloramines. The down side of what I currently have is the recycle time.I (maybe) get 2 gal/ 4 hrs if I am collecting
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
A camden tablet is a great way to help remove the chlorine and/or chloramine, good alternative to the chlorine filter.
@BuckeyeHydro9 ай бұрын
If you have the correct prefilters on the RO system, the chloramine will be removed prior to the RO membrane
@viktorstensson707511 ай бұрын
I have (a perhaps stupid) question! Is the salt concentration calculated for the mash-water or the finished beer? Say, if I want 100 PPM cloride, is that 100 ppm in the 25 liter mash or in the 19 liters of beer?
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Not a stupid question at all. The water profile that you would get from adding salts is for the mash and/or sparge water, not for the finished beer volume.
@viktorstensson707511 ай бұрын
@@TheApartmentBrewer Thank you!! :))
@patrickglaser156011 ай бұрын
Just when I thought my brewery was complete...
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Sorry not sorry
@TTweten778 ай бұрын
$25?! My canadian grocery store scores me 36+L fir $5.99
@ssadams6 ай бұрын
these systems waste too much water for me. At my current price for water, it would cost me more for water than the filter. Cheers 😀 👍 🍻
@nige495811 ай бұрын
Use your own water source and understand it. Never used an RO system and never would unless you have shit water.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
Nothing wrong with that approach, but there is generally a a fair bit of fluctuation in city water. This is one way to guarantee consistency.
@ldt_11 ай бұрын
Stop it... unless you live in an area that has hard water, there is no need. There are literally breweries that use lake water... tap water is fine as long as it's not hard water, you boil out the impurities and in most cases, you can find your city water profile online with your water company website if you really want to create a custom water profile.
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
No, I don't think I will stop it. There are clearly thousands of people who are interested in this topic and are hopefully benefiting from my instructions. City water profiles fluctuate all the time and are only measured at the treatment plant, so you're usually picking up tons of minerals from old pipes. Secondly, boiling only removes chlorine and some hardness, other minerals are unchanged.
@ldt_11 ай бұрын
@@TheApartmentBrewer They watch this because you tell them to, hence views
@TheApartmentBrewer11 ай бұрын
@@ldt_ lol I wish it worked that way, then I'd have millions of views. Nope, interest in this topic is far higher than my other recent videos.
@BuckeyeHydro9 ай бұрын
Hard water (calcium and magnesium) is actually good for brewing beer. It's typically not hardness RO systems are used to remove. More commonly it's sodium, or chlorides, or high alkalinity or high TDS.