PH testing and Starch Testing.

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Orfy

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Okay so I've figured out that if you are single temp infusing and batch sparging then the PH should look after itself and is not too important. But I want to check my tap water PH to make sure it doesn't need adjusting.
i also that I need to do a check on the starch to sugar convertion to make sure my equipment and methods are working.

No promlem I thought I have a pharmacy on the corner. Litmus Paper or ph strips - not a clue. Iodine, nah they only do Tincture of Ioadine and they say its only for a antiseptic. They haven't got a clue.I bought the Iodine for 83p. The LHBS sell it for £2.99

I guess I've have to find some on EBAY.

How many of you do PH and Starch tests?
Am I right in my above statements about the test requirements?
 
I don't do either. I tried to read the pH strips and found it very difficult. I just use 5.2 the buffer the pH. It's cheap and works very well. I've seen higher efficiencies and OG's with it.

I suspect your iodine will work. Take a small amount of flour or corn starch (1/4 teaspoon) and mix it in a pint of water, then test it. If it turns blue, put 1/10th of the mix in another pint, test that. Not rocket science, but 1/40th of a teaspoon in a pint of water is a very small residual.
 
I've tried the strips and found them to be crap for my purposes...too hard to read. I've used aquarium type ph tests before where you take some of the liquid, mix it with another, shake, compare, and they work much better. I might try that for brewing.

At least over here, most municipalities can get their water quality reports online and that will include the ph. They are an approximation, but as my local water ranges from 7.2 to 8.66, I know I need to compensate.

David's 5.2 buffer sounds like the best solution.
 
david_42 said:
I don't do either. I tried to read the pH strips and found it very difficult. I just use 5.2 the buffer the pH. It's cheap and works very well. I've seen higher efficiencies and OG's with it.

Where do you get this 5.2 buffer? How does it affect the flavor, if at all?
 
BeeGee said:
I've used aquarium type ph tests before where you take some of the liquid, mix it with another, shake, compare, and they work much better. I might try that for brewing

That's a really good idea to check the pH of your water. I used them when i kept Cichlids until about 5 years ago. Get a good quality kit and they'll last you a fair while.
 
Okay so I've figured out that if you are single temp infusing and batch sparging then the PH should look after itself and is not too important. But I want to check my tap water PH to make sure it doesn't need adjusting.

Keep in mind that it's mash pH that matters, not water pH. No matter what your water pH is, adding grain will change it. Even in batch sparging, mash pH makes a difference. Once you get that right, the sparge pH will take care of itself.
 
I've been using the cheap pH papers. Not too accurate but I know it's in the ballpark.

I also use Iodophor for starch tests. The test is by no means conclusive, it only shows there is no starch in the small drop. There could still be some in the MLT.
 
I have an electronic pH meter which turned out to be PITA and I returned to good old pH strips. My LHBS sells good ones, easy to read and accurate, with narrow range 5.2-6.8 pH, 0.2 pH accuracy.
Actually, you have to adjust pH only for lighter beers. Well, at least with my water...

Sparging water I acidify with ~1ml of phosphoric acid per gallon.
 
When I first started All-Grain I used to "pre-pH" charcoal filtered water to around 6 with a meter. I found my first few brews had an off flavor to them..

After a few tries I just used the regular tap water filtered through charcoal and left the pH at 9 and voila, the taste went away. No troubles at all since. I was actually surprised at the difference. BTW I mash in a 10 gallon gott and fly sparge.

I contemplated adding a bit of acid to the sparge water but I monitor runoff gravity so I didn't bother.
 
Where do you get this 5.2 buffer? How does it affect the flavor, if at all?

Five Star Chemicals, the makers of StarSan, sells it, so any homebrew shop should be able to get it. Some people claim it makes the beer taste "minerally", but I haven't noticed that. It possibly depends on the concentration you use it at and what your water chemistry is like.
 
I just picked up some 5.2 Buffer, does it raise acidic water more alkaline untill it reaches 5.2, reason I ask is I am going to be brewing my Pils tomorrow and I want to use my RO water to keep the water soft wich should be acidic already. Should I not bother with the buffer?
 
Water pH is only important as it affects the mash. Even in fly sparging, you track the pH of the runnings, not the water.

Again, not true.

With untreated sparge water having high pH. As the running gravity of the sparge drops to 1.010 to 1.008 the alkaline pH of the water is less buffered by the wort thus increasing tannin extraction from the remaining druff.

However, if you lock the pH of the sparge water in at 5.2 to 5.5 then you can in fact sparge until the gravity of the runnings reads 1.000 and no tannin extraction will take place or, at the very least, it will be at such minimal levels as to not be detectable by our palates.

If that does not make sense then I suggest you read some heavier texts on brewing. And if that does not convince you that sparge water pH is important than no further debate here will change that and I concede that we should just agree to disagree.
 
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