I am new to brewing, and have not yet measured the ph of the mash of my first three AG batches. Since I don't know how the malt will affect the ph of my water source, can I adjust the mash ph after the grain has been added to the strike water?
You can input your grain bill into the brewers friend chemistry calculator to get an idea of your mash pH. Use those numbers in coordination with your water profile to adjust the pH using lactic acid or acidulated malt. I have never been a fan of the catch-all pH stabilizers.
Check out the brewing chemistry primer sticky in the brew science forum for more info.
thanks for the great advice all! Can't wait to brew next weekendKershner_Ale said:Yes, you can adjust after mashing in. Best bet is to mash in, mix well, wait five minutes and then take a pH reading. Use lactic acid to lower pH if needed. There are some spreadsheets available online that'll estimate your mash pH based on your water chemistry and grain bill. But measuring with a pH meter is more exact.
I use Bru'nwater. Enter the onfo and then calculate how much lactic acid to add (to lower pH). Mash in.
I was looking into cheap meters, like $20 to $30, I'm assuming those suck?
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The pH meter (device with probe/sensor) should come as one unit. Some models have replaceable probes - the cheap ones do not. You'll need to buy calibration solution separately. Store your meter so the probes are immersed in storage solution or calibration solution (I think it's specifically pH 4) all the time. If the probes are stored dry they're useless.
I don't have as much experience with the strips. Like the meters, I suspect the cheap strips are worthless but the good strips are better than a lesser meter. Strips are cheaper than a meter and don't need calibrated but tend not to be as precise and only test a narrow pH range.
I too have never taken a ph reading on my all grain batches and I think that is what caused the off flavor in my porter. I under stand how to adjust the mash. But how do you adjust the sparge
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