If they purify the heck out of water, does it still have the nutrients of fresh water?

No, but it’s usually better without pathogens. Drinking distilled water (100% pure) is not healthy. A good cure though is a pinch of natural sea salt

Theoretically, fresh water has no nutrients – H2O is pure H2O. Fresh water from the forest or the river is in no way pure water, it has chemicals and minerals – all the things that you call nutrients.

Spring water from the well is not pure whatsoever, it is carrying all sorts of minerals from below ground.

Big difference.

It depends on how it is purified and what is in it. If it is full of insects, yum… extra protein. If it is evaporated, then.. no protein… and probably no calcium either. You shouldn’t drink distilled water, but reverse osmosis or sterilised by heat is good. THIS is pretty amazing… http://eartheasy.com/lifestraw

@ARE_you_kidding_me? That’s bunk. Distilled water is fine. It just tastes like crap.

Nutrients?

Do you mean ions?

@Neodarwinian and all above. I am not sure what I mean. If not nutrients, than whatever it is that make water healthy.

Ultra pure water contains only H2O and nothing else. Distilled water contains H2O plus various amounts of dissolved gasses (nitrogen, oxygen, CO2, etc.).

Tap water is the water that comes from the tap (whatever that is). That could have about anything and everything dissolved in it including heavy metals, inert salts, minerals, chlorine, fluoride, pathogen, etc.

When they “purify the heck” out of sewage I wouldn’t count on any “nutrients” being left in the water. The water is likely safe to drink as long as there are no equipment failures or human errors.

Good luck!

Water isn’t a major source of nutrients. It just keeps you hydrated..

@Rarebear I think the verdict on that is still out. I still use distilled water for several things like zymurgy ;) but I don’t drink it anymore by itself. I used to use it in my hydration packs to keep them clean but I found that I got leg cramps more frequently. I realize that that is likely a result of not having enough electrolytes but I came to the conclusion that I was better off drinking spring water even though I actually like the taste of distilled water better. I’ll still drink distilled water if it has some sea salt in it. I don’t think we know the health effects however minor they may be. I think you are probably right though, in the end distilled water is probably just fine. There is just too much conflicting information about it. The best water I have found is simply water from the creek or spring in the back country after a zap from a UV sterilizer.

@YARNLADY

” If not nutrients, than whatever it is that make water healthy. ”

Two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen.

All other constituents of water, ions, minerals and such have other sources of greater amount.

Water has no nutrients.

@ARE_you_kidding_me Actually, distilled water is terrible for brewing beer (and I say this as an experienced brewer). Beer really likes hard water and that’s why recipes call for adding calcium salts to soft water. My water is naturally hard so I don’t bother.

Fresh water is a negligible source of nutrients when compared to food. Drinking distilled vs. hard water will have minimal effects. The only reason we drink water (or anything else) is for the H2O.

Reverse Osmosis water is pretty much just H2O. All the minerals have been removed. I like the taste much better than municipal water, which has minerals from its well water source. And it is just like distilled water – pretty much just H2O.

The only studies I have seen about the disadvantages of drinking distilled/reverse osmosis water are the ones quoted by websites selling “magical” water treatments. I think WebMD says it is perfectly safe. Your stomach is perfectly capable is holding liquids with much lower pH than pure water, and your kidneys only extract out the minerals that your body does not need.

Yup. What @RocketGuy said.

@Rarebear Yeah, I know. But it’s easier to keep sterile. I would cut corners and only use 3 gallons in the boil and cool it rapidly by mixing it with 2 gallons of cold distilled water in the fermenter. That eliminated the need for a wert chiller. I also did not have a huge stock pot back when I did beer as a hobby. Still made really good ale that way though. I need to pick the hobby back up…..

@ARE_you_kidding_me Yes, a big pot is key. We have a 10 gallon pot and a 8 gallon pot, and we have two propane burners. We run an all mash and an extract brew side by side and do it in the garage.

And just back to the water so this doesn’t get modded :-) Seriously, distilled water is fine. It’s just nigh undrinkable because all the taste in the water is from the added solutes. Now, that said, if you drink gallons and gallons of it you’ll get water toxic, but the only difference between distilled water and “spring” water or tap water is trace amounts of various types of salts.

In fact, you can make an argument (which I don’t buy, but the argument can be made) that distilled water is SAFER, because it’s just pure water—nothing else. It doesn’t have any of the trace run off petrochemicals that you might find in regular water.

Now back to the beer. You don’t absolutely need a wort chiller, but it’s nice to have. We’re absolutely compulsive about sanitation so dumping two gallons of cold water in a wort wouldn’t work for us. But I can see how the short cut would work.

@Rarebear Yeah, I was a novice but still managed to make good beer. I agree 100% sanitation, sanitation, sanitation. I had a couple of ruined batches and that’s the key. On the water thing, I was drinking gallons and mountain biking 2–4 hours daily. I was also strict vegan at the time so I’m reasonably sure I was not getting the salts I needed. I have read a bit in the last day and I’m starting to do a 180 on this. Kinda refreshing really. I did read though that industrial distilled water can contain volatiles so it appears like it’s important to get distilled water intended for drinking and not chemistry.

Oh. Well, yes. If you’re exercises and drinking gallons a day then it doesn’t matter whether it’s distilled or tap. You still need to replace some electrolytes.