mychalg9
Well-Known Member
I recently started brewing AG (BIAB) and my first two attempts at Pale Ales have both turned out overly bitter. After doing a lot of research, my problem may stem from improper pH levels. My first one was a SMASH Maris otter/cascade 5 gal batch which I mashed in about 5 gal of water and then attempted to sparge in a much smaller pot with the remainder of the water I needed. The second batch I decided to just mash in the full volume of water (4 gallons of water for my 2.5 gal batch) using EdWorts Pale Ale recipe (Scaled by half, approximately). Both beers turned out overly bitter. I've since made a lot of adjustments in my process to dial everything in, but I feel like I still may have an issue with my mash pH, due to research found in Brewing CLassic Styles by Jamil, and a HBT thread re: BYO article pertaining to no sparge brewing (no link at this time). To make a long story short, what I am interested in knowing is: A) What can I do to control the mash pH to stay within the "Acceptable" range per style? B) Is there anything about BIAB or mashing that I should know that might make a significant impact on the pH?
Two things I should point out is that on the first APA I was using tap water, and the second I was using Hinckley Springs spring water, and both produced similar results....and I was using a floating thermometer for both batches and have since upgraded to a digital probe thermometer so I can keep track or temps more accurately.
PS For the purposes of this thread, I'd like to stay focused on pH for the most part, and not go off on any tangents about anything else in my process. Although if you feel that there is something other than pH that absolutely must be pointed out, please feel free to bring it up. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. :fro:
EDIT: I also should add that I have time to go to the LHBS later today if I need to pick anything up, but I dont have the budget for a pH meter yet. Is that something that is necessary to buy eventually? Or can you get by without one?
Two things I should point out is that on the first APA I was using tap water, and the second I was using Hinckley Springs spring water, and both produced similar results....and I was using a floating thermometer for both batches and have since upgraded to a digital probe thermometer so I can keep track or temps more accurately.
PS For the purposes of this thread, I'd like to stay focused on pH for the most part, and not go off on any tangents about anything else in my process. Although if you feel that there is something other than pH that absolutely must be pointed out, please feel free to bring it up. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. :fro:
EDIT: I also should add that I have time to go to the LHBS later today if I need to pick anything up, but I dont have the budget for a pH meter yet. Is that something that is necessary to buy eventually? Or can you get by without one?