any one thought of using snow for water?

[adbachtell]

Just thought of this. Any thoughts are welcome. I might not try it due to the increase of propane usage and time spent melting and filtering the water.

[fretlessman71]

Well, how polluted is the snow up in AK? Might not be so bad, but how would I know....

Remember that snow takes up 10 times the space as water does, so you're looking at 50 gal. of volume of snow for a 5 gal. batch.

It's very useful, however, as a wort chiller - just set your brewpot in the snow for a few minutes and swirl! :)

[Bruno_78]

Dont' use the yellow snow.

Sorry, someone had to say it.

[Fly Creek]

You are probably risking introducing some amount of foreign matter into your wort. Even in the middle of the Adirondacks, whenever we melt snow for cooking or drinking, it usually ends up with a lot of random floaties. Never seemed to cause any harm, just not sure I would want it in my beer...

[stronk]

I wouldn't, if I were you. Apart from the above, unless you use absolutely freshly-fallen snow, you'll risk an infection (unless you then boil it, but then what would be the point in using snow?).

[unkle bik]

If it was from the Ohio-Pa. area, I would pass.
Acidic and mercury from coal-fired power plants.

[wortchillergoal]

Isn't your water from snow? All that snow has to go into your watershed at some point.

[stronk]

It gets filtered through the soil and rocks and it then gets filtered (and invariably treated with chlorine) before it gets to the tap.

[Fast_Eddy]

Snow --- what's snow?

[adbachtell]

I was thinking of filtering it thru a coffe filter to reomve the assorted unwanted material. But I may not try this due to the increased ammount of time. (Gathering,melting,filtering) Just a weird idea I came up with at the bottem of a bomber. Then I thought of using Glacier ice. Again an increased ammount of time. Going to the glacier and taking the ice and then going home and melting. If I only worked part time I make time. But the bill collectors like money so that will not happen any time soon.

[ontap78]

The deadly yellow snow from right there where the huskies go....

[Sunriver]

I have brewed with snow.

The water pipes in my house broke while I was away from the house and when I came back my yard was a Ice rink.

The house had electric and wood heat and when I came back the house was freezing,. To save the electric bill a little i decided to brew indoors in my brewing room. I covered the floor with ceramic tiles and got everything set up just right.

Anyway I had the heat turned all the way up and the brewpot ontop filled with snow, The heat/cold contrast warped the brewpot and turned it blue. Very disappointing.

Anyway, the beer was OK, It froze over and I had to repitch yeast to finfish the job but it wasn't bad. Ill never do it again