Brewing beer with well water is possible but requires more work than using municipal or distilled water.
Homebrewers must test their well at least yearly, determine their water profile, and take the necessary next steps to ensure safe and tasty beer.
Public water is supplied and treated by the city or municipality. Well water, however, is private to the property it’s on; therefore its safety and treatment is the responsibility of the property owner.
First, you need to ensure the safety of your water through testing before even deciding if you like the taste of the water.
Test your well water yearly as well as after disruptions or accidents that could contaminate the water, regardless of whether you’re brewing beer with that water.
By knowing these existing levels, you can both determine the safety of the water as well as adjust levels of various minerals accordingly.
Testing well water informs you of any harmful or dangerous elements in the water.
Homeowners who have installed a water softener in order to adjust their well water to their liking may need to add back certain minerals the softener removes, such as: – Calcium sulfate (gypsum) – Calcium chloride – Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts)
Pre-boiling any well water that you add to cooled wort will kill off all bacteria and parasites that could contaminate your wort.