Is distilled water always better?

[RajunCajun]

I've been brewing using filtered water...should I switch over to distilled? What are the benefits? Is there a difference in taste? Thanks!

[BeerPal]

You don't want to brew with distilled water, unless you will be adding back in the minerals it lacks. Stick with filtered water.

[krizwit]

You should never just brew with distilled water without adding mineral salts back to it.

Get a water report to you understand what your water profile is and then check out John Palmers water brewing spreadsheet. I will use a portion of distilled water in my palest beers.

[herbaljoe]

One caveat to this is if you are brewing extract beers, in which case distilled is ok. In fact, with extract, distilled or r/o water is technically better than tap water because the theory is that the minerals are already present in the extract and you don't want to risk bumping any of them up too high.

[BeerPal]

One caveat to this is if you are brewing extract beers, in which case distilled is ok. In fact, with extract, distilled or r/o water is technically better than tap water because the theory is that the minerals are already present in the extract and you don't want to risk bumping any of them up too high.

I have never heard this and in fact, will have to ask you to back it up with some kind of proof.

[herbaljoe]

I've heard Jamil and/or John Palmer mention it a couple times. I'll try to figure out which podcast it was. Best guess is one of the water-ganza Brew Strong shows.

[BeerPal]

I've heard Jamil and/or John Palmer mention it a couple times. I'll try to figure out which podcast it was. Best guess is one of the water-ganza Brew Strong shows.

I just looked it up in "Brewing Classic Styles" and you are correct, JZ & Palmer do, in fact, say, "Extract-based beers can be brewed with confidence using distilled water." I'll be damned.

[mabrungard]

Yes, extract brewing with distilled water is OK. The maltster's wort already had minerals in it and the only thing that leaves the extract during the vacuum distillation is the water.

Regarding the use of filtered water...it might be perfectly good for your brewing in some cases. You will need to know what your filtered water profile is. PS: a filter only takes out organic compounds, halogens, and particulates. The inorganic things like calcium and sodium are unaffected.

Download Bru'n Water if you're really interested in learning about your brewing water. The link is in my signature line.