A friend of mine always uses spring water in jugs, and that’s the way he taught me. I’m stuck. I’ve gotten everything layed out to brew tonight and forgot the jugs of water. However, I do have a Brita water pitcher in the refrigerator with the filter. We use it for drinking water. Would that work for the water portion of this?
Not sure what to do and I live a ways from a nearby store. Was really hoping to get this done tonight.
Thanks.
If you have a well, and the water is good to drink, you could just use that water.
If you have city water with chlorine or chloramine then it’s best to use a campden tablet to remove those chemicals.
A Brita Filter will work, but it might take a while to get the amount of water you need.
You could let the water off gas over night, or boil it for a while to remove the chlorine.
If you can’t do any of the above, and your water is good to drink, you can use it with the chlorine or chloramines in it, however if the water has a strong smell of those chemicals then I wouldn’t use it.
(Technically speaking, you should use the proper water, but if you’re in a bind, and your water doesn’t smell like chlorine, it doesn’t hurt to try it. Then you’ll know, foregoing a water test, if you can use it in the future.)
While it is imperative to remove chlorine and chloramine from water used in brewing, it is a mistake to think that ANY water that tastes OK can be used with extract. In fact, if that water has a lot of alkalinity and mineralization, it can easily affect the taste and perception of the finished beer. The best water to use with extract is either distilled water or RO water. Both have low mineralization and alkalinity. High alkalinity can force the pH of the kettle wort higher and that can make the hop flavor rough and makes other flavors in the beer dull.
Agree with Martin, but if you’re in a pinch or a bind, like this guy, and only have the water out of your well, you could brew with it 
Use Distilled water for extract brewing. There are already mineral concentrations in the syrup from the initial mashing process. Using your homes water will by no means ruin your beer, but you’ll not be able to pinpoint off flavors in your beers.
