Note: the following is an unbiased review of a product I purchased myself. This is not a sponsored review.
Water can present an interesting challenge for homebrewing. While it may be true that good-tasting water can produce good-tasting beer, there are many advantages in taking extra care and putting forth extra effort when it comes to brewing water. The ability to have further control over the mouthfeel and flavor profile of your beer can help you achieve more nuanced flavors and may translate to success in competitions.
There are different options available when it comes to building your own water profile. For those on city water, you may be able to reach out to your water supplier to obtain a water report, which lists the various mineral concentrations in the water. You may also be able to test your water, either at home or through the use of a laboratory.
These methods have their benefits and can provide you with the information you need to modify your existing water profile into the profile you desire. However, there are drawbacks as well. A city water profile can change, particularly if water is sourced from more than one location.
My feeling is that the best way to ensure water profile consistency is to start with a blank slate every time. This means using water with little to no minerals and chemicals, then adjusting to your specifications. This can be achieved in a couple different ways: either by purchasing distilled or reverse osmosis (RO) water in a store and bringing back home, or by filtering the water at home using your own RO system. The BrewRO by HbrewO Systems is one tool that you can use at home to obtain RO water for brewing.
Ease of use: 5/5
One of the selling points of the product is its ease of use; it really couldn't be any less difficult to set up. On first use, I was filtering water within 5 minutes of opening the BrewRO.
HbrewO Systems has a helpful set-up video on YouTube here.
The product is self-contained in a plastic suitcase. To use it indoors, you simply remove the aerator from your sink faucet and screw in an adapter. The white hose pushes onto a spout on the adapter, then the other end goes into the BrewRO. This serves as the incoming water.
Two other hoses (blue and red) attach to the BrewRO and serve as the water outlet. The red hose is for refuse water and can go down the drain or be collected in a bucket to water plants, your lawn, or used for cleaning/sanitizing your brewery. The blue hose outputs the RO water.
To get up and running is simply a matter of attaching all the hoses, the adapter, and then turning on the faucet.
Quality: 4/5
The suitcase feels heavy and sturdy and gives off the impression of quality. Push-in fittings are used throughout to ensure good seals. The included hoses and adapters worked well for me with no leaks.
Effectiveness: 4/5
Within minutes, I was producing my own RO water at home. Previously, I had been purchasing roughly fifteen+ 1-gallon jugs of distilled water from the grocery store to use for brewing. This was a huge hassle, so the ability to sit back and let the BrewRo collect water for me while I did other things around the house was a treat.
Each person's mileage may vary depending on your water pressure. My water pressure is relatively low. For me, it takes about 39 minutes to produce one gallon of reverse osmosis water, so it is not a quick process. HbrewO Systems quotes on their website that the unit can produce up to four gallons per hour.
It also produces a considerable amount of refuse water, which I try to collect for other purposes as indicated above. This is an unfortunate by-product of the reverse osmosis method in general and is not specific to this product.
Cost: 2/5
This is one area where the BrewRO does not compete well against some alternatives, such as permanent RO systems that can be installed under a sink. At $399 for the base model or $449 for the pro model which includes additional accessories such as a TDS (total dissolved solids) monitor, the system is expensive.
Overall: 4/5
For me, the BrewRO was a worthwhile purchase. Over time, the savings I will see from not buying ~$15 worth of distilled water each brew day will help offset the cost.
The product works very well and the portability is a selling point for those who cannot, or do not want to, add a permanent fixture beneath their sink. Being able to bring it to a friend's house or another location for a brew day can be valuable. There are many upgrades that brewers can purchase as they move from beginner, to intermediate, to advanced. This is one such upgrade that can likely wait for a homebrewer until they have advanced in other more pressing areas first (such as fermentation temperature control).
Comments