PH preferences

OK, who worries and or deals with PH and who does not? Also, what do you test and adjust with if you do?

Well, I just started testing my mash pH, but haven't got around to adjusting it. That's the only pH I plan on worrying about. I don't care how acidic my propane is...

Oh, but propane PH is such a concern.

Brewpastor said:

Oh, but propane PH is such a concern.

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I guess I'll never make it as a pro...

Just a pane.

pH 5.2 means never having to try reading those &^&*%**%^##$@&^ strips.

Lately Ive started using R/O water from the little machine out front of our local grocery store. Since the move, Ive been hesitant to use our well water. I may here in the future to see how it turns out.

But I havent started down the PH road yet. Its always on my mind, but I haven't started testing or adjusting yet.

Maybe my beers would improve if I messed with PH but to me it is just a pain. My runnings usually stop at about 1.020 so I don't think it is a concern.

I tested a long time ago by doing a titration. Ever since then, I just adjust with Gypsum and Epsom Salts.

-a.

I have never tested the pH of my water. I go with if it tastes ok to drink then it is ok to brew with. I brew with the water right out of the hose in the backyard.

If I did test it though, I would use one of those pH paper test strips.

I must be the only one who has enough time to do it, lol.

But seriously, I do measure PH with a meter, now, and I do adjust if nesessary.
And I usually need to adjust.

I found that using the 5.2 stabalizer just didn't get my mash to 5.3 to 5.5 PH. I now add gypsum to get my mash in the ballpark and use the 5.2 stabalizer in
my sparge water. At least for my lighter coloured brews.

I have never checked and never adjusted. Maybe some day I'll get around to it, but for now I'm having success with everything the way it is. If I had a funky water situation, well that's a different story.

I check and adjust if need be with lactic acid. However, last weekend I checked my mash with two different brands of test strips and got results about 0.7pH apart. I guess I really don't know what I'm doing. At least when I'm measuring out gypsum on my digital scale it gives my neighbor (the one with 18 wreaths, an inflatable santa, inflatable snowman in a ball, reindeer, nativity scene, and lights) an opportunity to crack the same cocaine joke again.

Brewpastor,

This should have been multiple choice.

I care about the PH,
I test with strips,
and I adjust with acid malt if necessary.

Since I build my own water, the latter may become obsolete since I can adjust the alkalinity of the water instead.

Based on the fact that I might be having a tannin problem in my lighter beers I would say PH matters quite a bit, but most homebrewes don't have to bother if they brew dark beers. And also, if the strips are pretty good to read (like colorPhast) they are not necessarily accurate. Mine seem to be off by about 0.5 PH units which made me believe that my mashes were fine.

BTW, the PH rise of beer that is sitting on top of yeast is an indication of autolysis of that yeast. But this can only be measured with a PH meter. I also believe that a PH meter is more valuable than a refractometer since the gravity can be measured accurately enough with a hydrometer, but there is no cheap way for accurate PH measurements.

Kai

Kaiser said:

This should have been multiple choice.

Kai

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I wanted to make it multi-choice, but could not find that option. Sometimes I wonder about myself!

PH testing does seem to be one of those things that get too quickly left behind. I have a meter and used to calibrate it, but have not for some time. I imagine I should, but I don't ever seem to get around to it.

I'm testing out the 5.2 buffer this weekend. If I can get my efficiency north of 75%, and I don't get any astringency, that'll probably be good enough for me; otherwise, a PH meter looks like a cool tool for the "next year's toys" list.

As far as water quality... I live in salem oregon. We have some of the best water in the world around here. When I get up to portland I'm going to pick up some 5.2 buffer, but till then I'm going to be batch sparging so ph won't matter too terribly much from what I've read. I also like a good amber colored ale that's over 6% and hoppy as hell anyhow. I'm sure if I was fly sparging that might be another issue. Man, I just can't wait to get my immersion wort chiller and a good grain bill to try out my new brew set up!!!! My baby brewery..... It's so sad right now. Just sitting in the garage. It calls to me.... You just don't love me! it says, come play with me.... *sigh*.... soon my love, soon......

I have very hard well water. So dark beers get well water and lighter beers get rain water. I don’t bother with testing because the results I get are good.

Jsin said:

I have very hard well water. So dark beers get well water and lighter beers get rain water. I don’t bother with testing because the results I get are good.

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If it is not broke, don't fix it!

Jsin said:

... and lighter beers get rain water.

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The acid rain will help with keeping the PH down

Kai

Kaiser said:

The acid rain will help with keeping the PH down

Kai

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It is also good for cleaning those nasty hard water stains off your glasses!

Grimsawyer said:

As far as water quality... I live in salem oregon. We have some of the best water in the world around here.

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The best water in the world floats by here every spring. All i have to do is to get part of the iceberg and melt it. I have done brews doing just this when I was extract brewing, but haven't had the opertunity to snag any ice recently as it stayed further off shore this year past.

Woah... Iceburg Ale... Titanic Stout... Glacial Porter... Ice Queen Blond... haha... Floater Lager... HAHAHAHAH!!!! ok, I'll stop, but the possibilities are endless!!! I like that last one, hahah, floater lager... hahahaha! I crack myself up! So how do you get the Ice, just get in a boat and motor out to one, chip off some ice and bring it back in? just cut and dry, as simple as that?

Yep, it's as simple as that. I don't have a boat now but the good thing is that a big boat that harvests the ice for iceberg vodga lands the ice on the wharf in my community in big barrels. I was able to aquire enough the last time to make a 5 gallon extract brew.

Should any pass by my hands in the future I'll be doing Boo Boo's Berg Beer AG style.