Eskimo Spy
Well-Known Member
I just started doing AG, and I was curious how important checking the water pH is using bottled spring water?
Did you just use 'Premium American Lager' and 'Heineken' in the same sentence? You'll need pixie dust salts.I was going to make a premium American lager, kind of a Heineken.
Water pH is also important for fly-sparging.
Deathbrewer, I'd be interested how much of a PITA the maintenance and short working life of the sensor turns out to be. It looks like such an awesome tool to have...until you read about the sensor care/working life.
Isn't that just part of the mash? Why would it be any more important than batch sparging or my infamous splash sparging?
With fly sparging, one can "over-sparge". As the runnings get lower in SG, the pH of the mash goes up. If the pH gets too high (I want to say more than 8.0-ish), you can leach tannins from the mash. So, if you're using sparge water with a pH of, e.g. 7.6, you run a much higher risk of over-sparging and tannin extraction than if you use water with a pH of 5.7 (like me!). At least that's how I understand it.
Ahh, yes. I gotcha...that makes sense. One could test the pH of the runnings as they are reaching the end of their sparge to ensure they don't extract tannins.
Really, no one should even use water with a pH that high. Ever.
I start with pH9.3
I start with pH9.3 and dose it with Lactic Acid to achieve at least 5.5 to avoid this. Works fine.
My water sux, but my beers are good.
When I make a dark brew I treat the mash water to make it more alkaline (which should put the mash pH right about where it should be) but I don't treat the sparge water. When I make a light brew I treat both the mash and sparge water (to reduce alkalinity mostly). I do it to prevent just what you're talking about...but I only recently got pH strips to measure this. I've always flown blind.With fly sparging, one can "over-sparge". As the runnings get lower in SG, the pH of the mash goes up. If the pH gets too high (I want to say more than 8.0-ish), you can leach tannins from the mash. So, if you're using sparge water with a pH of, e.g. 7.6, you run a much higher risk of over-sparging and tannin extraction than if you use water with a pH of 5.7 (like me!). At least that's how I understand it.
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